No one hates the American poor more than the American poor. I've said it before, and I expect I will have to repeat it. I did my undergrad in Northeastern Ohio, not too far from Cleveland, In what is a pretty seriously economically depressed area aside from the University in the centre of town. The attitude that I saw there among low and middle class people towards poor people was astounding to me. "I'm in this welfare line because I lost my job in the recession, and my wife is too sick to work. I'm in a rough spot, but I'll get out. But that guy behind me? He needs to stop sucking on the government tit so hard - I see him here every week! Why doesn't he just work harder?"
I totally get you, and I shouldn't speak for everyone's experience. I can only say that this was the attitude that I saw and perceived where I was. I was never one of the people in the situation, but I rubbed shoulders with a lot of people who were barely making enough money to scrape by - a blown tire could mean the difference between being out on the streets or in an apartment. Some of this behaviour comes down to larger, broader questions - Why do we steal? Why do we have a create a narrative "other" for us to unite and help each other?