2. What do you think Gan’s main point is? What do you think of it?

Basically what Gans was getting at is how the world reacts to the poor, and our stereotypes the poor. We tend to classify the poor as "undeserving." Their are many " positive functions"(Gans lists 13), which detail various ways that the wealthy can benefit from this "undeserving" poor.

-first I should mention that "underserving" is the stereotype ascribed to poor people, since they have been associated with mugging, etc. in the past.

Gans goes on and gives examples on how the wealthly are favored over the poor in a trial situation, and so forth. As unfair as this is, Gans makes a good point. He states that undeservingness still exists because it's functions help the wealthy. Also, because the wealthy tends to seperate themselves (further and further) from the poor because of the stereotypes that have been given to them.
which is pretty much horrible. With such a huge distancing from the poor, how are we supposed to pull the plug on poverty?