'Self-justification involves denigrating a person or group to justify mistreatment of them' (506). The poor are blamed for their problems; Stereotypes of the homeless as bums, alcoholics, and drug addicts, caught in a hopeless downward spiral due to their individual pathological behavior, are ubiquitous in the media” (318). By continually portraying those who have less than the socially accepted norm, the media creates a climate in which those struggling to survive are dehumanized, and this portrayal creates a culture of self-justifying prejudice against these people. “The media tricks us into believing that upper class people are much better than us. The media also suggests that we should not be loyal to people of our own class or to those who are less fortunate” (316). “Research has found that people who watch a lot of television have exaggerated opinions about how rich most Americans are” (317). Parrillo defines frustration as the result of relative deprivation or lack of resources compared to others in society, and since the media promotes the idea that many Americans live in the economic stratosphere of the wealthy, it is not surprising that many Americans feel frustrated with their current position socioeconomic. (510). Prepared with the knowledge of