CapitalistMarks

Poverty — try it sometime.

Posted on 09. Mar, 2010 by scott in Social commentary, economic daydreaming

To start, let me explain that I have why I am so concerned about today’s subject.  Here is the scoop.  I have seen poverty up close and real–a bunch of times.

When I was a junior in high-school my dad moved us to a country that was still recovering from war.  Poverty was something I saw everyday for two years.  I had heard rumors of people throwing themselves in front of diplomatic trains and cars — so they (or their families if they were killed) could collect compensation for the ‘accident.’  It wasn’t more than a few months before I saw it myself.  I won’t go into the details but let me tell you I was shook up.

I took marshal arts classes ‘off base’ from a local.  He lived better than most but it sure wasn’t good.  Then in my business travels years later I saw poverty in a number of other countries.  Kids starving and begging, adults so skinny their clothes wouldn’t hang on them.  Lots of stuff you just can’t describe adequately — something you have to see to believe.

More importantly I traveled back to that country I grew up in (if you count the last two years of high-school as growing up–and I do).  Thanks to huge infusions of capital from America that country had changed.  Now it is one of the most developed and ‘wired’ nations in the world.  The people there are proud, educated and well-off.  It is a beautiful country with wonderful people.

But, there are far too many more countries that need the same kind of help (Africa, Mid-east, Asia mostly).

The lesson;.

Ever since those experiences I have felt like we Americans have a lot more than we think, a lot of ‘things’ that make our lives more enjoyable, more food than we can eat . . . I always get frustrated at the food restaurants throw out.  We take it all for granted– but the food a singe family leaves on their plates after dinner one night could feed a family in some countries for a months.  Believe it.

We have a responsibility to help others.  And we do–it is in our blood so to speak.  Americans give more individually than any other nation on earth.  But I think if we all knew how bad it is ‘out there’ that we would give even more.

So I was glad to read about a local  program to help us understand . . . and maybe change the way we think about the third world.

Though it was the first I had ever heard about it, apparently Brigham Young University (50 miles south) held their 20th Annual Hunger Banquet last week.  It was hosted by the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies and Students for International Development — whew, that’s some long names.

I didn’t get all the details but the banquet apparently works like this:  a bunch of folks (hundreds) pay some money and go to the banquet.  When they get there they are sent (randomly) to different areas representing the main classes of development and wealth in the world.

Seventy percent have to sit on the floor on cardboard.  They are fed small servings of rice, beans and tortillas.  All they get to drink is a small plastic bag of water.  Twenty percent get to sit on chairs around the walls of the room and get to eat a hot dog and chips with soft drinks.  The other 10 percent sit at decked out tables and eat off of nice plates with fancy glasses and silverware.  They are served a wonderful dinner with delicious dessert.  Way more than they can eat and far too much was prepared for them (just in case?).

That’s not all.  While the meal is going on ’scuzzy’ people are wandering the room trying to sell the leftovers from the rich’s banquet for a whole lot more than the scraps are worth.  There are also ‘tourists’ wandering around the ‘poor’ sections taking pictures and mumbling about how bad the poor folk have it.

I will leave it up to you to figure out the consequences . . . it shouldn’t take too long.  I think this program should be held once a year at every University in the country.  Maybe high-schools too.

I hope this description strikes home.

Just remember that every time you throw anything out, at home or at a restaurant, the 70% of the world that go hungry would shout for joy if you gave them those scraps.

We sit at home watching TV and ‘notchin’ chips and Dr. Pepper and never give a second thought to those 70%.

Health care reform?

Jeez Louise, that seems pretty inconsequential when enough kids to fill California have one set of dirty clothes and ribs that show through their stretched skin.

Can we do more?

You bet.

Will we?

Well that is up to you and me . . . and 306 million just like us.

Thank God we live in this great country.

Count your blessings and then share a few.

thanks to flickr’s ralphrepo for the photo

Tags: America's charitable inclination, charity, economic inequality, give to the poor, share the wealth, world's poor