Our (Radically Misguided) Perceptions of Poverty
"What kind of Architecture do you want to do?" a friend asked me recently.
"Humanitarian Architecture," I replied, "slum upgrading, refugee housing, disaster relief, sustainable development - that kind of thing."
"Wow," they said. Then after thinking for a moment: "You know, you're going to work with a lot of Democrats."
I paused, confused by the comment. "Democrats? What do U.S. political parties have to do with poverty housing?" I asked. Then I considered...
How many of us translate 'human rights' to 'entitlements'? 'Poverty' to 'unemployed'? 'Humanitarian aid' to 'handouts'?
Many of us make these automatic connections because that is what we experience daily through American media and political discourse. Though there is definitely serious poverty in the U.S., it is uncommon to hear us discuss it, and even rarer to hear us discuss the devastating conditions of peripheral ('third world') poverty. Since our perceptions are formed by what we interact with daily, it makes sense that we connect ideas like human rights and entitlements, or aid and welfare. Regardless of which side of the debate we're on, that has become the language of American political discourse.
But these automatic connections are not always accurate or relevant. And the media portrayal of concepts relating to poverty couldn't be further from reality.
Our 'welfare scandal' tabloids and 'lazy liberal' memes...
...do not represent the vast majority of people who live in poverty.
Though, I don't personally believe possessing negative traits causes a person to be undeserving of help, I do feel the need to distinguish between those perceptions and the truth about poverty. Humanitarian work does not automatically translate to 'giving everyone a handout' and being in poverty does not make you a societal 'leech'. There is nothing inherently wrong with the vast majority of people who live in poverty.
Millions of people in poverty...
...work extremely hard to earn a living, despite unfathomable conditions. They do things many people would never consider; scavenging through garbage, for instance.
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| Scavenging at Garbage Dump Credit: Micah Albert, National Geographic |
...have little to no direct control over their lives or economic situation, regardless of their abilities or efforts. They are constantly at the mercy of corrupt governments and corporations.
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| Man Carrying Rock Load, Modern Slavery, Brazil Credit: Eduardo Martino |
...grow up working instead of attending school, so that each new generation is raised without hope of breaking the cycle of poverty.
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| Children Textile Workers, China Credit: Le Monde Blog |
Millions of people in poverty are not represented by 'welfare leeches' like the man in the UK tabloid pictured above. People in severe poverty are not there by their own making or their own lack of effort. They are just people in a horrible economic situation, trying to make ends meet despite few opportunities and constant setbacks.
These people are not soliciting 'entitlements'. They are pleading for basic human rights.
An entitlement is the right to be guaranteed benefits under a government program, such as Social Security, welfare or unemployment compensation.
Basic human rights are fundamental and inalienable rights to which we are all entitled simply by being human. Basic Human Rights include the rights to: speak, work, own personal property, peacefully assemble, be treated equally before the law, and pursue happiness.
People in extreme poverty are constantly exploited by corrupt governments and corporations. Often they are not recognized as equal human beings before the law and are almost never represented in government. Their personal property is constantly threatened by unsafe conditions. They are deprived of equal employment opportunities, elementary education and the pursuit of happiness.
Living in poverty conditions does not mean a person is 'lazy' or 'leeching off the system'. The overwhelming majority are simply trying to earn a living.
People in extreme poverty are not 'entitled'. They are denied basic human rights.
Humanitarian aid is not a 'handout'. It is an attempt to reverse the effects of denied or abused human rights.
Humanitarian Architecture is not about political identity. It is about relieving the unacceptable conditions to which people in poverty are subject.
So much of our world view is filtered through the lens of political discourse. But politics have their limitations. Not all issues can be defined by Right versus Left because some transcend political boundaries. When discussing poverty housing, for example, we must put our affiliations aside and see it for what it is: a violation of basic human rights that should concern all of us equally.
by Sarah Bond-Yancey