When I was 12 years old and my family lived in Scotland, we visited one of the palaces of King Ludwig in Bavaria. It was a beautiful palace: something out of a fairytale. I wondered at how he had built this thing for himself, when the farmers in the area were starving. I was very upset the whole time. I could not enjoy it. I was told to be quieter – the 12-year-old talking about poverty and income inequality was ruining peoples’ vacations.
This was the first time I consciously remember being angry about poverty and income inequality. It was also when I realised that intense anger about poverty is strange; it is not an anger that is socially acceptable in many circles in rich countries.
I grew up in a town where many people were extremely wealthy by global standards. There were pools and private beaches and second homes and money made from helping the rich get richer. I go back there and see Black Lives Matter or No Human Is Illegal signs, which people don’t see being at odds with their second homes (which I’m pretty sure they’re not using to house undocumented immigrants) and their votes against low-income housing in their town.
Then, I went to college with even more fabulously wealthy people, who now complain about how taxes on their six-figure tech salary are too high, while vacationing with their family in the Hamptons and perhaps giving cursory social media support to social issues that cost them nothing.
The older I get, the more I see that most rich or upper-middle-class people just don’t care, and the more I don’t understand it. Almost everyone I know would be upset and help out their family members if they were facing extreme poverty – why are they not upset about other people’s family members in extreme poverty?
I am always told, don’t bring this up, people are touchy about it – it’s rude. Don’t be a mood-killer when rich people complain about taxes while others are malnourished. Don’t bring up the extreme poverty of Zambian farmers during dinner – it’s not pleasant. Be nice! You know what? Nice does not mean good.
I’m always angry.
The class divide is strong. The older I get, the more unequal the social circles I run in become and the more confused I become about what I can do about this on a personal level. I was excited to recently discover the Indian group women in econ and policy, which matches students from non-elite Indian universities with mentors in econ and policy careers and grad school – any other suggestions would be great.
I have been asked where the “acceptable” cutoff for comfort and amenities is. Is it a problem for me to visit family in Hawaii? Is it a problem I’m writing this from an expensive bagel shop? Was it a problem we were even, you know, visiting a German palace in the first place? Maybe, maybe not. If you know me, you know I’m harder on myself than on anyone. I enjoy life, and beautiful things, and food, and family, and friends – I work in the field I do so that everyone has the freedom to enjoy these things. But it’s important, I think, for those of us who are rich to at least recognise the tension instead of pretending it’s not one.
Some people who read this will probably think it’s about them. It both is and isn’t.
If you think it’s about you – if you’re part of the global elite – here’s my advice. First, consider poverty from a lens that is not your own. It’s easy to be content materially if you’re rich. I’ve told rich people in the USA to “go spend a couple months in rural Zambia”, but you could also go spend time at your local homeless shelter or a clinic in a neighbourhood in your city that tourists never go to. Barring that, read my blogs or one of the myriad better things that are written about poverty in America or global poverty. I do think this would disabuse many of my rich peers of their notions about poverty and wealth being people’s fault rather than an accident of birth. I think it would change many people’s views on social responsibility for poverty – such as providing public healthcare, high-quality education, and even cash.
And you should be donating to charity. I don’t care if you are a Democrat or Socialist or work in global development or whatever, it doesn’t give you a free pass on donating in the world we currently live in, given that we do not live in a society where people have basic necessities, given, even for my readers in countries with better policies, that global poverty is still a massive problem. Believing in public healthcare and wealth redistribution is great, and something I actively work towards, but this ideal world is not the world in which we currently live, and while people are hungry, while people go into life-ruining medical debt, your political beliefs are no excuse for resting comfortable in wealth.
What are some good causes to donate to? The COVID-19 pandemic is still not over in many parts of the world, so fighting that is good; homeless shelters are good; cash transfers are good. A lot of things are good. You can email me at siosmcdonough[at]gmail with causes or regions you are interested in and I can personally call up nonprofits/leverage my network to create a giving portfolio for you.
I am no longer 12. I know how to nod and be polite at fancy dinner parties; I know there is a time and a place for everything. I even now think that King Ludwig, specifically, has had a good legacy – his palaces are now open to the public, bringing beauty and joy to millions of people every year. But this is my dinner party: if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably rich on a global scale. Know the problems of this world are caused by the rich who hoard their money while others starve.
Perhaps we all need to make ourselves sign a document if we choose to consumer another $5000, saying (e.g., for a car purchase):
“I agree that by choosing to own this fancier car instead of a cheaper car, I am choosing *not* to prevent a child from dying. I fully expect that as a result of my decision, a child will die, suffering immensely along the way and leading to great sadness for their family. The child may very well be a 4-year-old named Sarah, enjoy singing, and want to become a doctor when she grows up. I could have prevented this, but am choosing not to because I would rather enjoy this fancier car instead of the simpler car, at the expense of Sarah’s death.”
We resist feeling like we need to sign it. Thus the urge to change the subject, or find a reason to reject the premises of the argument.
We don’t make lots of $5000 purchases. Our purchases are smaller and so it’s harder to think of a viscerally powerful agreement like this. But a try:
“I agree that by choosing to buy this $3 coffee and sit at Starbucks instead of making my own coffee at home, I am choosing *not* to provide an extra meal to a hungry family. This $3 could have been used to give to a low-income family that often deals with hunger and could have fed 3 people a full day’s worth of nutritious meals. Instead, they will go hungry. I could have prevented the family’s hunger, but am choosing not to because I would rather enjoy the restaurant atmosphere instead of my house for 2 hours.”
(but the rebuttal: oh but my thinking benefits from a change of atmosphere. I believe this, but we need to be careful about it!)
The other thing worth noting is that I do believe in the Bible’s instruction that “God loves a cheerful giver.” So from a religious perspective, we ideally *want* to be super generous and search for opportunities to give instead of need to twist our own arms. At the same time, virtue isn’t supposed to be easy (at first!)
I think most of it is honestly social distance and a nagging question about how to actually help. I know that there are children in India starving. I do not generally know how to actually reliably get money to stop their starving. And unless I actually have a contact in India, it’s not obvious why I should send money there vs Namibia or Venezuela. Global poverty is pretty overwhelming once we start to contemplate it. And even if I hear reports of x problems, it’s also hard to know if the money is “well spent.” How do you know that the charity you’re supporting is reliable and getting the money where it needs to go?
I think this is why initiatives that target specific people (“you can give this African child an education”) or projects (“our church is raising money to support this orphanage”) tend to be more successful. They solve the overwhelming feelings that emerge when trying to address global poverty.
Love your passion Siobhan! <3