Responding to Poverty

I came across a staggering statistic on the official buffalo City Municipal Website. (http://www.buffalocity.gov.za/municipality/index.stm )They claim that “71%% of the municipal population earns less than the household subsistence level (R1 500 a month).” I always knew the figure was high but 71% is outrageous. That means that nearly ¾ of the people in our city live below the poverty line. And the really scary thing is that this number is increasing not decreasing.

As a society we have bought into this myth that people have the opportunity earn according to their abilities and to improve their standards of living through hard work and enterprise. In truth these opportunities do not exist for the majority of the population.

Another popular myth is that as the rich generate more capital the benefits trickle down to the poorer members of society, through higher wages etc. In truth all they get is the crumbs off the table.

The middle classes have been seduced into an alliance with capital—distracted by an endless array of consumer goods they do not see or do not care about the destruction their way of life is causing—both in terms of the ecological damage to the natural environment as well as the increasing use of violence which is becoming necessary to uphold that system.

 Children are dying daily because they cannot afford to eat. Thousands survive  by  scavenging off garbage dumps and are being denied even this opportunity because they have become a menace. We have become so hardened to these realities that we regard the poor as a nuisance. Given the extreme disparity between the rich and poor it is surprising the crime rate is not much higher.  Ask yourself truthfully If your reality forced you to survive by eating the rotten remains of what others toss out because they have too much—not because you cant find work, but there is no work, would you feel any remorse in breaking into a house to feed yourself,or your starving child. How long before the poor of the world rise up and take what is rightfully theirs by force?

We have come to believe that the suffering of the poor is not our problem. Yet poverty threatens us all, puts us all at risk of becoming statistics as the poor become more desperate. If  we wish to create a stable society we need to ensure  that all members of the society feel they have a stake in it. As the numbers of unemployed and poverty stricken grows so does the crime, the conflict, the tension in society. So it is in all our interests to confront this problem.

Thankfully not all off us have succumbed to greed there are many kind souls who, greatly troubled by the suffering of those less fortunate   attempt to alleviate their torment through charity.  Without belittling their contribution, and while encouraging them to continue their  good works  it has to be said  this is not enough. Despite their best intentions all this does is reproduce the cycle of dependency.  

Attempts to uplift the poor through skills and literacy training while also admirable, equally have little effect as little prospect exists for them to put those skill to use.

Exhortations to the rich to curb their ostentatious  lifestyles fall on deaf ears as long as a culture of rampant consumerism holds sway. Equally increasing  taxation is a pointless exercise as increased revenue has a habit of finding its way into the already well lined pockets of our so-called public servants.

 Perhaps we can learn a lesson from the Chinese. Many  will react in horror at the thought of adopting “communist” strategies. In truth many of the institutions of Western social democracy have communist origins including the welfare state and Trade Unions.  Its time we overcame these prejudices, and like the Chinese adopt what works and overlook ideological origins. While i certainly do not uphold the Chinese model as one to be uncritically emulated, as a pragmatist rather than an ideologue, i believe that we need to look for an adopt rational ideas and policies no matter what their origin. In China wages are capped – the highest earner in any enterprise is limited to earning no more than seven times what the lowliest worker earns. Perhaps the ratio can be adjusted some what but I believe the principle is sound.

While some would consider this an extreme solution, and it would take some radical readjustment,  the extreme and growing  inequity in our society is  a crisis that needs to be dealt with using extreme measures before it engulfs us all, and requires radical responses.

My First Kiss? (Kick) or How we are taught to hate ourselves

Growing up gay can be a very lonely experience. Fortunately things are not as bad today as they were in the 70's when I was at school. I attended an all boys boarding school. At the time there were no positive role models for gay people-- most gays were firmly in the closet. We were told daily that homosexuality was a sin.. Nobody spoke about it except as an insult. Those kids who didn't fit in to the prevailing culture of machoism were labelled as "moffs" whether they were or not. This was the worst insult possible.I was labelled a "moff" because I played the piano and took part in plays rather than rugby. No-one wanted to be labelled gay-- so we grew up pretending to be someone else. We were not allowed to be ourselves- we even came to hate ourselves.
And yet there was a lot of homosexuality going on-- mostly involving teachers seducing the kids. This made being gay seem even more disgusting and perverted to us . These paedophiles were the only role models we had.. We came to think that this is what being gay meant - seducing children. They could get away with it because the whole subject was so taboo --Every one knew about but no one spoke about except in shameful whispers.
Like so many other gay kids I grew up knowing I was gay but believing there was something seriously wrong with me. I looked at other boys with eager desire, but was never allowed to touch or express my feelings. And I was not the only one. When I was about 16 a younger boy made a pass at me. He was a scrappy little loner and someone I'd had my eye on for a long time. He was far from beautiful, with big ears and skew teeth, but there was something about him which attracted me. I'd caught him watching me a number of times. Like me he didn't fit in -a kindred spirit - someone whom in another time and place I could have , should have loved. I was reading the newspaper, which was placed on a shelf on the wall so we had to stand to read it. He came up behind me as though reading over my shoulder. Next thing he slipped his hand into my pocket and whispered "What have you got in there." I would love to have grabbed him and kissed him. This should have been my first kiss. Desire and lust mixed with shame and guilt. Instead of doing what should come naturally I was so convinced that this was wrong I turned and kicked him in the balls. To this day I am still haunted by the look of shock and pain on his face. It was many years before I overcame these feelings and I was in my mid twenties before I ever felt good enough about myself to kiss a man.
The point of this story is not to ask for pity- but that it is such a typical story of gay youth. It shows how we are taught to hate ourselves- to become our own worst enemies. In our teens we should be carefree and learning about ourselves and others- experiencing the joys and pain of first love and learning how to form relationships-- not hiding away in shame. So many of us are  deprived of these critical early learning experiences and it takes its toll leaving pain and regret in later years which are hard to confront. As a result many of us have difficulty forming lasting relationships and many turn to alcohol and drugs or even suicide. I myself have faced a long running battle with drug addiction.
This is why I believe it is so important for us to tell our stories and to stand up and proudly proclaim that there is no shame in being gay. As we get older we get to a point where we no longer care what others think. But the youth are profoundly influenced by the attitudes of those around them. To prevent further suffering, shame and even death we need to stand up to those who condemn us, especially our so called leaders- the preachers and teachers and politicians who call it a sin or disease and say " you are responsible for this suffering. The blood of those beaten and murdered for being different is on your hands . We will no longer tolerate you spreading this message of hatred."
Fortunately times are changing and more and more people are learning to accept us as we are, but there are still far too many (perhaps even the majority) who still hate and despise us for no reason. We call on our straight brothers and sisters to stand with us and confront homophobia where ever they encounter it and show the world that the spirit of love and tolerance can and will defeat the voices of hatred and intolerance which aim to destroy us.