Changing the Conversation about Poverty

"Innocent children of war, famine, and disease - will you help them?" WELL THEN PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL RIGHT NOW! Operators are standing by! It only costs as much as a cup of coffee a day! Does this sound familiar? Well, that's part of the problem.

One of the reasons I started this project in Bangladesh is because I had the lofty goal of changing the conversation about global poverty. Commercials are a big influence on that conversation. More often than not, when someone sees images of the third world or poverty on TV - it is usually from a television commercial. But commercials like the ones I talk about my latest episode on YouTube, actually do a disservice.

People don't like to be made to feel guilty. There is no point - making me feel guilty doesn't get us any closer to solving global poverty. But commercials like these definitely try and take the viewer on a guilt trip - complete with rhetorical questions such as "But who cares? He's not your child - why should you care?".

These commercials also go for the pity factor. In the 15 videos that I have thus far put on YouTube - there is only one video which has a child crying. But, judging by all the charity/poverty-related commercials on TV, you'd think that all kids did in the third world was cry and make sad faces. Evoking images that make us see the poor as objects of pity not only do a disservice to the poor - it's downright insulting. In fact, if I got a dime for every time I saw a kid smiling here in Bangladesh, this project would have paid for itself.

The only thing worse than evoking our pity for the poor or making us feel guilty is the fact that it all boils down to one message: send us your money. Send us your money and you'll feel better. It's an over-simplified conception of global poverty that hinders real solutions towards ending global poverty. Did you know, that developed nations get back more money from the third world per year as interest on their debt than we give to them each year in aid? It's true - and it has been for quite a while.

Picking up the phone and dialing the number on your screen does more to ensuring more pity-evoking and guilt-inducing commercials in the future than it does to help us achieve the end of poverty. I think it's time to change the conversation about poverty.

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Currently reporting near Barishal, Bangladesh. NowPublic Member Uncultured.

P.S.

I would have added this to the opinion category since this is clearly an opinion-piece, but I guess NP has been updated recently and have done away with that category. Hope the world category is the appropriate place for this article.