Fear, Poverty, and Other Things

This is going to be long, but it's important. Please read it. And then call/comment/email.

So I just finished watching Bowling for Columbine per the suggestions of Jeremy G. in high school and Devon in the spring. It was excellent. Sure, there are some of the usual Michael Moore shenanigans, but really once you figure out Michael Moore's ways, you can get to the bottom of his and most other documentaries to figure out what's going on. For example:

• Michael Moore makes sure the editing of every scene plays off of emotions. Always be aware of what audio is playing under each video scene. He does everything for a reason.
• He chooses his words extremely carefully and is nitpicky about other people's words. There was a lot of this in Farenheit to the point that it was a bit nauseating.
• He also chooses his footage carefully. Documentaries have this microchasm effect where if it mentions a person or news station and shows footage of him/her/it, the audience immediately generalizes that footage to represent him/her/it in its entirety.

So that's your film lesson of the day if any of you are interested. Keep that in mind with just about every documentary. All documentaries have an agenda. The goal of the historical method is to account for that agenda.

All that being said, Moore makes several valid points. America is a country gripped by fear and driven to consumption. Oddly enough, Marilyn Manson has some of the most insightful words in the movie. I actually had the first and only moment of respect for him. When asked by Michael Moore what he would say to the kids of Columbine, he said, "I wouldn't say anything to them. I'd listen to what they had to say, because I don't think anyone has done that."

The media thrives on fear, the government thrives on fear, and corporations thrive on fear. Don't believe me? Let's sample some headlines right now:

FoxNews.com:
• Seven 'homegrown terrorists' indicted in plot to blow up Sears Tower, other buildings. Terrorism expert Ann Hayes has the latest
• Former Army Sec. Togo West on North Korea's long-range missile threat
• Children at Risk

CNN.com:
• STALKER UNDER BED: Voyeur tapes hours of video in a woman's bedroom
• Toddler shoots girl in mouth
• Suspect faces another murder charge
• Sheriff: Teen killed by falling tree
• Driver finds body under car

The most ridiculous are the local channels:
WFTV Orlando:
• Man Beaten With Hammer By Suspects
• Body Found Behind Shed; Three Dead
• Teen Allegedly Dressed As Woman To Snatch Purse
• SUV Falls 20 Feet From Road, Kills Driver
• Surveillance Video Shows Five Women Rob Old Navy Store

For goodness sake, it's no wonder we're so afraid. The news is telling us that no matter where we go or who we are, we're going to be robbed, shot, or killed by bees. This just keeps us paralyzed. And that's not even counting all of this "War on Terror" stuff. Consider these facts from here:

• The U.S. military budget request by the Bush Administration for Fiscal Year 2007 is $462.7 billion.
• The US military spending was almost 7 times larger than the Chinese budget, the second largest spender.
• The US military budget was almost 29 times as large as the combined spending of the six “rogue” states (Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria) who spent $14.65 billion.
• It was more than the combined spending of the next 14 nations.
• The United States and its close allies accounted for some two thirds to three-quarters of all military spending, depending on who you count as close allies (typically NATO countries, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan and South Korea)
• The six potential “enemies,” Russia, and China together spent $139 billion, 30% of the U.S. military budget.

So why does all this matter? Why am I upset with how gripped by fear and obsessed with security we are in America? The answer is poverty. Consider some facts from here:

• Half the world — nearly three billion people — live on less than two dollars a day.
• The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the poorest 48 nations (i.e. a quarter of the world’s countries) is less than the wealth of the world’s three richest people combined.
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
• Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn't happen.
• 51 percent of the world’s 100 hundred wealthiest bodies are corporations.
• The wealthiest nation on Earth has the widest gap between rich and poor of any industrialized nation.
• 20% of the population in the developed nations, consume 86% of the world’s goods.
• The top fifth of the world’s people in the richest countries enjoy 82% of the expanding export trade and 68% of foreign direct investment — the bottom fifth, barely more than 1%.
• In 1960, the 20% of the world’s people in the richest countries had 30 times the income of the poorest 20% — in 1997, 74 times as much.

These are global statistics, not specifically American stastics, but America is the wealthiest country in the world. So here are my points in all of this:

• How can we tackle poverty when we're so dependent on security that we spend way more money on the military than on alleviating poverty?
• More importantly, think about your perception of the poorest places in whatever city you're in. You probably also associate them with crime. And you may or may not be right. Moore asserts that more crime happens in the suburbs, and I'm not sure whether he's right. But do you see the problem? How can you ever help the poor if you're afraid to stay with them? How can you ever make a difference if you're worried about safety?

Objections:
• Sam, the poor will always be with us. Jesus even said so. Quit your whining and give me my gun.
My response: Yes, the poor will always be with us. But that doesn't mean that widespread poverty, massive homicide rates, and ridiculous military spending will always be part of America. Will we ever eradicate poverty in this world? Absolutely not. Can we alleviate it? Absolutely.

• Look at you, Mr. Notre Dame. You're sitting pretty in your dorm room as a middle class white guy. Your biggest worry right now is where to eat on campus. Aren't you some sort of hypocrite?
My response: I'm often pained with how easy my life is physically. My freshman year of college I was particularly disgusted with college life, with how easy we had it. I believe that we as college students should take advantage of the fact that we have time and money and devote ourselves to helping the poor in whatever way we can.

Yes, I said we have time and money. You may balk. You may say, "Sam, unlike you, I am completely self-sufficient and work to eat." And you would probably also say, "I'm so busy with exams and class that I don't have time to help the poor or whatever else you want me to do." The problem with these two statements is one of scope. Yes, you probably do work to eat. But you're not at the poverty level. If you were to lose your job, you wouldn't become homeless for the simple reason that your family and friends would take you in. Combine that with the fact that you're more than likely not making $8.50/hr while having to feed a family and I'd say you're pretty well off. Combine all of that with the fact that the poor give to the church more than any other group of Americans. And as far as time goes, why not channel some of your Facebook/drinking/partying/chilling/video game/laying out time to helping someone or at least reading up on an issue?

So that's my soapbox for the evening. Let me know what you think. And check out these two things:
• The movie The Corporation
• Wikipedia: Poverty in the U.S.

Peace,
Sam