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There is no life in this world that’s devoid of hardship or pain.
We each grow up experiencing varying degrees of resistance and animosity in most aspects of our lives and we define it all, balance it all, with our victories.
Perhaps it’s necessary, this need to attribute our triumphs to the internal strength of our character. It rewards us with a feeling of agency, or autonomy.
Success and self-sufficiency become a measure of our worth; of our having deserved well-earned perks in life.
The active word here being ‘deserve’. There is no way that you can believe that philosophy without accepting its darker side. Exhibit A:
On a train ride from work, I heard a group of affluent girls talk about how hobos adamantly choose a life of begging – “you know, some of them even make like 2000 rand a day just from begging, that’s why they don’t wanna get a real job”.
Lady, what world do you live in? In what universe do the poor choose to remain poor so that they can continue getting rich? What are you even saying?
The Affluenza must’ve gotten to her head. It’s a thing.
We, the middle class, live in a world where success is equated to merit. We live by the attractive ideology that you reap what you sow; that being well-off is the litmus test that separates the hardworking from the lazy. That we have somehow earned our right to first-world amenities.
Of course, it’s easier on the conscience to separate yourself from your car-guard with a dismissive “he needs to stop doing tik”. And maybe he does.
Or maybe he was unlucky enough to be born into the wrong spectrum of socio-economics? I don’t know, I’m just spit-balling here.
“In this world, we need to help ourselves.”
That famous, sweeping statement. There’s a problem with this reasoning.
Yes, people need to help themselves. But helping yourself is not an overarching absolute that will inoculate you from the caprice of the fates.
If we choose to define success and financial stability as the primary trait of the hardworking, then the poor are automatically defined as: lazy, incompetent, entitled.
This is an issue. The popular facets of capitalism which make her a desirable ally are the same ones that are used, by government and the public alike, to justify denying the poor basic rights.
Convince yourself as much as you want that where you’re at in life is completely your doing but also understand that, as a well-read educated middle class citizen, you’re expected to develop a fool-proof bullshit-detector.
The media’s smoke screen over poverty has given us countless movies and series about people who have worked their way out of it. And as much as we adore The Pursuit of Happyness, and those cute little Windhoek and Bells adverts about ‘real men’ working their way to success [aaaaw look at that old man, he can read now!], that is not how the chips fall.
The statistical reality is that if you are born into abject poverty, then your chances of getting out of it are slim.
The financial system is constructed is such a way that ensures your entrapment. If you understand this, then you understand the intention behind affirmative action. It’s not fair, but it’s a hell of a lot fairer than not having affirmative action.
I’m not saying you should care about the poor. You’re well in your right not to give half a pigeon dropping about poverty and economics. But don’t be that ignoramus that justifies your lack of concern using a misplaced sense of superiority – “they just need to stop expecting grants and get a job”.
Please sir, unless you’ve worked your way out of Khayelitsha into a good middle class job that pays all your bills, alcohol budget and your gym membership, then I suggest you drop the idea that anyone has single-handedly been responsible for their own success.
There are exceptions, but when over 41% of the population don’t make ends meet, it’s time to get real.
I agree that people do have a responsibility to make the best of their situations. But people also have the responsibility to understand that others come from entirely different socio-economic worlds.
This is empathy at its simplest level: your frame of reference and somebody else’s are not the same. Understanding that makes all difference.
If you’re still adamant that you and you alone are the “captain of your ship”, then please take a minute to step out of your yacht and understand that:
1. Unicef declared that over 50% of children in SA live in poverty
2. Stats SA reported that 26.3% of the population earn less that R305 per month (slight improvement since 2009)
3. Women are more impoverished than men in SA, with poverty headcount of 58.6% vs. 54.9% for men
4. Almost half of all South Africans live below the poverty line
It’s not an easy pill to swallow. For more information please visit Statistics South Africa.
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