Death...by Poverty?

I can see the news report now..."Yesterday, a man was walking down the street and suddenly collapsed, dying instantly. Witnesses say he reached into his pockets and turned them out, let out a loud gasp and fell roughly to the ground, never to move again. Officials are looking into further leads, but it seems clear that this was just another in a long steady stream of recent sudden deaths on our streets. It is believed that upon discovering that his pockets were empty, the man fell victim to Extreme Poverty--the fourth known case this week alone. We would like to urge all our viewers to keep at least a $10 bill on them at all times. You never know when Extreme Poverty may strike, and being prepared with even the smallest amount of cash on hand may be the only hope of stalling what many officials are already calling an epidemic. Back to you Jen."

While in the midst of settling in for a (hopefully) restful Fourth of July Weekend, I had the TV on tonight to give me some background noise as I made dinner. Sheri was spending some time with Aiden, so I could listen to whatever I wanted too...and I came across some sort of public charity event being MC'd by Will Smith. I paused to figured out what was going on...and he was talking about the "Declaration of Inter-Dependence"...that the people supporting this charity were making a statement regarding a need. He said that in the poorest nations in the world (Africa) a baby dies every three seconds of "Extreme Poverty". Then they flashed an Ad with Brad Pitt, Justin Timberlake, Jamie Foxx, George Clooney, etc, snapping every three seconds, while they flashed the statistic once again. Every three Seconds. A Baby dies. Of Extreme Poverty. And of course, all the celebrities were dressed in very simple jeans and white t-shirts.

Now...a couple of things crossed my mind watching this ad and listening to Will Smith. I realize they may sound a little callous...but hear me out.

First, nobody ever died from being poor. That's not what's killing these people. Its a way of life that's killing them. Its starvation. Its disease. Its endless wars. But its not the amount of money they do or do not have. So, that was my first reaction--its just a ridiculous claim to say "Poverty" killed anyone. It may have made their situation more dire--but it didn't kill anyone.

Then, as I was digesting this, another thought crossed my mind; these celebrities who are blaming the ills of the world on the lack of available funds have a great deal of gall. Now please understand--I have no problem with anyone making money--I myself am a great fan of money and the things it can offer. However...before you start blaming the problems in the world on money and asking for a hand out to solve them...perhaps you should pause and reflect on buying diamonds the size of my fist for your third wife...or toying with your three or four different multi-million dollar houses. The reason this struck me as sadly ironic is because nearly everyone that appeared on this Ad have had their share of publicity all about how extravegantly they have enjoyed the fruits of their fame--something I have no problem with--but the irony was too much for me to accept without SOME reaction. "Extreme Poverty" may be killing people...but its not slowing the spending of our concerned celebrities. Notice--these also tend to be the same people who suggest to everyone that the "simple, obvious" reason America is presently mobilized for war is ecconomic factors. Yet, for people who claim to understand the needs of the rest of the world and the greed that drives all international affairs, they remain unphased in their own spending habits and contractual demands.

As I say, I have no problem with a man who has millions deciding to build a house four times, or buying ridiculously huge stones for his lady of the month. Its may seem extravagant, but they worked for it, its theirs, so whatever--they answer for it, not me. But don't dress up in jeans and a t-shirt and try to lecture the world on the needs of the common man and the dangers of poverty. If you're really wanting to help, take a moment and consider exactly what is really contributing and maintaining the squallor of the poorest nations in the world. Try investing in something that will establish stability in the turbulent world of the third world nations instead of throwing money at the problem.