Post 7: More Rabble Rousing Gibberish

Simon and Samuel here.

This is a picture that we are largely sympathetic to. The first post on this blog was a massive rant against libertarianism, and this picture appeals to our lily-livered commie sensibilities. But we think that it misses the mark in several very crucial ways. Libertarianism is a sensible ideal with very broad support, and arguments against it should reflect that. This picture does not. We are tremendously sympathetic to the plight of the poor, and please don’t forget that as you read this post. It’s just that you cannot defeat poverty without understanding why it exists, and you cannot vanquish dangerous ideals without thinking through your arguments.

For starters, this picture misses the meaning of the word enterprise. I’m not sure how much more can be said about this. It’s an admirable thing, working day in and out with the goal of feeding your family. But it isn’t enterprise. Almost more importantly, no one has ever claimed that enterprise - or the much more ambiguous statement of “hard work” - will lead, or even should lead to wealth. Under a purely capitalistic worldview (the kind we imagine Mr. Monbiot is speaking for), your work will only lead to prosperity if it’s the kind of work people are willing to pay you for. Trying to self-sustain doesn’t qualify. We understand what Monbiot is saying - these women break their backs (we shudder to use the word “slave”) on a daily basis, and need help. But his approach, just like the Assange-Zuckerberg comparison from last week, is a cheap way of putting it. A picture of two women, tired, sweating, and uncomfortable, is sad. It is not a debate.

But it’s also irrelevant. We have never heard anyone claim that wealth is the inevitable result of hard work and enterprise. Poverty in much of Africa is the complex result of a lack of infrastructure (roads, policemen, hospitals), the withholding of financial aid by corrupt governments, and an inability to coordinate sales or trading across much of the countryside --- and that is without even mentioning the lasting institutional horrors introduced by colonialism. No one ever says that African women are poor because they are lazy. That argument, which was the primary criticism used against the #Occupy movement, is always used against American youth in American cities. Why is that an important distinction? Because America has infrastructure. America has roads and policemen and hospitals. America’s government does not withhold money from the people, and if they do then they can be fired and replaced. The internet, cell phones, and highways make it exceptionally easy to coordinate sales across rural America, while its government and its institutions are its own by choice. The argument then would be that any American who is poor is poor of their own volition. We might not agree with that, but there is a genuine debate to be had there, and how you answer that question pretty much decides whether you are or are not an economic libertarian. But if you ask the question about Africa, no one is going to say that the women of Botswana are poor because they choose to be so. No one says that girls of Namibia are too lazy. This picture doesn’t address any meaningful school of thought.

What could it have done for us to agree with it? Easy. It could have shown a fifteen year old Mexican migrant worker in California, picking oranges after dark for $2.5 an hour. That would have been a powerful image with a powerful message. Instead, we get a totally off-the-mark piece of pathos to counter an argument that doesn’t actually exist - an all too common tactic of the soundbite school of debate. What a wasted opportunity.

But, once again, we would like to end with an impassioned plea. If any of you aren't into charity, we don't imagine we'll convince you in a few brief paragraphs. Thankfully, one of the greatest philosophers alive today wrote a pretty damn compelling book about it. For those who donate to charity, we would like to direct you to this wonderful website. Don't like charity? Disagree with anything we've said? Leave a comment!

As always, stay cool and keep on trucking.