Empathy and Poverty

In debates on poverty, and especially in recent U.S. debates over the budget, you hear politicians and pundits go for 'cheap shots' on people in poverty, grouping them as universally lazy, stupid, or worthless. While largely untrue for a vast majority of the poor population (and explicitly accurate for a large number of non-impoverished folks), I wonder to myself sometimes:

How many of these politicians and pundits trashing people in poverty actually KNOW someone in poverty?

This strikes me as an important question, and not one with a universal answer. Certainly, some critics of poverty programs have experienced poverty themselves, though for many, it is more narrative than reality. And I'm not going to say that every government program aimed towards alleviating poverty is without flaws or critiques.

However, there is a degree of empathy that is important to have, even in the very much removed nature of federal government. I got to thinking about this idea after watching this presentation by Jeremy Rifkin,



I think the main lesson I got from that video, and from reflections on empathy and poverty as a pair, is that we shouldn't build a more just society off of existing assumptions. Perhaps we're wrong about a lot of things, but just don't know it yet (here's a great video on "being wrong"). But we can think about these things with a blank slate--taking everything--our society, our economy, our values, to a critical position in a thought experiment (no, I wouldn't suggest performing ACTUAL experiments with any of those).

Perhaps this is design thinking, but there is a lot of reason to believe that there are flaws in our current system. Example: With one set of ethics, it makes perfectly logical sense to allow the offspring of billionaires and millionaires inherit all of the money that their predecessors made; but in another ethical code, it does not make sense. Humans are so different, so it is more important, when talking about BIG ideas--like society, economy, and values--that we find what is in common first, and then make those the foundation.

And I think that foundation comes from empathy--hearing the stories of people in poverty, listening to them explain their motives, their role in society, and removing the gap between "us" and "them" are all important steps to building a more equitable, triple bottom-line, people-centered economy. By putting ALL people first, including those still not born yet, we build a more sustainable planet, and thus, a more equitable society. Things fall into place when we plan, take care, and understand the complex, yet simple, formula for humanity's thriving.

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In other news, I wanted to express my sadness in the situation involving the firing of Muhammad Yunus from Grameen Bank. The world of microfinance, and indeed, the fight against global poverty, has been dealt a blow by this unfair action. I know that I am not alone in this sentiment.