Tavis Smiley and Cornel West speak against the idealogy of the poor and those in poverty victimizing themselves.
Poverty: Cornel West And Tavis Smiley
Posted: July 6, 2012 in Links Of Interest, NewsTags: Carol Costello, CNN, CNN's American Morning, Cornel West, Poverty, Tavis Smiley, Victim
Comments
There is so much I want to say that I cannot possibly communicate through a single comment, but how do we continue to ignore the root cause of poverty and allow this to continue? How do we continue to put a blind eye to the face of poverty in America, or the world for that matter, and allow our politicians, those we consider a part of our human family to continue to bypass the very subject of exploitation, corporate corruption and greed, which enables modern day slavery? How is it we are still in the same place we started in the fight for “freedom and oppression” and “economic equality”? Why are we still dividing and seperating each other into classes instead of applauding each other for our own very extraordinary gifts to contribute as a whole??? Why does one look at someone as upper or lower class when we are all of the very same make-up; human?? Why do we continue to call for someone in the political arena to save the day if they are considered of a different class? How can so-called politicians possibly relate to those who are hungry, suffering, and struggling for their right to live out their potential if they are looked at as beneath them; more accurately “invisible”? When is someone going to see themselves as a leader who is also poor if their fellow man/woman is struggling and suffering. How can we continue to ignore the fact that we are allowing ourselves to be controlled by those who have a lack of, or incapability of feeling compassion for their fellow brothers and sisters? How did we get this far allowing the same kind of empty elections without real change continue?? With all our accomplishments, how is it we do not seem to be able to solve the simplest of problems??….creating living wages??? In a world of abundance, why is it that we allow a few people to promote limitations and why is it that we continue to hold the people down by pretending there isn’t enough?? Why do we continue to withhold others from living their lives? Who are you who have so little confidence in yourselves that you fear allowing others to grow by your need to oppress and live off the hard work of others to establish your so-called empire and then have the audacity to claim your intelligence in the name of “profit” when real “profit” comes from integrity and unity. Like I said, there is so much I want to say that I cannot possibly fit in one comment, but I am one of the many voices waiting to be heard; waiting to be seen; waiting to live,and who have worked hard everyday believing my hard work would be a part of something wonderful in serving others and embracing and exchanging ideas as equals. I didn’t let my circumstance dictate my future, but I didn’t know that my future was already decided by those who were born into what we call “priveleged” and that I was one of the “underpriveleged”, I was just excited about life and how I can be a part of it with others by working hard together. I guess you can say the only family I ever had was the fact that I believed working hard together as a team would create unity and produce results for all. I didn’t know or even understand the division of peoples until I was brutally awaken by the reality that I was not invited to the party of life just because I was poor. I don’t even like to say that I am poor because I refuse to accept the fate that many have labeled me. I am more than the stigma behind my circumstance no matter the unwillingness of others to invite the rest of us to the party of life. I am just one voice of so many others who have yet to be seen and heard; one of the voices who fought the cycle of exploitation in ways that would curl your toes.
thank you cindy for your comments. These are a great example of the questions and thoughts I wish to prompt in everyone. These are questions everyone should ask and attempt to answer, but many people are too wrapped in up in themselves, to bother wondering about something beyond themselves, or their family, or their friends…. They are too busy or too selfish to think of humanity as a whole.
Thank you Cobalt. I only wish this could be prompted in everyone too, and I honestly have no idea what it’s going to take to wake people up. There are so many factors that need to come out in the open with regards to poverty, underemployment and unemployment. Someone needs to speak out about the verbal and psychological abuse that is also the forefront of where individuals are targerted in living in the realms of poverty and being labeled “poor”; kicked while they are already down so to speak. We must not forget that there are those outside the political realm who are just as guilty in ways that have been kept quiet for far to long; the abusers who prey on the vulnerable are also everyday individuals who threaten those who are doing everything they can to better themselves and escape the realms of oppression and poverty. Someone needs to speak out and call them on their hidden acts of cruelty towards an individual in need of real empowering support, and positive encouragement to help them through the “storm” of abuse that goes with the lack of resources and “poverty”. I can tell you from experience Cobalt that no matter how hard I work, learn, continue my education, etc., there are those who will forever continue to “brand” me as lower than them to feed their egos; it is hard for so many to look outside themselves just as you said, and to genuinely celebrate someone else’s victory out of poverty, especially when there are those who are dependent of the “poor” and “vulnerable” for their very own identities; it keeps them feeling above with a false sense of power and of being needed. This is in fact no different than why the heavy hitters in the political world continue to try and keep the “poor” down. It is a false sense of power and self that to many dare to tred and challenge. The false sense that they can say they did something to help, but their hidden agenda and motives are clearly not for equal opportunity and equal living wages, otherwise, as we know, it would indeed cease to exist. We need more people on the side of progress instead of stagnation; we need more people from all walks of life who are willing to risk their security to help those who by no choice of their own are living in “hell on earth” because of oppression and modern day exploitation that is still deamed as acceptable. We need to flip the channel to somehow touch the lives of the untouched to feel what it feels like to walk in the shoes of the “struggling” to have “empathy” be a true part of themselves. Here I go getting carried away again Cobalt. Here I go getting carried away again Cobalt, but my heart cannot stop feeling something must not only be done, but awakened in so many in this nation. We need those to get off their high horse of economic knowledge of “profit” no matter the cost of lives, and empathize with those they have taken from to get that “profit”. We are still in the midst of coming out of a brain-washed society and thinking there has to be a loser and a winner to survive. How foolish and such a waste of time delaying our progress, don’t you think..
Anyway, thank you Cobalt, you brought an invisible person out of her shell and I hope someone who has the resources can speak out for us someday real soon. Thank you again Cobalt for caring about us out there.