The New, Improved Poverty
Ten years ago, I spent a year in Nicaragua and observed the beginnings
of a type of modernization. From my recent visit in April/May 2004,
the most striking change in "my" neighborhoods of El Rosario and El
Escudo (on the southern edge of the city of Granada) is the apparent
lifting of poverty. There are some new houses, two small businesses, a
few vehicles, and everyone has TVs and radios/boomboxes. This
accompanies a larger, ongoing population shift from rural to urban and
the physical expansion of the cities outward. I believe these changes
are typical of worldwide "globalization."
The less visible changes are more troubling. In the movement from
rural to urban, there is a shift in work patterns. In rural
situations, there is constant work: in gardens, fields, and
fences. There is always something to do to get ahead a little. Rural
people are busy from sunup to sundown either working; moving to or
from work or eating.
Once moved to the city, people typically have a house but little or no
land. Urban/suburban people become dependent on a job or several small
jobs for money. They have moved from a food-and-work economy to a
money-and-job economy. The latter looks better, until you have no job,
the money runs out and there is no food. In a society of 50-60%
unemployment, this tends to keep labor costs very "competitive",
i.e. low.
As life becomes more monetized, "work" becomes "job or no job"; home
food production decreases; convenience and new attitudes (promoted by
TV) bring changes in individual and family life. First, there is more
free time, especially if you are unemployed. Second, TV and radio
provide a steady stream of visual/verbal input, providing some measure
of general education. Unfortunately, TV mainly teaches consumerism,
homogeneity, and a sense of the unattainable and sterile "good life".
And third, there are changes in diet and exercise/work patterns.
With more free time, the newly urbanized are able to watch TV and
learn to eat for fun. Food is no longer merely a means of
sustenance. Sugar and sweet foods become a reward, a bribe for kids
and a quick tranquilizer for baby. The epitome of this is CocaCola,
the preferred drink of children. Coke actually does give the consumer
a temporary lift and sense of well being as sugar and caffeine fill
the bloodstream. Thus the new urban poor get a taste of "the good
life", a sensation, a promise all in a glorious bottle of Coke.
The outward spread of suburbs is often built on good land. These
barrios (El Escudo/El Rosario) are built on land which once had fruit
trees from which kids could always eat, especially mangoes and
jocotes. Something as simple as a small mango provides 100% of the RDA
of vitamin A (for a child) and 100% of vitamin C. This is significant
in light of the fact that vitamin A is one of the two chronic
deficiencies (along with iron) in third world children's diets.
In the new urbanization, people choose white bread over corn tortillas
and rice. It is more convenient and often eaten dunked in extremely
sweet warm milk. Sugar consumption is up. The main problem with this
change is empty calories filling small bellies at the expense of other
needed nutrition. TV, convenient food (white bread, for example), and
sugar play an important role in turning the poor into
consumer/addicts. Consumer addicts with a little more income tend to
want quick gratification, and tend to spend that money sooner than
later. This is good not just for Coca-Cola but for macroeconomic
capitalism, whose driving principles are profit and endless
growth. But on the ground, it is clear that the needs of the poor in
underdeveloped societies are ill-served by the More-is-Better
philosophy.
[Sidebar] The lifting up of some families from poverty can be
attributed to the following economic stimuli: 1] remittances from
relatives working in the USA; 2] programs and projects run by
well-intentioned foreigners. For example some projects make block,
mortar and boards available to folks who will supply the labor to
build a small house. Other projects hire local people or directly
involve them; 3] tourism and foreigners buying land and building
houses adds money to the economy, which trickles down to some extent;
4] in some areas, notably the Atlantic Coast, cocaine provides 50%,
sometimes more, of the economy. 5]For anyone left out of the first
four stimuli, direct charity makes up much of the difference. [End
Sidebar]
The poor and lower middle class that in Nicaragua are much like us,
U.S. Americans. They have a lot less stuff than the average American,
but also much less debt. They are very concerned about their personal
security (ie from robbery). The images they see on TV are
near-impossible to attain. Their lives are simpler, so boredom,
bitterness, negativity (common though not universal) are harder to
paper over with the material wealth we have here.
In all humanity there is a spiritual yearning, for light, for
understanding, and for the good life. In the global society, Stuff is
used to satisfy this yearning. (Religion is a time-honored response to
this yearning.) Globalization assumes that greed is not just good, it
is the natural order in a world whose dominant theology is intertwined
with capitalism. Unfortunately, the old Spanish-Catholic hierarchical
culture, now swept away but for a few vestiges, was not very positive
in the first place. Thus a return to cultural roots is not necessarily
a good option, if it is even possible.
The problem in our US society as well as in Nicaragua is between the
ears of the citizens. In this world of hopes and expectations, when
the chance for More-and-Better is very small, the result is general
frustration and unhappiness. Beyond this lack of access to
consumerism, More-is-Better is a sterile philosophy in the first
place.
For the poor, it is logical to think that more money will solve all
problems and make us happier. I share this feeling-- my head knows
money makes life easier but it does not necessarily bring happiness.
Can joy, kindness, humor, fun and good health be found (or created)
apart from money?
We have a small toehold in Nicaragua. Cousin Sparrow and the
Gorrioncitos are addressing the realities of globalization-writ-small
in one neighborhood. We are promoting healthy, positive alternatives.
Good things are happening. Money is necessary but we believe that our
work transcends charity.
Sandy Hepler/ Cousin Sparrow
|
