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Poverty Porn

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 5:47 pm
by Jacobincambodia
A very good perspective on what media does to poverty. Thoughts anyone?

http://www.one.org/us/2014/04/09/5-reas ... ng-person/

Re: Poverty Porn

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 6:24 pm
by General Mackevili
Jacobincambodia wrote: Thoughts anyone?
My first thought was that this thread needs to be moved to the VIP Nightlife section (based the title).

Carry on. :good:

Re: Poverty Porn

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 6:30 pm
by Jacobincambodia
General Mackevili wrote:
Jacobincambodia wrote: Thoughts anyone?
My first thought was that this thread needs to be moved to the VIP Nightlife section (based the title).

Carry on. :good:
Yeah read the article first :)

Re: Poverty Porn

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 9:02 pm
by Soi Dog
The term "poverty porn" is a bit unnecessarily flippant. And the article makes it sound like charity and activism are mutually exclusive, when both serve a purpose and are usually best practiced together. Media is at it's most effective when it portrays the existing conditions of poverty in full context, and allows the viewer/reader to form their own opinions from the facts.

Re: Poverty Porn

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 9:10 pm
by nightmare.believer
Yeah...poverty porn to me includes slightly soiled clothes, cheap beer, (Area) St.51, a few mistakes, and some apologies.

Re: Poverty Porn

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 11:57 pm
by StroppyChops
Thanks Jacob. I posted this to Facebook after reading the article, I think it's likely to upset a few of my contacts in NGOs and faith based organizations:
5 Reasons poverty porn empowers the wrong person

This is a brilliant article that discusses the flaws and dangers of programs that advertise themselves using 'poverty porn', ads that depict human beings in physical states that we would never allow a loved one to be photographed in because of the lack of dignity - we've all seen it, the $40 a month that can change the life of this individual child with the big brown eyes. While not for a moment suggesting that all sponsorship programs are flawed, I think it's time to hold to account those organizations that are NOT doing exactly what they say they are with your donation dollars - and from my first-hand experience most are sadly not. It's also time to shine a light on any organization that sells 'aid abroad opportunities' to naive young people who pay ridiculous amounts of money to undertake 'internship' placements that are in fact little more than revenue raising for unscrupulous operators disguised under the cloying coat of an NGO, or worse, some religion.

The reality is that globally we are making headway on poverty - the sad reality is that the majority of aid dollars are siphoned off by corrupt individuals, companies and complete governments to create whole new ruling middle-classes of wealthy who become richer than their brethren not by hard work out education, but by cronyism on an unthinkable scale - while donor nations wink and turn a blind eye from the guilt of supporting despot rulers like Pol Pot.

Some very challenging food for thought.

http://www.one.org/us/2014/04/09/5-reas ... ng-person/

Re: Poverty Porn

Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 11:58 pm
by StroppyChops
^ note that poverty porn is not Jacob's or the authors term, it's from the aid and media industries