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Eradicate Poverty? Correct the Victim Mindset First

Prudence
Prudence

***Something I wrote a long, long time ago.  Just wanted to share this, considering that we’re in the “season of giving” nowadays.

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Should I feel guilty because I bought and consumed this drink, which is worth P150, when I could have just given a part of that amount to the poor kid asking for alms on the street? Should I feel guilty that I have the time to spare to drink such expensive drinks when those who’re not so fortunate, have to work to the bone to find something to eat?

I think ads for charity are all too good eliciting that guilt feelings from us, so that we would donate to their foundations or fund-raising events. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with giving to the needy, but if we’re going to eradicate poverty, we should begin with eradicating the mentality of dependence.

And for such a reason, I prefer to give alms to street kids who’re selling flowers, or candies, buying their merchandise and giving an extra tip if they’re courteous than to those who beat at the car window asking for some coins. I prefer that those who’re asking for loans from me to do something reasonable for me in exchange of the money instead. That’s why I don’t want to write out a medical certificate letting an employee have a sick leave more than what should be so that he could have more pay for less work.

As a matter of fact, I’ve never believed in equal distribution of wealth. I find it a devolution of our value of giving rewards based on merit, shifting to a value of giving rewards based on need. I think what we should be propagating is a mindset that one should not get more because he needs more or that he has less than others, but rather, he will get what is due to him because of what work he had done.

But what about the poor? How can they get out of poverty if we will not help? I think in this part, we would all be better off we’re to concentrate on generating more jobs that are parallel to one’s available skills and how one is willing to work to achieve something, instead of using up resources for short-term solutions.

I remembered two guys I had as patients for preemployment medical evaluation. Both of them did not pass the first medical evaluation because of hypertension. The company who wanted to hire them requires that they first have a stable BP before being employed. I informed them about this and the two had different reactions. Patient A was mad that he isn’t qualified for employment. At first, he asked me to write him a favorable medical record so that the company will hire him at the soonest possible time. When I said I will not do that and suggested that he first undergo the treatment regimen that I will give him, he got angrier, did not even bother to listen to the treatment regimen, and told me how he could undergo such treatment if he doesn’t have a salary, that if perhaps I should give him the treatment free for 2 weeks, he might just be able to do it. He even said that perhaps I might be wrong with my diagnosis because BP readings taken by someone who has a stall at the mall reports that his BP is normal. I got frustrated by this but I still remained firm that he has to undergo treatment. He did not come back to the clinic, saying he’ll look for another clinic who’ll make him pass a medical exam.

Patient B showed disappointment at first that he wouldn’t be hired soon. But when I explained to him what he needs to do (lifestyle modifications, medical treatment), he willingly accepted, and listened patiently to what I instructed him to do.I monitored his BP for 2 1/2 weeks, after which the monitoring record showed a stabilization of BP at acceptable level enough for the company to hire him. I haven’t heard from Patient A again.

For me, people who’re like Patient B, who’re willing to do what is necessary to accomplish his goals are those worth helping out. He did not demand for that job simply because he is jobless, but rather, he did what is needed to get that job. Both Patient A and B have the skills, but it’s the attitude that spelled the difference.

And I hope most people would be more like Patient B. These are the people who will not demand things just because they have less, but rather, will work to make themselves worthy of what it is that they ask. This is the kind of attitude that all of us should have and it is the attitude that will get us out of being one of the impoverished nations in the world.

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53 comments

  1. Nice post! The funny thing about high BP for my case is that it seems my BP only shoots up whenever I see my doctor. ^_^ hehehe

    But seriously I think your article has a lot of significance with recent events. Noynoy Aquino allocated Php1 Billion to encourage entrepreneurship with returning OFWs while he allocated Php21 Billion dole-out money for the poor. What does the huge disparity tell us? Well, it seems to be telling us that the government prioritizes the culture of mendicancy over entrepreneurship! Don’t you get a funny feeling that the government’s priorities are out of whack?

  2. Too many people are born and bred in this mess. They blame the government and call themselves victims. The poor behave as if we owe them big.

    Crab mentality too. Someone a little smarter, a little more liberal, more articulate would be easily ostracized. How would anyone succeed without guilt? With a scarcity mindset that fears success? Raised being taught that self-denial and modesty are praiseworthy?

    Frankly, I think it would take several generations to change this. Perhaps never.

    And guilt is a cheap campaign tactic.

  3. Unfortunately, it will be very difficult to eradicate poverty in the Phils. Most people are lazy and content with what they have and blame a god for everything. There is no acceptance of responsibility.
    There is stupor in their minds that have paralyzed becasue so their delusion – "god provides".
    I would only help those who help themselves..and teach them how to fish for a lifetime.
    And, no, I do not feel guilty buying expensive stuff for myself as I have worked for it and I deserve it!

  4. @prudence

    Is there really a way or a perfect solution to eradicate 100% poverty? or is it just wishful thinking…..ever since time and memorial this is the question that have been raised by many

  5. There is such a mindset that's prevalent among Filipinos nowadays. I know it enough to be real because I had difficulties dealing with having one. I did not know I had it until a life-altering incident happened to me — job loss and uncertainty.

  7. A great read.

    I specially like the story of the two patients. That clearly shows the right attitude when life gives us obstacles.

    Thanks for sharing this.

  8. Prudence, great article. I respect where you're coming from and the points you've raised in this article. But coming from a social development perspective and for the sake of debate, I have to say this: the primary reason why this won't work is that there are people who will do everything in their power to keep the imbalance of power in their favor, or to make it seem that there is less of an inequity existing in society. Therefore, (insert mandatory "there is a need for a proletariat revolution" speech here.) Kidding, of course. Therefore, there is a need to assess what the roots of poverty are in the Philippine context.

    No, I don't have any reason to condemn you (or I, for that matter – I enjoy an occasional cup of designer coffee) for purchasing a Php 150 cup of coffee in the same way that I don't have any reason to condemn, say, Bernard Madoff for spending on lymphoma research, or the Marcoses for spending on their lavish parties. The deed itself cannot be said to be right or wrong on the basis of the deed alone. But when the deed is framed in the context of what was done to enable it and what the repercussions of the deed are, then we have a problem.

    What allowed us to do those things that I just described? I suppose that to buy that coffee, you spent money that you earned in the medical profession. How did you end up as a doctor in the first place? I suppose that there were circumstances that allowed you to do so. In my case, having a generous benefactor who paid for my schooling in grade school, having access to modern educational facilities early in life and being a scholar in high school and college allowed me the luxury of enjoying said tumbler of coffee. Yes, I worked damned hard for it, but it just wouldn't have been possible if I didn't have the resources in the past – resources that had to be otherwise given to me in the first place.

    Same goes for the worker who can't find a decently-paying job because his educational qualifications aren't high enough, or the street child who has to work in the streets in order to stay in school (or stay alive). Someone has to provide the means to allow those things to happen. Reality says that this is not, and that someone has to apply pressure at the right points for just that to happen.

    In the end, I think that we all have to assess how the access and control of resources (or the lack of it) shapes society as well as our approaches to fixing the issues in it.

    @Pluto Diaz: Poverty literature says a lot of things, actually. Theories can range from being conservative-individualistic to liberal-structural in nature.

    On the conservative end you've got people like Herbert Spencer, Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray of "The Bell Curve" fame (where higher IQ is correlated to lower incidences of poverty), (then) popular novelist Horatio Alger (who popularized the idea of "rags to riches" in the late 19th century), and people who hold "Moralizing" perspectives of poverty, as researcher Lee Rainwater describes – even today, some religious doctrines (Hinduism, I'm looking at you) still associate the state of poverty as being some sort of divine punishment brought about by an individual's (past) transgressions.

    On the other hand, you've got those who hold the system at fault – Karl Marx and his contemporaries, Saul Alinsky, Paolo Freire, and people like Michael Moore (yes, THAT guy). I need not describe what they believe in – there's a lot of literature available online, and you seem to get the gist of it all. Between those extremes and along parallel planes you've got the dependency theory, cycle of poverty/cumulative causation theory, conflict theory, geospatial theory, culture of poverty theory, and a whole slew of theories that I won't discuss here.

    @Meg: Quote: "it’s great that you want to help eradicate poverty by generating more jobs for the poor, but how will you do that?"

    Thank you for asking. We have something known as "Social Enterprises" (via Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_enterprise) and I believe that it works.

    P.S. And yes, I beat the "(Neo-liberal) Capitalism is Evil" drum, and do so most of the time. It's both a lifestyle choice and my profession.

  9. i take back what said ( comment 3). this site is a legitimate avenue for discourse. this site is not full of crap. i will do my best to spread the word about this site.
    have a great day people!

  10. 1) i was expecting a little more sophistication in tackling poverty and the way you elucidated on what exactly the victim mindset is

    2) you argue that the way to solve the problem of poverty is by providing proper jobs and not resorting to short-term solutions but you patronize those kids selling flowers and stuff. this is hypocrisy. in poverty literature, poverty is described as structural- meaning the very system produces poverty. by buying stuff from those kids, you encourage them to continue selling and encourage them to get out of school since selling in the streets will now become a viable alternative to finishing school. frankly this is crazy and will simply replicate the system of poverty in the philippines. a structural problem needs a structural solution.

    3) mike tan is right. this article and most articles in this site is crap. read-up before you spread more crap.

    • @Pluto

      What about kids who sell flowers and such on the side BECAUSE they want to stay in school, and need the money for food and the like? Isn't that another possibility?

      • we couldn't tell the difference the between kids who sell stuff because they want to go to school and the kids who sell stuff simply to earn money. why can't we push for higher state budget on education instead of giving dole-outs? again, we need structural solutions and not band-aid solutions that make us feel good inside.

        • You don't have to treat the short term and long term solutions as two mutually exclusive possibilities. Sure, on the legislative level, there is the matter of creating legislation or enforcing existing legislation that will keep these kids off the streets.

          But at the same time, there's nothing stopping us from doing charity on a face-to-face basis. From our side, there is a sense of gratification. From their side, they realize there are still people still willing to help them.

  11. FTA: "I think what we should be propagating is a mindset that one should not get more because he needs more or that he has less than others, but rather, he will get what is due to him because of what work he had done."

    I disagree with this statement. To illustrate, a manual laborer does greater effort and work than an investor, but obviously the investor receives more money from his relatively light work.

    Now, how will your rewards based on merit help the poor if these poor people from the working class' rewards barely hits the cost of living, as opposed from the rich people's whopping profits?

    I think your proposal of concentrating "on generating more jobs that are parallel to one’s available skills" is still lacks foresight as the disparity between the rich and the poor will still grow. Your suggestion assumes that the salary on these jobs would be adequate for them to live decently, but this is not always the case. The capitalists always maximize their profit by reducing their laborers' salaries, sometimes illegally.

    I suggest that these charity should instead be given to educational institutions instead so in the long run, their future generation have adequate education that will land them on a job that would make them independent and ultimately, not poor.

    Just my two cents, although I think it's way off topic haha. My first comment BTW. 🙂

    • "To illustrate, a manual laborer does greater effort and work than an investor, but obviously the investor receives more money from his relatively light work."

      – Am I hearing "Capitalism is Evil" march here?

      It may seem "relatively lighter" because you're comparing it only on the level of the physical extent of work. But how about the investor's time, education, and money? Doesn't that count as effort? Which generates jobs? A businessman or the employee?

      The disparity between the wages of the rich and poor will not always be evil. At times, it is just fair. What we should be working on is that there shouldn't be a very wide gap between nor a very narrow one. It is a tense balance between the two.

      Congratulations on your first comment, by the way. Masarap ang diskusyon dito sa FF. 🙂

  13. I do pass these kids once in a while. I make it a point not to give them change or money.

    However, I also make it a point to give them any spare food I have. At least I know they can use that.

  16. my approach is simple: street kid is asking for money from me. i have spare change and giving it away wont kill me. it's none of my goddamn business if he uses the money to buy food to assuage his hunger for a few hours or solvent that will assuage his hunger for a few days. i am in no position to make that decision for him. i do not share his morality and i do not want to impose that on him just because i gave him ten pesos. he just asked for something which i have and which i dont mind giving away. i have a gifting philosophy, which has nothing to do with guilt.

    judging by the way you right, you are/were christian and associate "guilt" with "giving" waaaay too much.

    it's great that you want to help eradicate poverty by generating more jobs for the poor, but how will you do that? great that you have that capability, youre probably some hr person at a call center somewhere, but most of us dont have that capability. the most that some of us have are a few sandwiches, some coins and a desire for fairness and equality.

    ikaw ba, how did you make yourself "worthy" of your blessings? did you come from the slums and work your way up to the top? astig ka pare, parang ang dali a. LOLOLOLOLOL.

    • "you are/were christian and associate “guilt” with “giving” waaaay too much"

      – I think you mean it the other way around. Please read again.

      "it’s great that you want to help eradicate poverty by generating more jobs for the poor, but how will you do that?"

      – You definitely did not understand the point of the article.

      "ikaw ba, how did you make yourself “worthy” of your blessings? did you come from the slums and work your way up to the top? astig ka pare, parang ang dali a. LOLOLOLOLOL"

      – Ay, kawawa ka naman if you think you're not worthy of the "blessings" you received. I know I worked hard for whatever it is that I have now. Too bad you don't feel the same with what you have.

      • 1. No, i do not mean it the other way around. read what i said again.

        2. what was the point of the article? was it to justify your unwillingness to give? or to justify the fact that you spend 150 bucks on coffee? what, pray tell, was the point of the article then?

        3. i do not believe in "blessings", because i do not believe in god. i worked hard for what i have, and i give myself a well-deserved pat on the back for that, but mostly i was just lucky i wasnt born dirt-poor. malamang ganon ka rin prudence, you were probably just lucky that you were born well-off, and you were able to finish school so you could find a job that would enable you to indulge in high-priced coffee and expensive cellphones.

        nakakatawa ka humirit, walang laman. you know what im saying, but you refuse to acknowledge it because you dont know how to respond.

    • I understand your position meg, but Being an "enabler" can make one just as much as fault. Thats why i give to charities that are pretty much regulated.

      If these NGOs and Charities do their job, these kids have no option but to go to them.

      The syndicate functions pretty much the same as market forces: if there is a demand, they will supply. In this case, they will supply the Children to be rid of our guilt.

      Those who Choose to decided carefully where their charities go is a much tougher decision and actually Engages the problem. Once you give the "Charity" there is a removal of association what the person does with the money, or to whom it really goes.

      Charity is actually Hard, to actually weigh the consequences and find out better ways to make the action more sustainable can be difficult but the effort can certainty lead to less suffering.

      When my family business started giving medicines away, the employees failed to take it (which can be measured in sick days and irregular resupply) and took it forgranted, but when she removed the charity and instituted it at a discount instead, that is when people started religiously.

      Sometimes direct Charity may not be the best way, because the Value of the deed could be lost to the people who are not giving up their hard won cash and all these other complicated factors that make up life.

      • foodnotbombs.org

        that was the only answer i could come up with at this time, because im uploading pictures of my kid. hahaha. ill elaborate further soon. thanks for your reply though, you have a point.

  18. Well, it seems that people in this group are defending each other. I bet that nobody's reading this crappy site. All of the writers do not write well. I'm sick of seeing your murderous grammar and poor sentence construction. My 8-year old brother will surely beat you all in terms of writing style and sentence construction. Your logic also fails. Well, talk about man's stupidity and incompetence… it's all here. I mean it.

    • But are we sure that they are really connected to it? That would be so unfortunate. I love the GJ coffees. And too bad they've closed shop, at least in the malls that I've visited lately.

      • I suppose we're all allowed our own guilty pleasures. But I will continue to boycott GJs for their connection to Mercy Ministries. And I happen to like Seattle's Best myself. 🙂

  20. Great article.

    Depends on how someone views charity – it can be an extension of fairness by giving a chance to others who are down on their luck instead a religious duty to be expected from others who are in a better position (irregardless of the merit or fault).

    I'm more for the charity as an extension of fairness – which means not extending it to those who don't see it as a "duty" of others. Because exercising it without this regard further emphasizes the mindset prudence has pointed out.

    You can tell when someone pleads with "Mayaman naman kayo" or demanding pang "Kain lang" instead of actually selling the product. the focus on the situation instead of Fixing the matter is quite plain.

    My wife got into an argument with clerk in datablitz podium because of this attitude when she was buying gifts for her family. "Mayaman naman kayo…"

    Although consider that given our statistics, forcing religious obligations, specifically "duties", instead of working to make the status quo "fairer" enforces the "Obligatory" expectation instead of encouraging others to do the work.

    Fairness is enforced by making the person focus on results and not rely on "hand-outs".

  21. What the fuck to you too Mike Tan, whoever you are.

    Anyway, nice piece, Prudence. Although personally, I NEVER give to street kids, whether they're just begging or actually selling something. The fact of the matter is, the majority of them are part of a "sindikato", and all we're doing by giving them money is giving encouragement. Heck, they've now resorted to singing and dancing in front of your car.

    • Actually, that's what I thought too. But then, on the other hand, some of these kids are just honest folks who wanted to earn a living. It's just unfortunate that the bad guys had them at the neck and they can't do anything about it. Everytime I give to those kids, I just think of the effort they exerted just to get that money I'm giving them. But, of course, a lot of them are still annoying. I especially hate those members of "youth groups" who solicit money in coffee shops (well, they're not street kids, but I digress…).

  23. What the fuck! Is that how you write here? Too elementary! This entry is full of syntax and grammatical errors. The writing style also sucks! It's boring too. It also reeks of utter hypocrisy! Not worth my time…

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