The last weekend of August saw me on a mountain bike trip to Flumserberg. Riding the train on my own, I had the opportunity to try out podcasts again. It so turned out that the first podcast I could think of and easily access was Point of Inquiry. I ended up listening to two and a half episodes.
One of them was an interview with Peter Singer about his book The Life You Can Save: Acting Now To End World Poverty. He challenges the “western world” about its apparent apathy towards poverty.
In this conversation with D.J. Grothe, Peter Singer details how twenty-six thousand children die each day of preventable diseases and poverty worldwide, and contrasts this toll with the public’s moral outrage over the blackest days in our history, such as 9/11/2001. He talks about the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth regarding the poor, and questions why most Christians today have seemed not to make ending world poverty a priority, instead focusing on issues such as abortion and homosexuality, which are not mentioned by Jesus. Singer argues that when people in affluent societies value even small luxuries more highly than saving the lives of the world’s poor, that it is morally equivalent to standing by when one could easily save someone from drowning.
He acknowledges the psychological differences, but argues for equivalence with regards to morality/ethics. (Seeing someone drowning in front of you is in your face, whereas poverty is typically on the other side of the world.)
That’s something about Europe, or America, or the developed world in general: these nations are typically quite out of touch with what real poverty looks like, or what it feels like. Cinema and TVs show images, good movies evoke emotions, but it’s a two hour experience of something “exotic”, then it’s over.
Of course, “back home” (Cape Town, Stellenbosch) most of us are probably also shockingly out of touch, considering the fact that real poverty is within walking distance there. (In Stellenbosch, it’s even within rich-folks’ walking distance: only 2km. Perspective!)
If you’re curious, go read the synopsis, or listen to the podcast. Maybe read his book (I’m considering it). Check out thelifeyoucansave.com, or GiveWell. For some ideas challenging Singer’s apparent simplification of the matter (referring the drowning-person example), there’s some debate in the comments on the Point of Inquiry site. Then come share your thoughts!
In what ways do you currently contribute to charitable causes? What other ways might you investigate in the near future? And how do you feel about the suggestion raised in the podcast, that in some ways Peter Singer, an atheist, could be considered “a better Christian than most Christians”?
8 responses so far ↓
1 Wim Conradie // Sep 16, 2009 at 10:58 pm
I like the points that he makes about today’s Christians, making a bigger fuss about abortion and homosexuality than poverty.
But in practise, I think it’s not that bad. I think it’s actually media flaming the issues, because is sensational. In my experience, which is unfortunately only limited to a couple of Christian churches in South Africa, all of them spent practically more time and money on the community, than on controversial matters.
2 Hugo // Sep 17, 2009 at 12:10 am
I think media and stereotypes is driven much by American culture. I’ve been brought to believe American “Conservative Evangelicals” fit the stereotype scarily well. It’s the hot-button political litmus test: “how do you feel about homosexuality?” “how do you feel about abortion?” Based on those questions, they decide whether you’re a real Christian or not. Why? Precisely because the non-Christians are also serious about poverty, so they don’t feel that’s a sufficient litmus test. I think it’s sick. Wanting to be different, to be “the chosen ones”, is what drives them away from what’s important to what makes them different, for different’s sake.
But yes, it’s likely I’m biased by the blogosphere and media’s version of it.
We would need more input from Americans with … what, unbiased views? As if anyone has unbiased views? It much depends on context. So to stop talking about “them”, and instead talk about “us”… I agree: all the South African Christian friends I can think of, that’s serious about Christianity, is concerned about poverty, while I’ve never heard any discuss abortion. I’ve picked up on some homophobia though (NG friend), mostly in response to Brokeback Mountain. It’s still not a publicly discussed “issue”, outside of Shofar or EveryNation circles. Some churches have support groups for gays, focused on “what does it mean to be gay in the kingdom”, not on “how to not be gay”. It’s just in Shofar and EveryNation that I hear about the idea of “curing gays”…
So why is there this big difference? I believe it helps a lot that we’re not so far removed from real poverty as USA and Europe, thus the Christian faith doesn’t forget that part of what Jesus was all about.
However, what would the state of Christianity be, in South Africa, if we were a developed nation without any “real poverty” anymore?
Because contexts differ, it would be wrong for us to feel we’re any “better” than those evangelicals: we might really be just as bad, and suffer the same “moral decay” if we became a “well off first-world country”. Hence, we really must not judge, but we can still talk about what’s wrong and what can be better.
Thoughts?
3 Wim Conradie // Sep 17, 2009 at 12:48 am
I have no facts to base this on: but I have a gut feel the 1st world countries are also not that bad.
Some idiot might say something like “gays go to hell” and its all over the media in America, but maybe his church still actually spends more money on community work. Even in radical churches I guess this to be the case. I’m sure gay support groups doesn’t really make a dent in the church’es revenue.
Again I don’t really have facts to base this on.
I have heard though of dozens of charities being funded from 1st world countries. And isn’t the UN’s food support mainly from 1st world countries.
Also I would like to see some statistics w.r.t. eastern and other nations. Would be interesting to compare with the western world.
4 Hugo // Sep 17, 2009 at 12:51 am
True, and would be interesting… so where might we get money for such studies?
5 Hugo // Sep 17, 2009 at 1:09 am
I can try to pick up some anecdotes in Europe. Won’t exactly be rigorous, but it will satisfy my curiosity as to European perspectives of “what’s important”.
6 gerhard // Sep 22, 2009 at 9:52 am
[That’s something about Europe, or America, or the developed world in general: these nations are typically quite out of touch with what real poverty looks like, or what it feels like. ]
yes, and people in africa are out of touch with what _real_ wealth is. the converse of the problem. people not knowing what “real money” is so they get jealous of relatively “poor” people, just because they are better off. not well off. just better off. like you said the “rich folks” of stellies.. hahaha yes there are some well off folks there , but to suggest they are rich as a community is laughable.
7 wouter // Sep 29, 2009 at 2:25 am
This is definitely something I am currently experiencing. I have moved to San Diego from Johannesburg. My wife worked for a non profit that exposed her to rural areas in Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia. We lived next to Zandspruit squatter camp in a golf estate (what a weird screwed up setup). Poverty was in my face. Yet not in my life. Here in San Diego poverty is in the distance covered under the smog of Tijuana and not something I see (been there once almost a year ago with habitat for humanity). I can sense that poverty has become foreign to me. Poverty come to me in the form of streaming video and then when it is done I close my laptop and finish my breakfast. The thoughts of poverty linger in my mind for some time mixed with emotion and it slowly fades away as I continue with my day, get in my car and drive to work surrounded but luxury vehicles with single passengers in them. This world is a crazy place. I used to ridicule the reaction of tourists in South Africa towards the poverty. Now I am starting to understand. I guess when I am going to visit again I will get a wake up call.
8 Hugo // Sep 29, 2009 at 9:01 am
Thanks wouter, a great contribution!
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