Taking the brunt
9 months into the COVID-19 lockdown and with no real solution in sight, impoverished Filipinos are truly taking the brunt of the pandemic. Quarantine restrictions have caused thousands of Filipinos to lose their jobs. Amidst the outbreak of the virus, they not only have to worry about getting sick, but they struggle to find means to put food on the table. What is poverty? How does it relate to capitalism, globalization, and other elements?
Poverty — what is it?
The basic definition of poverty is the state of not having the means to acquire or the access to the basic human needs such as food, water, shelter, etc. Poverty is not the same all over the world; every country or region has its own standards for the term “poor.” The basis of this is, of course, is the socio-economic class or SEC. In the Philippines, it isn’t uncommon to hear accusations that the poor are simply lazy or not working hard enough to “get out” of their financial situation. Personally, I believe poverty is so much more complicated than that and it takes a lot more than hard work to solve.
Key trends in global poverty & inequality
Poverty exists globally. Every nation has its own population of impoverished people, although on different levels and in different ways. There are some key trends I have observed from reading the news and from the lectures in several courses I have taken. Global poverty and inequality in general go beyond the efforts of the individuals or families that are poor. One of the trends I have seen in the nations that have a high population of poor is the “broken” system. Poverty has many causes — lack of access to good education is one of the most prominent. One can argue that this inaccessibility to education is due to the lack of money, but proper education is among the basic human rights, thus the responsibility of the government to provide means. Another trend that is very easy to see, especially nowadays, is that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. As sad as it sounds, it truly is the case. The poor work jobs that require face to face interaction and the pandemic has taken this away from them. Many do not have access to technology that will allow them to work the optimal work-from-home jobs.
Capitalism & Inequality
I think that capitalism emphasizes inequality. Inequality means a difference in the opportunities available to certain people. Personally, I believe that capitalism widens this gap — the opportunities are passed on to people who already have access to them while those struggling are left to find their own way. Although capitalism has its benefits to the economy, it can be harmful to those who struggle in the financial sense. It can be observed in several capitalist countries that the gap between the rich and the poor is wide.
Globalization & global poverty
The world has been globalized so quickly and in so many aspects. This globalization can be seen in the way the economy, trade, technology, politics, social media, and many more things have changed. To me, I think globalization is one of the contributions to global poverty. Although globalization has its benefits, when the world changes too quickly, there are people who are unable to transition and get left behind. Global poverty can increase due to globalization when those in power do not ensure that the existing poor are part of the changes.
