Editor irked by apathetic nation

By Joe Gauger
Collegian Editor
October 3, 2007

As I read the New York Times a few days ago, I was struck by the poignant juxtaposition of ostentatious wealth and incomprehensible poverty. On page three I read about the suffering of Somali citizens as their precarious, nine-month-old government struggled to alleviate plagues (“Somalia Tallies the Plagues, Fearing What’s Next,” Sept. 27). Several inches below the photo of starving refugees huddled in a camp was a Bloomingdale’s ad, selling a hideous dress for more than the combined yearly income of everyone in the picture above. The early pages of any issue of the Times are replete with advertisements for luxury goods: Jewelry, thousand-dollar suits, designer shoes. It is clear that the Times is oriented toward the urban elite just as surely as the programming of Comedy Central, as revealed by its own advertising, is tailored toward beer-saturated 18-to-24-year-olds.

Considering the priorities of our nation’s potent upper echelon, put on display by the advertising intended for their eyes, I thought about the economic conditions which precipitate widespread suffering. Without question, poverty is a complex issue, but the massive wealth of the American elite would not be possible without the exploitation of a huge number of anonymous human beings around the world. The towering surfeit of goods that flow into this country is the result of abhorrent working conditions in manufacturing plants abroad. The steady flow of oil dollars from the U.S. props up autocratic regimes in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia and half a dozen other countries. On the other end of our energy consumption cycle, our greenhouse gases are causing droughts and will soon flood coastlines in poor countries where people are least able to cope with such disasters.

These are the sad results of our affluent Western lifestyle. It is utterly depressing to think about the negative outputs of the economy we have built for ourselves, but we have the luxury of anaesthetizing ourselves with perpetual multi-media consumption. These facts are far from hidden; anyone who so chooses can take advantage of the 24-hour news media and the unprecedented freedom of the Internet to learn the details of those victimized by our global economy. If more people did so, the economy would change from the ground up. If fewer people bought into the system, it would cease to exist as it does today.

I don’t intend to demonize Western society or impugn the character of my peers. I understand that a great many people are genuinely concerned with their own survival, even amid the colossal wealth of our society. Not everyone shops in the stores advertised on the pages of the Times. I have seen profound sacrifice and touching generosity as well. But in most cases such charitable efforts do not address the vast inequity which our lifestyle necessitates.

We rich Westerners must change our priorities if we wish to remedy that inequity. Not everyone has to sell all their possessions and become an aid worker in Africa, either. By conserving energy, buying less and paying more attention to what Washington does with our tax dollars, we private citizens can make a real difference with our collective resources. The chance is before us, and the sooner we take it, the easier change will be.

gaugerg1@lasalle.edu