Week 10 Analysis

The Weight of the World contains essays and interviews by Pierre Bourdieu and many others which address the issues of social suffering in contemporary society. The real life interviews give a voice to the marginalized and exploited. I saw in the stories of the individuals in this book many of the complex issues I have been researching concerning poverty. Several of the stories dealt with the difficulty of making enough money just to survive and provide for one’s family. In Ramon’s situation, he was homeless with a wife and child. He found that there was no way to make money except to sell drugs. I was shocked to read that his welfare money was lessened when he and his wife lived in a shelter because it was rationalized by the state that they were receiving a place to sleep and free meals. However, the money that welfare provided was not enough for them to live on, let alone to provide for a child.

The chapter “Inside ‘The Zone’” described the rampant poverty and violence occurring in the Chicago ghetto while the government ignores the problem. One-half of all households in this particular ghetto live under the poverty line. 75% of all adults are unemployed and 71% need food stamps to survive. It is no surprise in this kind of environment that violence and drugs are prevalent. I am sure when you are deprived of an acceptable way of making ends meet you might resort to using any means necessary. Wacquant writes “caught between the collapse of the wage labor market and the start insufficiencies of welfare support, many ghetto residents have no choice but to turn to the informal economy of the streets and in particular to…drugs (p.135). For Ramon and Rickey, this is an undeniable reality. The authors note that welfare is less about improving the lives of the needy and more about reducing the number of recipients (p.137). Those who do not live in such tragic circumstances do not think it is their responsibility to help others. They assume that with a little effort and determination everyone can become successful. These stories show that there are many places in the U.S. today where this is simply not the case.

Another pervasive problem is the state of the schools. In Chicago, it was reported that the public schools are attended almost entirely by Black and Latino students. Teachers, mayors and school officials do not send their children to the public schools. These schools suffer from constant budget cuts which allow them to spend only half of the money per child that is spent in wealthier towns. Lest we think that this is only a problem in other areas, I happen to know that it is still going on in our own backyard. I was an intern at Harambee Christian Fellowship in Northwest Pasadena this summer. I was shocked and dismayed to learn that the same is true for the majority of high schools in Pasadena. Most of the white children go to private schools or schools in other areas. Evidently, the schools are known to be terrible by all concerned parents in the neighborhood. Violence is rampant, teaching is mediocre and resources are limited. As Christ followers we cannot ignore these problems. We must get involved at whatever level God has placed us and work for change. This book provides the awareness that is a helpful first step in this direction.

Week 9 Analysis

John Storey‘s book Inventing Popular Culture revolves around the interesting premise that the concept of popular culture was invented in response to middle and upper class fears in order to maintain social class inequalities. The author reaches many of the conclusions I have been coming to, but in so doing, helped me to see how the economic and social inequalities I have been studying have evolved. He begins by noting the perception that culture is distant for the majority because they are a primitive, simple people. There is a fear that the culture of the masses is corrupt and will lead to chaos (p.22). Such critics believed the golden age was marked by authoritarian and hierarchical principles (p.23). They assume that it is “impossible to educate the masses” (p.25). Storey seeks to address the way that many assume popular culture represents “cultural decline and potential political disorder” (p.31).

This entire predicament fits in with the conclusion I have been coming to on the wiki project. If we want to deal with the international economic problems facing our world, we must personally know the poor. We cannot simply assume that people are in dire situations because of laziness or lack of resourcefulness. We must be open to investigating the economic, political and social structures that create and maintain these inequalities. As Storey points out, it is important that we “understand the relationship between culture and power” (p.62).

Storey’s suggestion that Shakespeare’s plays have been removed from mainstream culture and made an experience for the middle class is very insightful (p.35). This is a reality that I have never given much thought to, but I can see that the shift has been fairly recent. He notes that opera has shifted in much the same way. It is amazing to me that such little changes shape culture in powerful ways and we are not even aware of how we are affected. In addition, Storey mentioned the fact that “cultural consumption is the means by which people are produced, maintained and reproduced” (p.43). Our purchases classify us and result in inequalities between social classes. This reality confirms my growing conviction that addressing the vast problems of poverty must begin with our awareness. It is through the denial of this process that certain individuals are given great power (p.44). The dominant impose their way of thinking on others and equate it with excellence (p.45). Whether we are in a position to benefit from this practice or not, as Jesus followers we must be aware of the way some are being marginalized, misrepresented and excluded. Before we can decide what to do, we must understand how those in power shape our culture and protect their power. By unknowingly going along with such practices, we can end up supporting the very things we stand against.

We must intentionally become more aware that high culture is not a “universal unchanging culture” but has been shaped by those in power (p.93). According to Storey, even our education can reinforce inequalities. As I strive to work against poverty, I want to better understand that structures and practices that are allowing this to happen so I can determine how they can be redeemed and better represent all people. After reading this book, I plan to look for ways that aesthetic value is used as a tool to exclude others (p.105). As Jesus followers, we can look for ways to be more inclusive in our interactions with others. We can be suspicious of our tendencies to quickly put people in groups and see them as outsiders in relation to whatever group we are in. I think it is essential to understand that the lives of many poor people are shaped “by the powerful actions of unknown people” (p.115). As Jesus followers we should get involved because so many are casualties of a system that exploits others for its own benefit. I agree with Storey‘s goal that we should create a world culture that values diversity and sees different approaches as equally valuable ways of living (p.120). However, I wish he outlined some specific ways to go about achieving this. I believe that cultivating relationships with the poor and developing a greater awareness of how power influences culture is a good place to start.

Week 8 Analysis

I found the book Globalization and Culture much more accessible than Global Transformations and enjoyed reading it, but wish that Jan Nederveen Pieterse had included more of the practical benefits we would receive from understanding culture through the hybrid paradigm. I appreciated Pieterse’s point that the powers have a tendency to turn to military means rather than to democratic avenues for change. In studying the effects of the US economy on other countries, I have seen various ways we are concerned with utilizing the economy in a way that benefits us, while ignoring the negative implications for others. As human beings we have an uncanny ability to protect our own rights and freedoms while taking little responsibility for the way we infringe on other’s rights.

Pieterse also discusses the growing agreement that globalization must be managed in some way or even the richest countries may find themselves in jeopardy. He argues that globalization involves the trend toward human integration, but must be understood in contrast to Eurocentric views. Such views attribute the unification of humanity to modernity and do not look seriously at the growing inequalities. While globalization is increasing our connectivity, the majority of the population in Africa, Asia and Latin America remain excluded or at least are included in an uneven manner (p. 30). Pieterse points out that global inequality leaves us all with political, security, economic and ecological risk. These are factors we have seen in talking about the ecological problems intertwined with technology or the security concerns the US faced after 9/11. In addition, globalization has left us with a moral dilemma. Many of the moral issues are tied to economics and these are the main concerns our group has been dealing with. Human trafficking and unfair trade are moral issues that are products of globalization which have resulted from the growing interconnectivity between countries.

Pieterse suggests that we are all migrants because our ancestors traveled to the places from which we came. This an interesting point. We are quick to label another as an outsider when all of us were outsiders at one point in history. I think this is a more balanced way of approaching globalization. Pieterse also illuminates the fact that the contributions of foreigners and minorities have been largely ignored since to acknowledge them goes against the nationalist mindset. This trend is pervasive in our society. Many people speak negatively about immigrants and argue for more tight controls on immigration and are oblivious to the ways they benefit from the goods and services of immigrants whose. Pieterse raises the question of how immigration contributes to economic development (p.34). This is an important point to consider and an area we have not really explored in our wiki. This aspect helps us to remember that we are not just to help the “less-fortunate”, but to realize that we are interdependent and benefit from our relationships with others as much as they benefit from their relationships with us. There are other ways to measure besides material gain.

Pieterse describes three perspectives on globalization: the clash of civilizations, McDonaldization and hybridization. He argues for the last option because it advocates border-crossing. Critics fear this approach because it subverts nationalism (Chapter 3). Pieterse seemed to highlight three main reasons a hybridization paradigm is useful. First, we must come to terms with the fact that “we are all mixing cultural elements and traces across places and identities (p.109) I agree that this is true and I think we would benefit from seeing it as an asset rather than a problem. Second, critical awareness of inequality comes from acknowledging rather than suppressing hybridity. Since dealing with economic equality is the focus of our group, I believe this is an important point. We need to begin talking about the unequal distribution of wealth and scrutinizing our business practices and shopping habits to uncover the corruption and begin to deal with it. This is a particularly difficult aspect to deal with because it has largely gone underground and is not always acknowledged. Last, the hybrid model transcends the “us versus them dualism” (p.117). This is another convincing argument for looking at globalization this way. It is an issue I have been coming up against in combating poverty. Even in trying to help others, churches often remain separate and send money to organizations without knowing the people they are trying to help. Poverty becomes an entity out there rather than our neighbor.

When I reflect on the way that Jesus interacted with others, I notice that he was inclusive. In a sense, he encouraged boundary-crossing even with the mix of people he selected for the 12 disciples. Everyone was to be included and was thought to possess something worthwhile for the whole group. Pieterse's understanding of globalization seems to be moving in a direction that is more in line with the way that Jesus understood community.

Week 7 Analysis

The chapters on trade and finance in Global Transformation provided background on how our economic system has developed and how interdependent on one another countries have become. The problems we currently face, such as poverty and human trafficking, can only be understood in light of this backdrop. Though poverty has always been an issue at some level, we must understand the complexities of trade and finance in today’s society if we hope to address our contemporary problems effectively. I thought it was interesting to note that the principles on which GATT was based (and which later became the framework for WTO) were non-discrimination, reciprocity, transparency and fairness. Though we have been aware of the importance of these issues for some time, discrimination and unfairness in trade continue to exist. Modern trade has become so complex that we need various laws to regulate the global market. What seems fair to one group often has adverse affects on another. We might consider what is best for developing countries and in the process affect U.S. industries in an adverse way. At the same time, in our efforts to make a profit, we exploit other countries in the process. Human trafficking is a prime example of the corruption that pervades trade practices. Profit becomes the chief goal at any cost. Human beings are degraded and discarded in the process. How can we create laws that protect against discrimination and ensure fairness? Should we attack poverty at the national and international level or is it something to fight at the local level? Perhaps we need to find new ways to integrate both.


Another issue that struck me in this chapter was the rampant unevenness between countries in trade. It was stated in chapter 3 that the largest part of service trade is between industrialized countries. The trend toward freer trade may benefit industrialized countries while it creates new problems for countries struggling to compete. While the role of NIEs is increasing, they generally have lower productivity levels. Their exports are largely products that require low skilled labor. Does this lead to the problem of child slavery for cocoa production? How are these countries to compete when sections of the textile, leather, toy and sports industries are wiped out by industrialized countries?

This unevenness is also present in international equity markets because the poor have limited access to private international finance. While developing countries are acquiring more international bonds, they still account for only 10%. This forces them to rely heavily on aid which only seems to perpetuate the cycle of dependence. With this in mind, the idea of microfinance seems very important. If poorer countries are to have the ability to compete, they need access to capital. They need something sustainable that does not just meet the immediate need but can break the poverty cycle. This is also one reason why I see fair trade as a viable option to explore in combating poverty. It allows farmers in other countries the opportunity to maintain some stability over time. It enables the family to receive health care and allows children to get an education.

Week 6 Analysis

Week 6 Analysis

In reading chapters 1 & 2 of Global Transformations, I did not find a lot of specific information that will benefit us in our wiki project, but it did provide some helpful historical background which explains our current state of political globalization and perhaps a lens through which to understand the unique challenges we face with poverty in this time of tremendous change. There are political organizations all over the world now, but serious inequalities still exist. In addition, the global telecommunications network has brought tremendous benefits for some, but not everyone has equal access and opportunity. This puts poorer countries at a clear disadvantage since they are not able to communicate at the same rate and distance. This affects their ability to compete and cooperate with countries with greater technology. Advances with the internet have resulted in undeniable benefits in the exchange of and convenience of acquiring information, but also creates new problems because it is impossible to control what is being transmitted.

I see the creation of organizations like the United Nations as a largely positive development of transnational activity. Some of the commitments listed in the UN Charter model demonstrate a move towards concern for the poor and marginalized. The intent was to recognize and address inequalities, protect individual rights and preserve peace. However, the special veto power given to Permanent members results in the major powers having even more control and influence. Though the UN has its weaknesses, it has benefited developing countries through controlling diseases, providing humanitarian relief, and working to protect the environment on a global scale.

Studying the development of military globalization illuminates another way that developing countries experience a significant disadvantage in competing in today’s society. They may not have the money or materials to trade to acquire the supply of weapons that are found in wealthier countries. Since they do not have the financial resources to pour into military resources, they become more vulnerable to attack. Since so much emphasis is put on trade, smaller countries may have a difficult time building alliances with more powerful countries if it is perceived that they have little to offer.

It is also interesting to note the unique dynamic the current state of military globalization has produced. There is a combination of competition and conflict within cooperative structures between countries. While institutionalization is widespread, it remains delicate. No one country is in control and relations between countries can change rapidly. As the War of Terror has demonstrated, a sense of security, even for countries like the U.S. can be very tentative.

It should be mentioned that growing U.S. military involvement in other countries can also be related to the issue of human trafficking. One of the studies I read suggested that many women were trafficked from foreign countries by men who they met at military bases and who married (often more than one of) them with the intention of forcing them to work in the sex trade in the United States. Unfortunately, the ease of travel, communication and interaction between countries also results in abuses such as human trafficking.

Week 5 Analysis

Example of Christ-followers

What are Jesus followers doing to address the pervasive problem of poverty? I found that many Christians are in fact rising to the challenge by attempting to become involved at the individual, regional, national and international level.

At the individual level, I found a handful of websites and blogs through which concerned Christians can attempt to spread awareness and dialogue with others about how to become involved. The Wesley Blog is a United Methodist site where a variety of people posted their thoughts on helpful organizations, where to send your money, and how to support upcoming campaigns. On another site, a seminary student posted related articles, links to organizations and had online forums for discussions about faith and politics.

At the regional level, there are various churches working to fight poverty in their own communities. One Assembly of God church in Miami, FL created a unique benevolence ministry to meet the overwhelming poverty in that area. As members of the church became educated about the causes of poverty, they realized there was more to the problem than inadequate funds. They developed a family center that would move people from a place of instability to a place of self-sufficiency. This center provided food distribution, hot meals, clothing, day care, housing assistance, legal services, a medical clinic, job training, counseling, and case management. They partner with many other churches and organizations to provide such an exhaustive list of services. They welcome interns from the nearby Catholic university to help run some of these programs. They have found that this program is making a difference in their community. Another church in Austin, Texas also believes poverty must be fought at the community level. Through an organization called CRISES, they have found some success by emphasizing labor, integrity, faith and thrift.

At the national and international levels, there are a variety of faith-based organizations committed to working to eliminate poverty. One such organization called Traidcraft is based in the UK. They aim to expose the impact of free trade deals, lobby for trade justice, organize events to increase involvement in poverty-fighting campaigns, and provide opportunities to travel and personally see the difference fair trade makes. There are also articles concerning trends and developments to keep members informed.

Call to Renewal, led by Jim Wallis, is another organization that focuses on international change. Wallis has organized meetings where many Christians leaders from different denominations come together to discuss strategies for eliminating poverty. He stresses that Christians must unite and put aside their doctrinal differences. He also encourages Christians to talk with the poor, not just about them.

Another such organization is Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP). Their focus is a shift in National and International policies to eliminate poverty and exceed the Millennium Development goals. In particular, they want to encourage governments to:
· Stop pushing developing countries to liberalise at the WTO and allow them the policy space to determine their own trade policies in accordance with their development priorities.
· Immediately end dumping and rich country subsidies that keep people in poverty.
· Enact measures to protect public services from enforced liberalization and privatisation, secure the right to food and affordable access to essential drugs, and strengthen corporate accountability.
· Increase accountability and transparency of governments and international organisations to their grassroots constituencies in the formulation of international trade rules and national trade policies, while ensuring consistency of trade policies with respect for workers’ rights, and human rights more broadly.

These are just a few examples, but I believe they provide a good sample of how followers of Jesus are attempting to combat the problem of poverty.

Week 5 Sources

I focused my sources this week on the example of Christ-followers:

Traidcraft
This is a Christian organization that uses fair trade to fight against poverty in the UK. It was begun in 1979 and is a trading company and a charity organization striving to help trade benefit the poor. This organization fights for fair laws, informs the public and organizes fair trade. I think it is one viable example of Christ followers responding to poverty.

Volunteerism: Leaders Pursue Unity in Fighting Poverty
This is a link to an article in Christianity Today entitled Volunteerism: Leaders Pursue Unity in Fighting Poverty. It discusses a meeting organized by Call to Renewal that organized Christians around the issue of poverty. The article points out a trend that Christians are coming together to discuss better strategies.

Christian involvement in poverty from the perspective of Gay PASG
This is an interesting article because it talks about the growing involvement of Christians concerning poverty from the gay and lesbian perspective. This site leads to an activist organization for gays and lesbians. It is noted that Christians are not just concerned with homosexuality or terrorism, but also poverty. I thought it might be good to get another perspective and see how Christians are perceived.

Article on Christian aid and religious ties
The author of this article admits that many Christian organizations are doing the best job at providing aid to those in need. However, some are questioning whether they are more focused on creating converts than helping those in need without strings attached.

The Micah Challenge
This site provides details about the Micah Challenge, a worldwide campaign against poverty that took place in October of 2004. This organization uses the bible as a basis and focuses on combating poverty at the national and international level. It is an extension of the World Evangelical Alliance.
“The campaign aims to deepen Christian engagement with the poor and to influence leaders of rich and poor nations to fulfill their public promise to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and so halve absolute global poverty by 2015.”

Wesley Blog
This is an interesting site that I wanted to check out further. It is a United Methodist site with articles and blogs that address individual Christian views on poverty. The most current blog is written by Shane Ranor who encourages others to sign the ONE declaration and One Life Revolution. It seems that he uses part of his blog to keep Christians informed about organizations fighting against poverty.

Chuck Currie’s blog
This is the individual site of a United Church of Christ seminary student who blogs on issues of faith and politics. There are links to helpful organizations attempting to combat poverty. It seems that there are other people out there trying to use their blogs to create awareness about these issues.

One Assembly of God churches' example
This link provides a review of one Assembly of God Church in Miami’s attempt to deal with the growing poverty in their community.

Acton Organization
This article criticizes the top down approach to fighting poverty, claiming that this results in a lot of talk with few results. The author suggests that a more centralized community based program is needed and notes what is being down in Austin, Texas that is creating change for that community.

World Christians
This site posts bible study lessons on poverty with Scripture passages to study, questions for groups to consider, and application in prayer and repentance. I thought it was another interesting way groups are going about inspiring change.

Catholic Organization
An article about how the Catholic church is involved in fighting poverty.

New Perpectives on the Jews Lunch

I found the discussion today on new perspectives for the Jews very interesting. It is not a topic that I know much about so I found the information the speakers presented very informative. It made me want to learn more. One of the speakers broke down the percentage of Jews in various countries of the world. I found it interesting to learn that there are almost as many Jews living in Israel as in the United States. The second speaker gave a presentation on how the gospel is not just good news to a few Jews, but to all the Jews. He explained that the way Christian missionaries went about their ministry to the Jews made the gospel bad news for the Jews. I especially appreciated his points that we need affirmation in our presentation of the gospel rather than negation, consummation rather than replacement and humility rather than stridency. It is exciting to think that God has a bigger plan in store for the Jews than we might have originally thought.
I do not see an obvious connection to this topic and International poverty, but in studying both issues we see a reminder that as Jesus followers we must be concerned about the plight of all people. We cannot just be concerned about the salvation of some, or the economic plight of those in our own country. As Christians we are called to be informed about the injustices others face and to do our best to change the structures and attitudes that create these injustices.