Charity Versus True Sharing and Giving

Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, July 15 2004 @ 11:46 AM CDT

People are not poor because they lack services, people are poor because they lack power. Most \"social service programs\" work in poor neighborhoods-- But if you\'re involved in a project that doesn\'t deal with getting power (or \"community control\" if you\'re not confortable with the word power), then you\'re runnin a charity. You know, gatekeeping.

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Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, July 15 2004 @ 03:03 PM CDT

One thing to keep in mind (and the description of the relationship above implies this) is that charity, sharing and giving are all two way relationships. This becomes important for a project such as \"Food not Bombs\". A lot of people who started \"Food not Bombs\" projects in various cities intended it to be sharing in the above sense rather than a charity, but most of those receiving (in places where actually poor from outside the anarchist/punk milieu eat FnB) it treat it as a charity - something other people who \"have\" are doing for them. The only way around this is to actively encourage everyone who comes to participate as fully as the have the capacity to (\"from each according to their ability, to each according to their need\"). But this may require a willingness to give up some of the subcultural ideas of what to do. For instance, if you encourage people to bring what they can and then give someone shit for bringing cheese or meat because it isn\'t vegan, this will discourage people from bringing what they can get a hold of.
Just some thoughts.

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Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, July 15 2004 @ 04:57 PM CDT

The problem with the above comment is when the people doing the charity are assholes, the poor do not want to interact with them. They just want to get the food, or whatever, and get away from them. Which is not very two way.

For instance, I was at a place a few years back getting bus tickets from a charity church agency to get to work. When I was taken into the office, away from the waiting room full of clients, the white old woman said to me, \"Oh wait! I have to go look at that guy\'s ID again, they all look the same to me, I cannot tell them apart!\" Appalled, I waited for her to get back before I spewed forth. I informed her that just because some of her clients are black and I am white, that does not mean she can spew racist comments like that at me! I told her I related more with poor black folks than I did with her class-insulated world. And I did not like her one bit, nor should any of her clients, black or otherwise like her, after that comment. So now I am supposed to reciprocate and be pleasant with this woman? No, I wanted her to give me my bus tickets, to not talk to me and to leave me alone.

Yesterday, a local paper where I live ran a sensationalist letter from the owners of a bed and breakfast in this white suburban enclave, which is what spurned this article. The bed and breakfast owners were paranoid that a tent city, of homeless folks, potentially coming to our town would: 1) ruin farms, 2) endanger children, 3) increase theft and home robberies, 4) ruin tourism, and 5) cost the city money we do not have (because we need to spend our city money on 4th of July bullshit I can only guess). They then called all of the homeless \"freeloaders.\" This same woman now proclaims that the poor \"do not need tent cities.\" And SHE would know this HOW? She said she does not \"believe\" in tent cities. She said that the homeless need to be held accountable for their actions and need mentors like her and her husband! These people fighting tent city and promoting stereotyped myths about the homeless now are claiming they help the homeless by taking in a senior or someone poor once in a while...but who would want to live with someone who thought they were a \"freeloader\" for their poverty? I wouldn\'t.

So the problem is when there is no respect at all between the sides. In a situation where the privileged rob the poor of their dignity, either maliciously or neglectfully, it starts a bad cycle...one in which the poor just want to get their stuff and bolt. You will see in environments where the poor are treated with human dignity and decency, they want to hang out with the people helping them. The WorkFirst program at welfare offices is a perfect example of that...they claim they are \"helping\" poor women. Oh yeah? Then why are they having to FORCE women into MANDATORY classes with their food stamps on the string? Good educational programs for women are TURNING applicants away! It is all in the attitude...

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Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, July 15 2004 @ 06:11 PM CDT

Wow.. excellent work Kirsten... I know just the person to show this too =)

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Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, July 16 2004 @ 11:52 AM CDT

You\'re right about that; i know folks who always complain about how \"ungrateful\" the homeless are when they are given food, or about how \"wrong\" it is for a homeless person to grab a sandwich at the homeless shelter, then get one from the local church group that gives away food a few block away. Homeless people will also lie to get food and spare change (saying that they have kids to feed, and then changing their story later on.) But i dont blame them. If i were poor and on the street and desperate for food i would do the same. But then people are reluctant to give any food to anyone in the future, cuz they begin to hate the homeless.

At FNB we usually had people who would come to eat food and hang out with us, talking about politics and life and their homeless situations, wanting to help but knowing there was not much for them to do. Respect really is key.

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