Born sinner, the opposite of a winner
December 19, 2013 9:18 AM   Subscribe

Why is there Poverty? An Animated History. From WhyPoverty.net.

The film mentions, in discussing the origins of poverty, the Greek play Plutus, by Aristophanes, the first time someone advanced the idea that poverty was necessary.

More films addressing income inequality and human rights from WhyPoverty.net, a resource for understanding poverty in EVERY nation.

Give Us The Money - The limitations and new more effective methods of charity, starring Bono and Bob Geldof
Park Avenue (previously) - How the rich are getting richer and many are using their wealth to ensure it stays this way by funding political campaigns and lobby groups to rig the rules in their favour.
Land Rush -- How do you feed the world?
Stealing Africa - How the tax system employed by multinational companies in Africa benefits Europeans only
A Beggar's Loan - how microfinance can transform a single person's life
Education, Education - China's lucrative education system
Solar Mamas - Are women better at getting out of poverty than men?

And here's their collection of short films, including
Welcome to the World - how poverty affects childbirth, childhood and everything beyond.
Hunger for Profit - Why are crops the best performing investments?
Love and Rubbish - a look at the lives of a group of children living on a rubbish dump outside Moscow
The Car's Got to Go - What would you do if someone knocked on your door and said they'd come to take away your car?
Morris' Bag - Life in Kenya is difficult, but through the marvels of urban farming and the creative use of an old sack, Morris is able to feed his family all year round.

From the makers of WhyDemocracy.net. (previously)
posted by Potomac Avenue (5 comments total) 26 users marked this as a favorite
 
I get it movie, I'm a bad person.

would you get to either
a) defining the problem, directly and without emotional porn or
b) proposing a solution

because the creepy moral seduction thing got *incredibly* tired, real fast.

How much money did it cost to edit that film, animate those frames, and hire that voice actor? Jeezy creezy.
posted by Poppa Bear at 10:31 AM on December 19, 2013


To be fair, I couldn't make it through the first minute thirty without feeling both shamed and manipulated simply because I was capable of watching this video at all, which might say as much about me as it does the "short" film.

I'm going back in.
posted by Poppa Bear at 10:39 AM on December 19, 2013


fwiw, i just came across _poor people_ by vollmann who asks why are you poor? "That was the simple yet groundbreaking question William T. Vollmann asked in cities and villages around the globe."
posted by kliuless at 10:47 AM on December 19, 2013 [3 favorites]


Oh FFS it's always about you.

That is why there is poverty.
posted by charlie don't surf at 4:11 PM on December 19, 2013


I liked the first video, thought it did a good job of covering some of the broader causes and effects by looking at particular historical examples and managed to keep things somewhat light in spite of the subject matter. I'll be checking them out as I have time, there's a lot of information there and it's nice to see some a decent amount of longer videos.

How much money did it cost to edit that film, animate those frames, and hire that voice actor?

I'm not exactly an authority on the matter, but my guess is that the production costs of these videos is not a reasonable answer to "Why Poverty?". Keep in mind, when those individuals were hired that meant they were paid for work. Jeezy Creezy, indeed.
posted by nTeleKy at 3:32 PM on December 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


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