Are we heading for society totally free from poverty?
By suryachalla
@suryachalla (1369)
India
January 13, 2007 12:47am CST
In many countries across the globe, we are seeing the so-called middle class merge with the elite, and the poor classes being elevated to the status of a new (or neo)middle class. More erstwhile poor families are in good shape financially now. Do you think the world is heading for total eradication of poverty? Margaret Thatcher, Ex-PM of England, and many other great/eminent world leaders didn’t/don’t think so. Can it happen? What is your opinion?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@zelle_gatoc (496)
• Philippines
29 Jan 07
I'm still in the process of convincing myself that the eradication of poverty is possible, or at least mitigating it. But there is something in the current situation that is formerly lacking. The fusion of the middle-class and the elite may happen in your country but that cannot be true for the rest of the countries especially in war-torn and conflict-prone regions. For as long as these conflicts between and within regions exist, alleviating the poor would only mean an endless struggle for the international society. Of course, there are international aid sponsors but reports have revealed that only a small percentage of these financial aids landed on the grassroots. In the Philippines, for example, the UN laments the fact that only 7% of the aid was spent on poverty alleviation programmes. And if it is indeed true that the merging exist and that the poor classes would occupy the new middle class seat, would there be any changer in their income? What we should really ponder on is on how to narrow the gap between the poor class and the middle class and elite. In the end, we may find ourselves belonging either to one of these classes: poor and middle/elite... the changes are only nominal but the great divide still exists. This is not pessimism and I do like this discussion. It really hurts whenever we talk about the "real" and the "ideal"...
@suryachalla (1369)
• India
18 Feb 07
True. There still exists a 'great divide', but I'm not speaking of the next couple of decades. I'm speaking of the next 90 - 100 years or so. But again, as you might put it (!), what's to rule out a nuclear holocast!!? Anyway, barring the holocast, and notwithstanding poverty in most third world countries and the side-lining of funds from the US and other rich countries under the aegis of the UN, I did feel that we are heading for a classless society, seeing the purchasing power of the poor increase. I'm even going so far as the day when Mars becomes habitable and a human 'colony' (due to its mineral wealth), which is a distinct possibility, since plans are already on for setting up one there!
@suryachalla (1369)
• India
18 Feb 07
True. There still exists a 'great divide', but I'm not speaking of the next couple of decades. I'm speaking of the next 90 - 100 years or so. But again, as you might put it (!), what's to rule out a nuclear holocast!!? Anyway, barring the holocast, and notwithstanding poverty in most third world countries and the side-lining of funds from the US and other rich countries under the aegis of the UN, I did feel that we are heading for a classless society, seeing the purchasing power of the poor increase. I'm even going so far as the day when Mars becomes habitable and a human 'colony' (due to its mineral wealth), which is a distinct possibility, since plans are already on for setting up one there!
Again, as rolcam succintly put it, there can never be a classless society as long as 'greed' exists!
@banta78 (4326)
• India
13 Jan 07
Hello friend, i like to believe that i am an optimist like you. But total eradication of poverty in distant future i don't think that's possible because of various factors. Firstly take the case of India. See how rapidly our population is growing, putting strain on our limited resources as the land and food that is needed to feed this growing population and resources needed to generate to meet this. Demands a lot of modernisation and investment in industry, agriculture and sadly it is tough to keep pace. Which means that though we are becoming more richer, but due to shortage of resources everything else would become coslty too, and only few who are more rich would be able to afford it.
So we should encourage people in india by educating them and senstising them that it is interest of everybody that we limit size of our families. then we need our economy to grow faster that everybody gets more opportunity and fruits of success are shared by one and all. That way our poverty can be reduced faster.
