Do things like this hinder or aid class consciousness?

[Invincible Summer]

http://th08.deviantart.net/fs71/300W/f/2010/076/6/0/605b7d3c66c2dc9470fd939b2011ac0e.png

Generally, I'd say it's privileged, middle class, Western bullshit that is supposed to make one feel 'grateful' for what one has (i.e. reinforcing one's privileged identity).

But do you think things like this make people think about how to solve the problems that are mentioned? Or do the notions of "luck," "blessings," etc detract from any notion that there is a global structural problem, and that it is rather "just the way it is" that there are "haves" and "have nots?"

[SandiNeesta]

I think 99% of people who read that wouldn't give it much thought...most people, in my experience, have no clue what's really going on in the world and what being poor means in places like India. They don't see the correlation between what they have and what someone else doesn't. It may also be a case of if they don't see it it must not exist. Save for the few Save the Children commercials, our media is not exactly flooding the airwaves with the plight of the victims of capitalism. And even those claim for a mere 30 cents a day, little Carlos who was once starving and living in a sewer can grow up to be another strong migrant worker....guess that gives the few people who feel a slight pang of guilt at their fortunate lifestyles to feel better about themselves.

[Little Bobby Hutton]

it makes middle class wankers go to starbucks and get a late and a Nick Cohen book

[Dermezel]

Aid. Most people don't even see that. But it would be better if the ambiguity was negated by clarification. It is playing the anti-consumerist "advanced nation proletariat are spoiled" BS card.

[Invincible Summer]

The thing is, the claims are so vague that I don't think people really connect to them. I can imagine people going "*Sigh* poor other people!" and then going on with their day being more "grateful" for what they have (feeling entitled because they are "lucky").

I know these graphics are meant to be a quick way to make people "aware" of those who live in poverty, but the fact that it makes the comparison of "you, the privileged Westerner" vs "faceless, impoverished millions" only serves to make the individual feel that he/she is responsible for making micro-level choices to alleviate the poverty/unfairness, possibly by consuming less or donating to a charity. It doesn't elicit any feeling to engage in collective action.

It doesn't connect the current socio-economic system to any of this, but rather "luck" and "blessings."

[The Grey Blur]

The truth is a lot of workers and youth in the west are poorer in financial terms than those in the supposed "third-world" nations - think of debt (student loans, mortgages, credit to purchase the capitalists products) for example. There are people in the States right now who are having their "fridge, clothes on [their] backs, roof over their heads" taken away from them by the banks and repoman.

There is a worldwide class of labourers who are exploited, the western working classes' benefits (healthcare, social housing, the right to organise, education) have been gained through a long history of struggle resisted at every stage by the ruling class. They aren't some sort of magical gift we should feel fortunate about - we should feel proud of the history of class struggle that won these gains. The 'priveliges' mentioned in the poster are really just basic necessities which everyone has a right to and which capitalism can't provide.

[Robocommie]

It's a good thing to say, and more people need to be confronted with things like this, but what it also needs is a second part to explain why it's not just that we're "blessed" to be living in the luxury we are, but that in fact we who are so blessed are well off because the poorest strata of humanity are so oppressed.

Essentially, I think it's got a good message, but it's not very useful because if it's not going to recommend a course of action to fix it, it's not likely to do much except encourage more liberal guilt. But frankly, that's not wholly without value. I believe Marx once said that guilt can be a revolutionary sentiment.

[blake 3:17]

The stats look very basically right. I'm sure one could argue over particular items.

The argument then becomes over whether those differences are fair or immoral, OK or evil, and then what one does about it.

A global justice movement is both about making things better for those on the bottom and creating greater equality and democracy everywhere. The practical problems of solidarity across borders (or within borders) are always present. The complications of life make a simplistic class against class analysis pretty much impossible.

I had an experience a few years ago when I suddenly appreciated having a roof over my head. A comrade of mine sometimes asks me how much money in my pocket I have. I usually can give a rough guess, but the folks in Ecuador or Bolivia know exactly how much they have in their pocket.

I find discussion around this stuff more useful than the Labour Aristocracy discussion which I think is most a schematic marxist debate.

[jake williams]

A lot of the "facts" are factually accurate - although probably not very seriously, it's not like the types of people who make those types of things are sticklers for statistics. At any rate - consciousness raising about problems in society, locally and globally, is one of the most essential tasks for anyone wanting anything good for society, from relatively minor cultural problems to revolution.

But I don't think this really does that. To privileged middle class people, it'll make them feel great for being a) lucky and b) "socially conscious". To most people, it'll be offensive, because "privileged Western workers" have real serious problems, and getting told that they're lucky by a bunch of comfortable NGO brats and yuppies is offensive bullshit.

And by the way, it's not luck and happenstance that leads to certain people to have to deal with violent conflict, or wealth inequality. The wealth and peace that exists in Western societies is the consequence of the theft and violence against non-Western countries, which by the way, if it needs to be pointed out, is not the fault of the working class in any country. The working class has no country.


edit: Before I go have my afternoon nap, I'm reminded of something Michael Parenti said about the Nazis going around to collect alms from the poor to give to the poorer. "Be happy that you have what you have."

[CartCollector]

Perhaps a poster like this could be made that raises class consciousness and shows the root cause of the problem. Statistics like "The world produces enough food to feed (I forget how many, does anyone know?) times its population, and yet 1 billion people worldwide don't know where, or even if, they can get their next meal." And "The economy is set up so that, if people don't buy enough things, workers will be forced into the ranks of the unemployed." And "$300 billion has been spent on the War in Afghanistan, and we still haven't found bin Laden. $704 billion has been spent on the War on Iraq, and we still haven't found those WMDs."

[jake williams]

Perhaps a poster like this could be made that raises class consciousness and shows the root cause of the problem. Statistics like "The world produces enough food to feed (I forget how many, does anyone know?) times its population, and yet 1 billion people worldwide don't know where, or even if, they can get their next meal." And "The economy is set up so that, if people don't buy enough things, workers will be forced into the ranks of the unemployed." And "$300 billion has been spent on the War in Afghanistan, and we still haven't found bin Laden. $704 billion has been spent on the War on Iraq, and we still haven't found those WMDs."
I think it's really important that we encourage good consciousness raising/anti-bullshit propaganda. In fact a major focus of that should be on international solidarity, which I think is the opposite of this poster. Like I suggested, it either encourages paternalistic attitudes toward "poor people", or it encourages a mostly quiet contempt - we got our own problems here, why the fuck don't you talk about that? It goes in the opposite direction of solidarity - away from understanding common class interests across national lines, and even among people of different material living standards!, and away from collective solutions.

[CartCollector]

Personally I've always thought this poster was a good one:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/IWW_anti-conscription_poster_1916.jpg
Oldie but goodie.

[Revy]

Living with a roof over one's head, with clothes, food, drink, one's health, and ability to read and write (a basic education) aren't aspects of a comfortable life. They are basic necessities. plenty of people in first world countries find themselves threatened with losing even these things. But we should remember even when there are workers who are not in dire conditions of poverty they are still workers and caught in that system of exploitation. we are not "rich".

but I don't think we should be detached from the reality that the Third World is often in relatively extreme conditions compared to countries in the First World. Although the earthquake in Haiti unleashed horrific death and devastation in its wake, that was going on before the earthquake when Haitians were so desperate for food they had to use DIRT as the main ingredient in "mud pies",the other ingredients, some vegetable oil and salt.

[FreeFocus]

I'm not sure it aids class consciousness because most in the First World don't imagine themselves as belonging to the same class as those suffering in the Third World. However, posters such as this one should raise general awareness of the world and, with thorough analysis, should lead one to examine international institutions and identify the prevailing system as unfair, evil, and unjust. From this, one can arrive at class consciousness, because you can't really analyze imperialism (the reason for a lot of this disparity) without looking at capitalism.

People talk about, "oh, people have nothing to feel guilty about in the First World," or "people in the First World have nothing to be grateful for," but it's bullshit. Maybe not guilty, but people should definitely be grateful that they aren't forced to eat fucking mud pies. Honestly, get the fuck out of here trying to make yourselves feel good in some sort of passive aggressive way. "Oh, it's not my fault." OK, who is blaming you right now? Fact is, at least in the US and Canada (and to a somewhat to considerable lesser extent in Europe, Australia, etc), a solid majority of the population approves of the prevailing international structure. It isn't difficult to even observe people around you everyday. Look at the response to the Haitian crisis, people were complaining about American "aid" being sent to Haiti. Really? Are you fucking serious, after Haiti has been tortured by the US, France, and Canada for some 200 years? If anything, the US should be paying huge reparations to Haiti.

[Omi]

In all fairness I started off as a ''Omg the third world is so poor, I hope one day I can help those ill-fortunate people!''.

I now partake in the struggle against capitalism itself. Everyone has to start somewhere.

[Robocommie]

In all fairness I started off as a ''Omg the third world is so poor, I hope one day I can help those ill-fortunate people!''.

I now partake in the struggle against capitalism itself. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Yeah I mean, sooner or later you gotta start asking questions why it's like that in the first place, right? For me it was reading about people like Mohammed Mossadegh while studying history.

[Scary Monster]

The only reason many in the first world have such stable lives and material comfort is because first world countries have empires that have been raping 90% of the world for the past centuries. Coca Cola and McDonald's would not exist without Lockheed-Martin and M16 rifles.

I interpret that poster as trying to shame us into being uncritical of the current system, and that the reason why anyone that lives a comfortable life is because of luck or is simply "blessed". This could make someone think that the reason there is poverty and war for 90% of the world is due to some unseen force, and that its the result of "human nature" or whatever else a typical liberal thinks about the cause of world suffering.

[LETSFIGHTBACK]

What this does is make people feel glad that they have some crumbs. The people need to want the whole damn loaf of bread. And control of the ovens that bake it.as ruthless as the 1% is in fighting for their interest, the working class need to be as ruthless and persistent in fighting for their interest.