Archer's Revenge

For some crazy reason, a couple of days ago (literally - I think it was two days ago), I ended up watching a programme on the telleh about how many High Street clothes are made (yeaah, well... it's sort of the product of boredom and too much revision. Let's just pretend I had nothing else to do). Anyway, surprise, surprise, there was a very ignorant person on there.

One of the main points of the programme is to illustrate that many High Street clothes are made cheaply and flogged for a lot of money. The people who actually make the clothes don't get a fair deal. I imagine the people taking part in the programme weren't told this, since they all just thought they "were going to see how their clothes are made".

But Mr. Ignorant was really very... ignorant. And arrogant, to an extent. The clothes shown were being made in India. It doesn't really take a genius to work out that India is a poor, developing country. It also doesn't take a genius to work out that there are a lot of slums and poor areas in India - not everywhere is the booming city that the media likes to show.

Now, Mr. Ignorant thought that, as he had managed to get himself out of poverty and is (assumably) successful now, everyone can. Unfortunately, although that might just about apply to Britain, it certainly does not apply to every country anywhere in the world, particularly not a developing one, say, ooh, er... India. Asides from apparently being surprised that parts of India are surrounded by sewage, etc., he also didn't seem to grasp the simple concept that NOT EVERYONE (key words) can get out of poverty so easily.

Britain has a system where opportunities are everywhere. Almost anyone has a chance to rise out of poverty, to get an education, or to sort out health problems. Just because an opportunity is available, however, doesn't mean that it can actually be taken. Kids, for instance, have the most opportunities than anyone (as far as I can see) in our society (by 'our', I mean 'British'. Of course other Western societies have different welfare systems, etc.). Education can be free, and there are a huge range of options for kids. If they make an effort, they can rise to the top.

Not all of them do, though. Why? Because their friends and family won't necessarily support them. They might actually lose their standing with their friends (and some family members) by making an effort to educate themselves. To some, that's simply not worth it. Besides, friends especially often have a lot of influence on people. If your friends ain't bothered, why should you be?

And, of course, when you've passed a certain age (generally about 19 here), it becomes much, much more difficult to get qualifications. A-levels cost thousands of pounds, if you're over 19. If you're a parent, particularly if you're single, it's extremely hard, if not financially impossible, to work or learn even part-time. Childcare is not cheap, and working or learning can cost you more than just living off benefits whilst your child is still young. Sure, it's possible to get out of that condition, but not everyone can grasp that opportunity.

And how about people who've had a job for a lot of their lives, but quit or are sacked? What if their current job isn't very well-paid, or far too stressful? Changing your career is easier said than done. There's that transition, for a start, and if you can't get a job during that time, temporarily, you may have to 'sign up' (or whatever) for benefits. We seem to have a crappy system there, because people who are on benefits are not encouraged to work. It doesn't seem to cross the government's mind that people on benefit need that money (most of the time, at any rate) - and cutting their pay if they go for a part-time job or study a course is not going to help. People are virtually discouraged from gaining new qualifications or going for a job. Again, a job may cost you more money than it gives you (for instance, in commuting) so it's important to ensure that people have the chance to go to work, or to study, without drastically reducing their current income.

And that's just in Britain! In poor countries such as India, people tend to have more children. They have to work more and there's more evidence of a bourgeoisie (i.e. people at the top who have all of the power and wealth). People are often paid very little for their work, even if their boss gets over ten times that. And those people can't do anything about it. They have next to no choice, if they want to keep themselves and their families alive. The class system in such places is much different to one that might be found in Western society. The people at the top live very comfortable, affluent lives. The people at the bottom couldn't be more different. As for chances for people to rise in life - unlikely.

Basically, if you don't have money, it becomes very difficult to better yourself. That's very true as it is in Britain, where education becomes quite expensive over a certain age, especially if you're poor. In other countries, there may not even be a chance of education, let alone cheap learning.

Another thing, Mr. Ignorant: just because someone can't speak your language, or doesn't have any concept of the things found in Western society, it does not mean they're thick (apparently they do not have the intellect to speak English, etc.). One, they may not want to speak to you. Two, they may not have had the opportunity to learn all they wanted. Three, Western society is not necessarily the best just because it is the most powerful. The majority of people are quite clever - whether they have the chance to develop their minds is another matter.

Rant over. (Well, almost... I might just add that this isn't some mindless rant only - it's actually quite important. If people start to realise WHY some people remain in poverty their whole lives, the problem might begin to be solved...)

Rant truly over.

Well, I didn't choose such a good time to 'return' to Vox. The weather's turned crud again; by crud, I mean humid, sticky and generally unpleasant. As a result, I'm trying not to turn my computer on very often (and no, I don't use phones or owt to use the Internet) which, of course, means the blog will be pretty inactive. Again.

Still... c'est la vie?

Hello, again! I haven't been around here in a long time, but I've decided to make my, er... comeback. I don't suppose I'll be particularly active on here - there's no way my life is interesting enough for that - but, with the help of Vox's own Question of the Day and all that, hopefully I can make this blog a little more used.

I've completely cleaned it up and I've changed plenty of things... It's all looking a bit bare at the moment, though, I have to admit. Anyhoo, I think it's much better, and since no-one else is ever going to read this, it doesn't really matter either way ;)

Right... well, I haven't got a lot to say. So I won't bother typing down any of it. I'm off to see if there are any interesting Questions of the Day or owt up on here.

Cheerio, for now.