On Poverty

I always hoped not to read anything close to Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes depiction of poverty. (Disclosure: It's one of my all-time favourite books, and I'm a fan of the author's works). Only the humour in the book sustained my attention against the horrifying story. An article by Linda Tirado has been streaming everywhere, and it comes close to a modern summary of a life as miserable as Frank McCourt's childhood. It's about the boldest depiction of poverty in modern life, which examines it against the dynamics of capitalism, of workplace, of survival, of parenthood, of everything inconceivable.

While it's curious to read a piece as this from a First World citizen, it's even more curious to know how dark poverty is experienced across countries. The writer brilliantly counters those familiar slurs that are thrown at poor people, including accusations that ignore capitalist and Machiavellian decisions that create more poor people. It's a good narration without any pretension to evoke pity. She admits to working hard like other poor people and hints at the ignorance of those who make prejudiced notions about poor people and poverty. It’s a bold and bleak account. It deserves to go viral viral. It will make you think. It might depress you. If anything, it should make "lucky" people more humane to those who survive on the dregs of society.

This excerpt is particularly chilling:

