Couple of days ago, I saw a program on Discovery Travel & Living - Filthy rich and homeless. "Saw the program," is an overstatement. 5 minutes was about all I could take of that masterpiece of shit. Let me explain why. In times of reality shows fast replacing soap operas (which is a greater evil is just a matter or perspective), this program purports to be a social experiment putting filthy rich people on the streets for 3 days (or was it 10?) to feel the pain of the homeless and track their progress. Wow, what a noble thought!
So, these filthy rich (ho hum!) people rough it out on the streets and after 3 days, they get buddies to help them with the rest of their tenure on the sidewalks. The buddies happen to be ex-convicts, drug addicts and other unsavoury elements. That's about all I could take of this offensive nonsense.
Let's try to reason this out. There are these amazingly rich guys who get more publicity and empathy for giving up their millions (albeit for just a short period of time) to understand the lives of the homeless with the firm promise of being able to go back to their riches in 3 (or 10) days. That's really difficult is it? The real indigents have no idea of where the next meal comes from or if they will be adequately clothed to live out the winter clime in Britain. No real hope for education, for betterment of their own lot, no real skills and hence, no chance at employment, no light at the end of tunnel and every living, waking moment is hell. And, the rich pretenders get buddies to help them out to act like the homeless. Come on, spare me the drivel.
Reminded me of a childhood story of Birbal. Emperor Akbar threw a challenge if somebody could stand all night in a pool of cold water and if he/she did so, would be rewarded handsomely. A poor man did manage to do it. And, what kept him up through this arduous task? A light glowing in the distance from one of the palaces. Gave him the imaginary warmth to spare him the shivers. The realisation that as dawn breaks, he would see his reward that will help him break free from the shackles of poverty. See, what hope can do to any person?
I read somewhere that "The road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination." Hmm. So, why would it be difficult for filthy rich people to manage 10 days out in the cold with not just hope but the fool/fail-proof assurance of being able to go back to their rich comforts at the end of it all? And, in a perverse way, is this also the reason why the poor rarely manage to rise above their miseries? Couldn't the money spent on making a program like this be better used to provide critical life skills to the poor rather than play out a perverse charade for the amusement of the rich or the voyeuristic pleasure of the viewers? But then, it wouldn't make for an interesting dinner time viewing, would it? In the constant tussle between hard-nosed profitability and preachy socialism, is it any wonder what wins out?
So, these filthy rich (ho hum!) people rough it out on the streets and after 3 days, they get buddies to help them with the rest of their tenure on the sidewalks. The buddies happen to be ex-convicts, drug addicts and other unsavoury elements. That's about all I could take of this offensive nonsense.
Let's try to reason this out. There are these amazingly rich guys who get more publicity and empathy for giving up their millions (albeit for just a short period of time) to understand the lives of the homeless with the firm promise of being able to go back to their riches in 3 (or 10) days. That's really difficult is it? The real indigents have no idea of where the next meal comes from or if they will be adequately clothed to live out the winter clime in Britain. No real hope for education, for betterment of their own lot, no real skills and hence, no chance at employment, no light at the end of tunnel and every living, waking moment is hell. And, the rich pretenders get buddies to help them out to act like the homeless. Come on, spare me the drivel.
Reminded me of a childhood story of Birbal. Emperor Akbar threw a challenge if somebody could stand all night in a pool of cold water and if he/she did so, would be rewarded handsomely. A poor man did manage to do it. And, what kept him up through this arduous task? A light glowing in the distance from one of the palaces. Gave him the imaginary warmth to spare him the shivers. The realisation that as dawn breaks, he would see his reward that will help him break free from the shackles of poverty. See, what hope can do to any person?
I read somewhere that "The road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination." Hmm. So, why would it be difficult for filthy rich people to manage 10 days out in the cold with not just hope but the fool/fail-proof assurance of being able to go back to their rich comforts at the end of it all? And, in a perverse way, is this also the reason why the poor rarely manage to rise above their miseries? Couldn't the money spent on making a program like this be better used to provide critical life skills to the poor rather than play out a perverse charade for the amusement of the rich or the voyeuristic pleasure of the viewers? But then, it wouldn't make for an interesting dinner time viewing, would it? In the constant tussle between hard-nosed profitability and preachy socialism, is it any wonder what wins out?
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