Poverty and Bonos

Bono, Bradjolina and dozens of other celebrities have turned worldwide poverty into pop culture's theatre-house. Decked out in diamond-studded Rolexes and overpriced Pradas, these superstars portray issues of infant mortality, HIV/AIDS and all other facets of adverse poverty as if Shakespeare himself penned their monologues.

Is this vanity, or productive publicity for issues of utmost importance? Is current culture being adequately empowered to properly address issues of poverty, or just being mindlessly led towards ignorance?

I tend to believe any publicity is good publicity. The Bonos of our culture have brought world poverty to the forefront of public discussion. 'Malnutrition', 'HIV/AIDS', 'Darfur', most anyone will have some sort of recollection of these labels. Knowledge is the foundation for action.

Yet, I fear we are too comfortable and self-focused to fully grasp to gravity of the situation. We don't understand the level of our affluence. So when Bono tells us about Africa's poverty we might feel sad, donate a couple bucks, maybe even volunteer at a fundraiser, but at the end of the day we are utterly removed from the suffering of those world's poor.

Something is missing from our approach to poverty. I believe it's relationships. We have no relational context for our understanding of poverty. Thus, with no personal connection to impoverished communities we never fully empathize or fully act to end the suffering. Of course not everyone can go to these impoverished communities.

Bring Africa to America. Let the Bradjolinas and One.orgs lead us to the personality of poverty. Connect us to the faces, the sounds, the friendships. People to people, regardless of economic standing or celebrity status.