A sobering accident happened in Toronto where a homeless woman died while trapped in the deposit slot of a clothing donation bin. Her devastating deprivation is contrasted sharply with the recent trend of the ‘KonMari’ decluttering method made highly popular by Netflix.
The author makes an argument that charities exist because of capitalism and argues that they actually enable the perpetuation of the capitalistic logic. Charities are dependent on the donor’s ability to give, not the a person’s right to receive. As a result, people give when it is convenient for them, and stop giving when it they are uncomfortable during difficult economic times.
She also points out that capitalism works because of its ability to create solutions for the problems it had created in the first place. By encouraging people to buy more things, people end up with too many things. The solution to that? Buy Marie Kondo’s book to learn the art of decluttering. Similarly, she argues, charity is the stop-gap solution to the inequalities created by capitalism and would not address the underlying problems of inequality.
Read the full article on Roar magazine: Death by charity: the dark side of decluttering
Analysis:
This opinion piece argues against the ethics and philosophy of charities and the act of giving. The author makes claims about charities being another tool in the capitalistic economy but without sufficiently strong evidence to back up her claims.
The other perspective – to give charities some credit – is that their role is to fill the gap where the market or institutions fail to meet the needs of people. They are a vehicle in which wealth can be redistributed to those in need. Donations in-kind, funds, and resources are consolidated through charities and distributed to the needy. Admittedly, more can be done and inequality is still widespread and the gap is not easily closed. But we need to also recognize that without charities, the disadvantaged may not even have a source of help.
Perhaps, there is a need to delve deeper into the workings of charities, what their role is, and the consequences of their organisation’s behavior on the social impact they are making.
Questions for further personal evaluation:
- Do you believe that charities are necessary for the welfare of a society?
- What is the charity landscape like in Singapore?
Useful vocabulary:
- ‘binary’: relating to, composed of, or involving two things
- ‘respite’: a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant
- ‘endemic’: regularly found among particular people or in a certain area
Picture credits:https://unsplash.com/photos/xXVS5Z1_B3o