The rich, the poor and the trash | DW Documentary (Inequality documentary)

DW Documentary
8 Jun 201828:26

Summary

TLDRThis video script explores the stark reality of economic inequality, focusing on the experiences of individuals in Kenya and the United States. It delves into the daily struggles of those living in poverty, such as Godwin Oching, who works at a trash dump in Kenya, and Pierre Simmons, a former homeless man in Brooklyn. The script contrasts their lives with the opulence of the wealthy, highlighting the moral and social implications of growing disparities. It emphasizes the need for societal change, with insights from various perspectives, including waste management workers, artists repurposing trash, and activists advocating for a more equitable society.

Takeaways

  • 🤔 Inequality is a complex issue where the wealthy may not be aware or indifferent to the struggles of the less fortunate, leading to a lack of support for those in poverty.
  • 🌎 The script suggests that extreme inequality can lead to significant social and political disruptions, including ecological and health crises.
  • 👥 Social cohesion is undermined by inequality, which can also affect people's willingness to protect the environment and contribute to a shared society.
  • 🏭 The narrative from Kenya illustrates that despite the country's economic growth, wealth is concentrated among a small upper class, leaving many in poverty.
  • 🚮 Waste management and garbage dumps serve as a lifeline for some of the poorest individuals, who rely on them for survival, as depicted by the stories from Kenya and New York.
  • 💼 The script highlights the value of work, even in less desirable fields like waste management, and the dignity of labor that supports families and communities.
  • 🌱 There's a call for the wealthy to use their resources to establish support systems like resource centers to help lift those in poverty and reduce economic disparities.
  • 🏫 Investment in education, health, and infrastructure is emphasized as crucial for lifting people out of poverty and providing opportunities for a better life.
  • 🌿 The script points out the irony of wealthier individuals contributing more to environmental damage while the poor suffer the consequences and rely on waste for survival.
  • 💭 It discusses the psychological impact of poverty and wealth, suggesting that extreme economic conditions can shape one's mindset and well-being.
  • 🌐 The script contrasts the situations in Kenya and the United States to highlight global economic disparities and the common challenges faced by the poor in both countries.

Q & A

  • What is the main concern expressed about the growing wealth gap in the transcript?

    -The main concern expressed is that the growing wealth gap can lead to major disruptions in society, including political, social, military, ecological, and health issues. It also undermines social cohesion and a sense of shared society.

  • What does the transcript suggest about the relationship between inequality and environmental protection?

    -The transcript suggests that inequality undermines people's willingness to protect the environment, implying that a more equal society might be more inclined to care for the environment.

  • What is the occupation of the person mentioned in the transcript who works at Kenya's biggest trash dump?

    -The person mentioned in the transcript works in waste management, specifically at Kenya's biggest trash dump, where they collect recyclables and food to support their family.

  • What is the significance of the Sure We Can recycling center mentioned in the transcript?

    -The Sure We Can recycling center is significant as it provides an opportunity for individuals like Pierre Simmons to earn a living by collecting and recycling bottles and cans. It also serves as a community hub that helps restore dignity and value to its members.

  • How does the transcript describe the living conditions of the people working at the dump site in Kenya?

    -The transcript describes the living conditions of the people working at the dump site in Kenya as challenging, with many living in slums and having to sift through garbage to find food and valuable items. It highlights the unfairness of wealth distribution, with a few owning land and farms while others live in poverty.

  • What is the perspective on inequality expressed by the individuals featured in the transcript?

    -The individuals featured in the transcript express that inequality is a significant problem that needs to be addressed. They believe that the rich should help those in poverty and that inequality can lead to a lack of opportunities and a lower quality of life for the less fortunate.

  • What role does the concept of 'class warfare' play in the discussions about inequality in the transcript?

    -The concept of 'class warfare' is mentioned as a term used by some to dismiss discussions about inequality. However, the transcript suggests that the disparity between the rich and the poor is real and that it is a valid concern that should be addressed.

  • How does the transcript address the issue of waste and its connection to wealth and poverty?

    -The transcript addresses the issue of waste by showing how wealthier individuals and societies produce more waste and use more resources, while the poor often have to sift through this waste to survive. It also highlights how waste can be a resource for art and how it reflects societal values and consumption patterns.

  • What are some of the solutions proposed in the transcript to address inequality?

    -Some of the solutions proposed in the transcript to address inequality include investments in education, health, and infrastructure, as well as the establishment of resource centers to help lift up those in poverty. It also suggests that reducing inequality could involve more equitable distribution of wealth and opportunities.

  • How does the transcript portray the role of the government in addressing inequality?

    -The transcript portrays the role of the government as crucial in addressing inequality through investments in education, health, and infrastructure. It implies that the government has a responsibility to ensure opportunities for all, especially children from low-income families.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Inequality and Its Impact

The paragraph discusses the issue of wealth inequality and its consequences. It questions why the rich don't help the poor and suggests that indifference to inequality could lead to major disruptions in society. It highlights the importance of social cohesion and shared society, and how inequality can affect people's willingness to protect the environment. The paragraph introduces a 28-year-old waste management worker in Kenya, who starts work at dawn and collects food from the trash to feed his family and pigs. It also touches on the reality of scavenging for survival at Kenya's largest trash dump, where people from nearby slums search for food and useful items.

05:00

🏙️ Life at the Trash Dump and the Struggle for Survival

This paragraph continues the narrative of life at the trash dump, emphasizing the harsh reality of those who rely on it for survival. It introduces Pierre Simmons, a 65-year-old man from Brooklyn, New York, who works in waste management and values his independence. Simmons, who has experienced homelessness, reflects on the psychological impact of poverty and wealth disparity. The paragraph also discusses the broader economic context of Kenya, where the economy is growing but wealth is concentrated among a tiny upper class, leaving many in poverty. It suggests that investments in education, health, and infrastructure are crucial for lifting people out of poverty.

10:01

🌱 The Reality of Poverty and the Wealth Gap

The paragraph delves into the daily life of Oching, a worker at the Dandora landfill in Kenya, who makes a meager income from selling recycled materials. It contrasts his situation with the extreme wealth of a few, such as the thousands of millionaires in Kenya. The paragraph also discusses the wealth gap in the United States, where billionaires' wealth is growing rapidly while poverty persists. It includes a speech by Pierre Simmons to the United Nations, advocating for the poor and the importance of community and dignity. The narrative also touches on the transformative power of community and the potential for change in the face of inequality.

15:01

🗑️ Trash as a Resource and the Role of Consumption

This paragraph explores the concept of trash as a resource, particularly through the eyes of Nelson Molina, a retired sanitation worker who has salvaged valuable items from the trash. It also introduces Robin Nagle, an anthropologist and former garbage collector, who views trash as something in between use and its next use. The paragraph discusses the issue of food waste in the United States and how it relates to inequality. It also addresses the ecological footprint of wealthier nations and the need to balance human prosperity with sustainable practices. The narrative includes perspectives on how inequality can disrupt economies and the importance of addressing it for a healthy society.

20:02

🎨 Art from Trash and the Contrast of Wealth

The paragraph tells the story of Paul Valinsky, a New York-based artist who creates art from discarded objects, including cans collected by Pierre Simmons. It contrasts the luxury of Valinsky's artwork, which adorns a luxury apartment, with the struggles of those living in poverty. It includes reflections from Simmons on the disparity between the wealthy and the poor, and the potential for a societal shift or rebellion. The narrative also touches on the growing inequality in America and the importance of addressing it for the health of the economy and society.

25:10

🎤 The Voice of the Slums and the Fight Against Inequality

This final paragraph focuses on the youth club near the Dandora dump site, where young people express their experiences through music. It introduces Giuliani, a hip-hop star from the same background, who aims to change Kenyan society by addressing the systemic issues that perpetuate poverty. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of organization and activism in combating inequality and ensuring a better future for the next generation. It concludes with a powerful message about the collective responsibility to address inequality and the potential consequences of inaction.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Inequality

Inequality refers to the uneven distribution of resources, wealth, and opportunities in society. In the video, it is presented as a core issue affecting social cohesion, economic development, and even the environment. The rich often remain indifferent to inequality, which results in poverty and systemic disruptions, both social and political.

💡Poverty

Poverty is the state of lacking sufficient material possessions or income to meet basic needs. The video highlights how people in both Kenya and the United States struggle to survive on minimal income, scavenging at trash dumps or relying on low-wage jobs. Poverty is shown as a consequence of inequality, where the rich accumulate wealth while the poor are left behind.

💡Waste Management

Waste management involves the collection, transportation, and disposal of garbage and other waste materials. In the video, individuals in Kenya and the U.S. depend on this industry for their livelihood, whether by picking through trash for recyclables or working at dumpsites. It symbolizes the larger economic disparity, where waste from affluent areas supports the poor.

💡Social Cohesion

Social cohesion refers to the bonds that bring people together in a community or society. The video illustrates how inequality erodes this cohesion, as the wealthy and poor live in vastly different realities. Without a sense of shared purpose or responsibility, societal divisions grow wider, threatening stability and peace.

💡Recycling

Recycling involves processing used materials to make them reusable. Pierre Simmons in the video collects cans and bottles, earning a modest income from recycling. It also appears in the context of how waste can be transformed into art or valuable resources, showing how trash plays different roles across economic classes.

💡Homelessness

Homelessness refers to the condition of people without stable or permanent housing. In the video, Pierre Simmons speaks about his experience of homelessness in New York, highlighting how quickly one can fall into poverty. Homelessness is tied to inequality, as it strips individuals of dignity and basic human rights.

💡Slums

Slums are overcrowded urban areas characterized by substandard housing and lack of basic services. In Nairobi, Kenya, the video depicts people living in slums who rely on scavenging at dumpsites for survival. These slums are contrasted with affluent districts, showing the stark divide in living conditions due to inequality.

💡Education

Education is presented as a vital investment for lifting people out of poverty. The video emphasizes that without access to quality education, people, especially children from low-income families, have limited opportunities for upward mobility. In places like Kenya, the lack of educational resources perpetuates the cycle of poverty.

💡Health Care

Health care refers to the provision of medical services to maintain or improve health. The video discusses how access to health care is limited for many people in poorer regions. Inequality in health care access exacerbates the struggles of the poor, leading to preventable deaths and a lower quality of life.

💡Environmental Impact

Environmental impact in the video refers to how inequality affects the planet’s resources and ecological balance. Wealthier individuals and nations produce more waste and have a larger carbon footprint, while the poor, who often live in environmentally compromised areas, contribute less but suffer more from environmental degradation.

Highlights

The rich don't care about inequality; they are indifferent to it.

Inequality undermines social cohesion and a sense of shared society.

Continued inequality could lead to major disruptions in political, social, military, ecological, and health aspects.

A waste management worker in Kenya starts at 5 am, highlighting the harsh working conditions of the poor.

Kenya's biggest trash dump is a few kilometers from Nairobi's commercial district, showing the contrast between wealth and poverty.

Some individuals resort to scavenging at the dump site to find food or useful items, indicating the level of poverty.

Inequality was once seen as necessary for growth and productivity, but too much inequality is now recognized as a moral problem.

Pierre Simmons, a waste collector in Brooklyn, emphasizes the value of independence and self-reliance despite societal judgments.

Homelessness can shape one's psychology, as experienced by Simmons, who ended up on the street for months.

Inequality results from people's life chances, starting points, and luck, which can damage society significantly.

Investments in education, health, and infrastructure are crucial to lifting people out of poverty.

Kenya's economy is booming, but most wealth ends up with the tiny upper class, illustrating the wealth gap.

The US is one of the richest countries with glaring inequality, where the rich get richer while the poor get poorer.

Pierre Simmons spoke at the United Nations about poverty, emphasizing the importance of community and dignity.

Wealthy people produce more waste and use more of the planet's resources, causing more environmental damage.

Ending deprivation and extremes of inequality while creating a sustainable future is essential for human prosperity.

Artist Paul Valinsky creates art from discarded objects, showing that trash can be transformed into luxury items.

Inequality threatens the economy, society's health, and the quality of democratic institutions.

Hip-hop star Giuliani from Kenya aims to change society by empowering the youth in slum areas.

Transcripts

play00:00

[Music]

play00:12

if someone is getting richer

play00:14

and there is someone below him who is in

play00:15

need why don't the rich people help

play00:18

those who are suffering in poverty

play00:30

the rich don't care about inequality

play00:34

they are indifferent to it

play00:38

if this continues there will be major

play00:41

disruptions

play00:41

whether political whether social or the

play00:44

military

play00:45

whether ecological whether in terms of

play00:48

health

play00:51

inequality undermines a social cohesion

play00:54

and a sense of a shared society

play00:56

it actually undermines people's

play00:58

willingness to protect the environment

play01:21

[Music]

play01:35

i am 28 years old

play01:40

and i work in waste management

play01:45

my day is always very busy i don't even

play01:48

have time to rest

play01:50

i start working at the dump site at five

play01:51

o'clock in the morning

play01:53

sometimes i wish i could give myself a

play01:55

day off but it's not possible

play02:03

this is kenya's biggest trash dump it's

play02:06

just a few kilometers away from

play02:07

nairobi's commercial district

play02:10

every day hundreds of trucks arrive with

play02:12

garbage from the city's affluent

play02:13

districts

play02:14

and its hotels and restaurants

play02:33

[Applause]

play02:35

and they're waiting for me to come back

play02:36

with milk or bread in the evening

play02:41

they'll complain if i come home

play02:48

empty-handed

play02:50

i collect food and put it aside to feed

play02:53

my pigs they have to eat too

play02:57

sometimes i might be lucky and find some

play02:59

packed meat and chips here

play03:02

and that would be lunch for today just

play03:04

like that

play03:07

some might think this is not a good job

play03:08

if they see me looking as dirty as i am

play03:10

now

play03:11

they might look down on me but i know

play03:13

what i'm getting out of it

play03:25

[Music]

play03:29

they depend on us

play03:32

[Music]

play03:42

[Music]

play03:44

today

play03:48

every day hundreds of people from the

play03:49

nearby slums come here in the hope of

play03:51

scavenging food

play03:53

or anything else that might come in

play03:54

handy one of them

play03:56

is my mom

play04:00

was working here and this is where

play04:04

she have high income and

play04:08

because she didn't have a lot of money

play04:10

and we are many in our family

play04:13

so she was coming here and work when you

play04:15

have a daily bread

play04:17

so i learned this is the place i can

play04:19

find money

play04:21

but i have my own dreams this is not

play04:24

where i want to be

play04:26

in my future coming yeah

play04:28

[Music]

play04:32

iniquity first was seen as something

play04:34

that was necessary for

play04:36

growth to happen it was something that

play04:38

was necessary for

play04:39

necessary for productivity without

play04:40

inequality there will be no

play04:42

productivity then we started to

play04:45

realize that okay too much inequality

play04:47

may be a moral problem

play04:56

it's 5 a.m in brooklyn new york

play05:00

pierre simmons is on his way to work

play05:04

[Music]

play05:05

people look at you and they they think

play05:08

what they're going to think

play05:08

oh look at that person they're picking

play05:10

up that garbage and

play05:12

things like that you can't let that stop

play05:14

you

play05:15

if you have rent to pay and you worry

play05:17

about that your rent doesn't get paid

play05:23

i took a walk outside one day went

play05:24

around the corner

play05:26

and i saw the recycle bags full of

play05:28

bottles and cans

play05:30

and i said you know something i seen all

play05:33

that money that's what it

play05:34

that's what it translated to me money

play05:41

you get up at four o'clock in the

play05:42

morning go out there hit the streets by

play05:44

four o'clock

play05:45

the world is yours you hit those key

play05:48

places with a big enough shopping cart

play05:51

by eight o'clock the shopping cart is

play05:53

blooming

play05:57

what i like about it is my independent

play06:00

freedom

play06:01

i go out and i make 75 a day i pay

play06:04

myself a salary

play06:07

my mother taught me from when i was a

play06:08

baby do not depend on people

play06:11

you must get your own pee

play06:19

my goal was to just get breakfast lunch

play06:22

whatever

play06:22

that's it pierre simmons never had much

play06:26

growing up

play06:28

the 65 year old held many different jobs

play06:31

then he became unemployed

play06:38

for me to be happy i need peace with god

play06:44

people who look down on candace i think

play06:47

a lot of them have a surprise waiting

play06:49

for them down the road

play06:51

they need not be judgmental about other

play06:53

people because

play06:54

they themselves are a paycheck away from

play07:00

homelessness

play07:02

actually inequality results from

play07:04

people's life chances from their

play07:06

starting point and often from just

play07:08

luck or an unlucky turn and inequality

play07:11

actually really damages society

play07:17

no longer able to pay the rent simmons

play07:20

ended up on the street for months

play07:23

being homeless to shape your psychology

play07:26

this is being rich shaped your

play07:27

psychology

play07:29

on the one extreme on the poor extreme

play07:31

it could drive you mad

play07:34

[Music]

play07:36

a lot of people don't want to go to the

play07:39

shelters

play07:40

they're afraid they'll be raped killed

play07:42

they're definitely going to be robbed

play07:46

when i was homeless i rode ferry back

play07:48

and forth all night

play07:49

but once it stops on one time you can't

play07:51

stay on you got to get off

play07:52

wait for the next ferry so imagine you

play07:55

trying to sleep

play07:57

or you sleep on the manhattan side

play08:01

so in the morning when you're waking up

play08:03

new york city is walking all over you

play08:05

going to work

play08:06

people looking down at you it's the

play08:08

thought that this guy has a key he can

play08:10

just go in this house and lay on the bed

play08:12

and watch tv you don't know how those

play08:14

simple

play08:15

things you miss until they're gone

play08:26

[Music]

play08:32

garbage dumps can provide a lifeline for

play08:34

people like godwin

play08:35

oching it's dirty work but there's very

play08:38

little other work here

play08:40

kenya's economy is booming but most of

play08:43

the wealth ends up with the country's

play08:44

tiny upper class

play08:50

it's unfair when some people are so rich

play08:52

when families own land and farms

play08:54

while others are living in slums and

play08:56

have to sleep rough

play08:58

there are some people who even sleep on

play08:59

the dump site because they don't have

play09:01

homes

play09:04

in my opinion people who have money

play09:07

should open something like a resource

play09:09

center which can help lift up those who

play09:10

are below them

play09:12

or help the young people who are facing

play09:14

a tough life

play09:16

at least that would help reduce poverty

play09:17

in this slum

play09:29

actually what really matters to lift

play09:31

people out of poverty is investments in

play09:33

education and health and infrastructure

play09:35

it's whether or not the governments do

play09:36

these investments it's really important

play09:39

for a society to try to enable

play09:41

children from low-income families to

play09:43

have that opportunity in life

play09:44

to get the kind of education that gives

play09:46

them a chance

play09:47

but also not to leave people falling

play09:50

vulnerably into poverty

play09:53

the social inequality here is striking

play09:55

most kenyans have neither health

play09:57

insurance

play09:58

nor state pensions forty percent of the

play10:01

population lives on less than two

play10:03

us dollars a day at the same time there

play10:06

are more than nine thousand dollar

play10:07

millionaires in kenya

play10:09

they include some of the country's

play10:11

leading politicians

play10:16

every afternoon ochieng sifts through

play10:19

his daily pickings

play10:20

separating food from plastic and metal

play10:27

you see these containers i arranged them

play10:30

on paper on the floor

play10:32

i employ a guy who comes in on sundays

play10:34

and weekdays to wash clean

play10:36

and dry

play10:39

when they look clean and shiny people

play10:41

buy them

play10:48

if i sell these containers today then i

play10:50

might get about 300 to 400 shillings

play10:53

that's enough to feed my family for

play10:54

today and even tomorrow afternoon

play10:56

before i get back home after work

play11:02

his income of three or four dollars a

play11:04

day lifts oching over the international

play11:06

poverty line set by the world bank

play11:08

at one dollar and ninety cents

play11:11

[Music]

play11:13

the united states is not just one of the

play11:14

richest countries in the world

play11:16

it's also home to some of the most

play11:18

glaring inequality

play11:19

as the rich rapidly get richer the poor

play11:22

continue to get poorer

play11:25

over you know a period of 38 years now

play11:28

there was massive growth in this country

play11:31

but the bottom 50

play11:32

americans they did not benefit from that

play11:34

growth

play11:36

the us is now home to almost 600

play11:39

billionaires

play11:40

at the same time about 40 million

play11:42

americans live in poverty

play11:45

in 2014 pierre simmons gave a speech

play11:47

about poverty to the united nations

play11:50

on behalf of sure we can a non-profit

play11:53

recycling center in new york

play11:55

well sure we can is a very unique

play11:59

place when i first came here i was

play12:02

struck

play12:03

here is the place that opened up the

play12:04

gates i

play12:06

see a community of people they're all

play12:09

working cutting boxes and

play12:12

i looked around and i seen people

play12:15

bringing out fresh home-cooked food

play12:18

big trays of it and i said to myself

play12:21

what is this they showed me what to do

play12:25

i thought you just put 24 bottles in a

play12:28

box

play12:28

no they said you want more money sort

play12:32

them

play12:33

they began to explain to me who was who

play12:35

that sister anna was running this place

play12:37

and right there i

play12:38

knew i said wow there's a touch of god

play12:40

here telling me

play12:42

so now you redeem the five cents and you

play12:45

recover

play12:45

also the the dignity and the value of

play12:48

each human being

play12:50

each of us can do a lot given the chance

play12:54

i don't think anybody here at sure we

play12:56

can wants to live like

play12:58

wall street people we are rich in some

play13:00

way and

play13:01

i think when the persons have the

play13:03

ability to participate

play13:05

in decision making in managing their own

play13:08

life

play13:09

that is already empty poverty

play13:23

[Applause]

play13:24

resilience strength and conviction

play13:27

doesn't depend upon money it depends

play13:29

upon spirit and

play13:31

actually often community so there is

play13:33

amazing transformative power

play13:35

lying in many of the world's poorest

play13:37

communities

play13:40

thousands of traders have set up shop

play13:42

near nairobi's dandora landfill

play13:44

they buy and sell the goods that the

play13:46

garbage pickers bring them from the dump

play13:49

it's a bustling economy but with very

play13:51

low profit margins

play13:54

they may both have millions of poor

play13:56

people but there's a huge wealth gap

play13:58

between kenya and the united states

play14:01

it takes the average kenyan 20 years to

play14:03

earn the equivalent of the average

play14:05

annual income in the u.s

play14:07

people like gojing would need the better

play14:09

part of a lifetime

play14:10

the world is more unequal than any one

play14:13

nation within it

play14:14

it's extreme levels of inequality

play14:17

between

play14:18

the poorest nations and the richest and

play14:20

in fact when you look at wealth

play14:22

the accumulation of wealth is rising to

play14:25

a fraction of a global one percent at an

play14:27

extraordinary rate new york is not just

play14:30

one of the cities with the most

play14:32

billionaires it's also one of the most

play14:34

wasteful urban centers on earth

play14:36

more trash is produced per capita here

play14:39

than in most other cities

play14:44

but many of the objects don't belong in

play14:46

the garbage in the first place

play14:48

as retired sanitation worker nelson

play14:50

molina can testify

play14:52

for 32 years he's salvaged treasures

play14:54

from the trash

play14:56

enough to fill a small museum

play14:59

and you just you did you set this all up

play15:01

i set all this up man that's

play15:03

that's ancient man that's over 40

play15:05

something almost 50 years old yes sir

play15:07

the movie projectors oh come on super

play15:10

eight

play15:10

super eight eight i got a six yeah it's

play15:12

an original sunny they say we're young

play15:14

and we don't know that's it that's it

play15:16

baby

play15:18

that's it wow this is what new yorkers

play15:21

throw out every single day this has

play15:22

history man

play15:24

if you give me uh three months i can

play15:25

furnish a two bedroom apartment

play15:27

and i'm talking about living room

play15:28

bedroom bathroom

play15:30

everything it's all out there when i was

play15:33

a kid

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my mother always told us if you can use

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it again you save it

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trash is part of a professional

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discipline for anthropologist robin

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nagle

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she also worked as a garbage collector

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which made her see trash

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with different eyes

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you could almost say trash doesn't exist

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we could decide it's not trash it's

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simply something in between

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my use and its next use the cultural

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forces in which many of us exist today

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tell us to hurry and go faster and do

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more and never slow down

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and as long as we keep moving fast we're

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going to generate lots and lots of trash

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food waste as a subcategory of garbage

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is its own

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challenge because approximately a

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quarter

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of all food in grown produced in the

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united states never even reaches a table

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it goes straight into the garbage how

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that addresses problems of inequality

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it's getting worse the disparity between

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the wealthy

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and people who don't have enough

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resources to feed their kids across a

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week

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right the gap is getting bigger and

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bigger

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wealthy people not only produce more

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waste than poor people

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they also use more of the planet's

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resources and cause more environmental

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damage

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the ecological footprint of

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industrialized countries

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is much bigger than that in the

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developing world i think there are two

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sides to human prosperity that

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are so simple i have them in my pockets

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so on the one side

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a bean everybody needs food these water

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housing education healthcare the basic

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subsistence of life

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that each person has a claim to and we

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know these as human rights

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but at the same time this little blue

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marble

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our planetary home we need a stable

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climate

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fertile soils healthy oceans a

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protective ozone layer

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so we need to end deprivation and

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extremes of inequality

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while creating a sustainable future they

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go together so beautifully

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per capita kenyans produce just two

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percent of the co2 generated by

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americans

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and use only a hundredth of the

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electricity but consumption is growing

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in kenya too

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fueled by demand from the rich

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it's on my tv these tvs and watches are

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a luxury

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but when you have the money you can buy

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them and feel like everyone else

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i feel relaxed being here relax but

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but since i walked in i have this

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feeling like i am in a place of a

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different class

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a place where i am not supposed to be

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but i also deserve to be here

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lately i have noticed more shopping

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malls being built than schools and

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children's homes

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the way i see it they are investing more

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in malls

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than in homes hospitals and schools

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inequality can actually disrupt an

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economy

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an economy that is too unequal is an

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economy that is not going to do the

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proper investments

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in order to for this economy to flourish

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in the future

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new york-based artist paul valinsky has

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also figured out how to make money out

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of trash

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he creates artworks using discarded

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everyday objects

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like the cans collected by pierre

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simmons

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this is trash that the rich are willing

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to invest in

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one of velinsky's works adorns a

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friend's luxury apartment

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so this is it yeah this is 432 park

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avenue

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wow a little too high for me too high

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for you

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yeah you got to be choking wow

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apartments in the manhattan skyscrapers

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sell for between 17 and 95 million

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dollars

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uh come and look at your cans oh

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wow okay what this once was

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has been transformed to what we see now

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but there's still a memory of what it

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was right okay

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do you feel any um bitterness about the

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fact that

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you know the residents of this apartment

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are able to spend

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you know tens of thousands of dollars on

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artwork

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i don't want to judge them i don't want

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to judge them

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i don't maybe that might cross my mind

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but it's not them that i'm concerned

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about i'm glad that they like it

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they love your work that they're willing

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to pay you for it and i think you

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deserve it

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because that is your soul your genius

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you know but i don't

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concentrate on them yeah

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i told anna and them and other people i

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don't want to be rich

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i would love to have the money and the

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resources of the rich

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and they ask me why i said because then

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i can do the things that need to be done

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yeah education health care

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uh housing decent housing

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mental health services mental

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health we need we need that people are

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i believe america right now is a

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sociopathic society

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there's no love there's no compassion

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people don't want to hear it

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and i think it's so sociopathic that

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maybe it's only the privileged ones who

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can have

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sensitivity that can look at that and

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enjoy it

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i mean for me it's i'm almost amused by

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it that

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that artwork originates in the gutter

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and here it is

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you know in the tallest residential

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building in the world

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you know at one of the poshest addresses

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in new york city you know and but it

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comes directly from the gutters of

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queens and brooklyn

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you know looking and there's something

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kind of you know there's something

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beautiful about that

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and more than beautiful

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i mean i mean the 10 square meter room

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that godwino chieng shares with his wife

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lorna and their daughter eliana

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costs about 35 dollars a month ochiang

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lives in constant fear of being unable

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to pay the rent

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he can't imagine trash as a luxury

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object

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he uses it to feed his family and

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furnish his home

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it's hard all these years we've grown up

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with hardship

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i grew up like that

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once they have filled their own pockets

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the rest of us who are poor will just

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have to struggle

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and if you don't struggle you will stay

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poor always

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there are those who have money and those

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who don't

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if you don't have much and you compare

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yourself with those who do

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you will get hurt so if you don't have

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much

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it is better not to stress yourself

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one day you will make it

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[Music]

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the rich don't care about inequality

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they're indifferent to it inequality in

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america

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is growing so far it's

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so far at one time one person

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or for one salary was able to support

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the whole family

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it's gone

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gone disparity between rich and poor

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they'll try and make you think it

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doesn't exist

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when you do bring these things up the

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first thing that they'll say

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is all you're talking about class

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warfare yes i'm talking about class

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warfare

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yes i'm the one who goes into the

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refrigerator and there's nothing there

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i'm that one not you

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you see this stock exchange wall street

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these people are on a mission they want

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more money

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they want more control there's going to

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have to be

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either a great rebellion or a great

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revolution

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i don't care what is is that you boycott

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them

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that you stop watching tv

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stop stop looking at the advertisements

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stop

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buying stuff people in america

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work to buy stuff

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cell phones flat screen tvs

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computers as soon as you take them out

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of the box

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they obsolete what kind of madness is

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that

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[Music]

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the poor can disrupt this system to the

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very core even if

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one day everybody got together

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middle class poor we're not going to

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work

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simple as that it would send vibrations

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throughout this whole country

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inequality threatens the wealth the good

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functioning of the economy

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it also threatens the health of the

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society

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it also threatens the quality of

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the democratic institutions and of

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democratic debate you know wealth is not

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just

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wealth it's it's shares of companies

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it's shares of newspapers so

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it buys you basically social power if

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this continues

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there will be major disruptions

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[Music]

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near the dump site in dandora is a youth

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club

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here young people meet and sing about

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life love poverty drugs

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and violence

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there is a lot of talent in the slum

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areas but much of it gets wasted

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when they can't make money out of music

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they switch

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hey

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thank you very much one person who tries

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to help youths in the slum is godwin

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ochiang's role model

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hip-hop star giuliani who also comes

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from dandora

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the founder of the youth club wants to

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radically change kenyan society

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the people can never leave themselves

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from poverty anybody who's going to

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through our education system is

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underprivileged already anybody that is

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going to a

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health system most likely come out dead

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than the life

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you see so he's the poor who feels all

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these

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effects so it's it's for us to organize

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it's trying to get informed it's worth

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work to be active

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so that we get things done otherwise

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these

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we can't promise our kids anything do i

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think

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inequality could ever be a good thing

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no there has to

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be

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we either we all gonna sail this ship

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together or it's gonna sink

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in a house

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on a hill up the stairs

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down the corridor

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[Music]

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that was when i was the guy

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next door

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yes she loved him

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Ähnliche Tags
InequalityWealth GapPovertyWaste ManagementSocial ImpactEconomic DisparityTrash EconomyKenyan SlumsAmerican PovertySustainable Living
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