The rich, the poor and the trash | DW Documentary (Inequality documentary)
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
🌍 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.
🏙️ 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.
🌱 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.
🗑️ 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.
🎨 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.
🎤 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
💡Poverty
💡Waste Management
💡Social Cohesion
💡Recycling
💡Homelessness
💡Slums
💡Education
💡Health Care
💡Environmental Impact
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
[Music]
if someone is getting richer
and there is someone below him who is in
need why don't the rich people help
those who are suffering in poverty
the rich don't care about inequality
they are indifferent to it
if this continues there will be major
disruptions
whether political whether social or the
military
whether ecological whether in terms of
health
inequality undermines a social cohesion
and a sense of a shared society
it actually undermines people's
willingness to protect the environment
[Music]
i am 28 years old
and i work in waste management
my day is always very busy i don't even
have time to rest
i start working at the dump site at five
o'clock in the morning
sometimes i wish i could give myself a
day off but it's not possible
this is kenya's biggest trash dump it's
just a few kilometers away from
nairobi's commercial district
every day hundreds of trucks arrive with
garbage from the city's affluent
districts
and its hotels and restaurants
[Applause]
and they're waiting for me to come back
with milk or bread in the evening
they'll complain if i come home
empty-handed
i collect food and put it aside to feed
my pigs they have to eat too
sometimes i might be lucky and find some
packed meat and chips here
and that would be lunch for today just
like that
some might think this is not a good job
if they see me looking as dirty as i am
now
they might look down on me but i know
what i'm getting out of it
[Music]
they depend on us
[Music]
[Music]
today
every day hundreds of people from the
nearby slums come here in the hope of
scavenging food
or anything else that might come in
handy one of them
is my mom
was working here and this is where
she have high income and
because she didn't have a lot of money
and we are many in our family
so she was coming here and work when you
have a daily bread
so i learned this is the place i can
find money
but i have my own dreams this is not
where i want to be
in my future coming yeah
[Music]
iniquity first was seen as something
that was necessary for
growth to happen it was something that
was necessary for
necessary for productivity without
inequality there will be no
productivity then we started to
realize that okay too much inequality
may be a moral problem
it's 5 a.m in brooklyn new york
pierre simmons is on his way to work
[Music]
people look at you and they they think
what they're going to think
oh look at that person they're picking
up that garbage and
things like that you can't let that stop
you
if you have rent to pay and you worry
about that your rent doesn't get paid
i took a walk outside one day went
around the corner
and i saw the recycle bags full of
bottles and cans
and i said you know something i seen all
that money that's what it
that's what it translated to me money
you get up at four o'clock in the
morning go out there hit the streets by
four o'clock
the world is yours you hit those key
places with a big enough shopping cart
by eight o'clock the shopping cart is
blooming
what i like about it is my independent
freedom
i go out and i make 75 a day i pay
myself a salary
my mother taught me from when i was a
baby do not depend on people
you must get your own pee
my goal was to just get breakfast lunch
whatever
that's it pierre simmons never had much
growing up
the 65 year old held many different jobs
then he became unemployed
for me to be happy i need peace with god
people who look down on candace i think
a lot of them have a surprise waiting
for them down the road
they need not be judgmental about other
people because
they themselves are a paycheck away from
homelessness
actually inequality results from
people's life chances from their
starting point and often from just
luck or an unlucky turn and inequality
actually really damages society
no longer able to pay the rent simmons
ended up on the street for months
being homeless to shape your psychology
this is being rich shaped your
psychology
on the one extreme on the poor extreme
it could drive you mad
[Music]
a lot of people don't want to go to the
shelters
they're afraid they'll be raped killed
they're definitely going to be robbed
when i was homeless i rode ferry back
and forth all night
but once it stops on one time you can't
stay on you got to get off
wait for the next ferry so imagine you
trying to sleep
or you sleep on the manhattan side
so in the morning when you're waking up
new york city is walking all over you
going to work
people looking down at you it's the
thought that this guy has a key he can
just go in this house and lay on the bed
and watch tv you don't know how those
simple
things you miss until they're gone
[Music]
garbage dumps can provide a lifeline for
people like godwin
oching it's dirty work but there's very
little other work here
kenya's economy is booming but most of
the wealth ends up with the country's
tiny upper class
it's unfair when some people are so rich
when families own land and farms
while others are living in slums and
have to sleep rough
there are some people who even sleep on
the dump site because they don't have
homes
in my opinion people who have money
should open something like a resource
center which can help lift up those who
are below them
or help the young people who are facing
a tough life
at least that would help reduce poverty
in this slum
actually what really matters to lift
people out of poverty is investments in
education and health and infrastructure
it's whether or not the governments do
these investments it's really important
for a society to try to enable
children from low-income families to
have that opportunity in life
to get the kind of education that gives
them a chance
but also not to leave people falling
vulnerably into poverty
the social inequality here is striking
most kenyans have neither health
insurance
nor state pensions forty percent of the
population lives on less than two
us dollars a day at the same time there
are more than nine thousand dollar
millionaires in kenya
they include some of the country's
leading politicians
every afternoon ochieng sifts through
his daily pickings
separating food from plastic and metal
you see these containers i arranged them
on paper on the floor
i employ a guy who comes in on sundays
and weekdays to wash clean
and dry
when they look clean and shiny people
buy them
if i sell these containers today then i
might get about 300 to 400 shillings
that's enough to feed my family for
today and even tomorrow afternoon
before i get back home after work
his income of three or four dollars a
day lifts oching over the international
poverty line set by the world bank
at one dollar and ninety cents
[Music]
the united states is not just one of the
richest countries in the world
it's also home to some of the most
glaring inequality
as the rich rapidly get richer the poor
continue to get poorer
over you know a period of 38 years now
there was massive growth in this country
but the bottom 50
americans they did not benefit from that
growth
the us is now home to almost 600
billionaires
at the same time about 40 million
americans live in poverty
in 2014 pierre simmons gave a speech
about poverty to the united nations
on behalf of sure we can a non-profit
recycling center in new york
well sure we can is a very unique
place when i first came here i was
struck
here is the place that opened up the
gates i
see a community of people they're all
working cutting boxes and
i looked around and i seen people
bringing out fresh home-cooked food
big trays of it and i said to myself
what is this they showed me what to do
i thought you just put 24 bottles in a
box
no they said you want more money sort
them
they began to explain to me who was who
that sister anna was running this place
and right there i
knew i said wow there's a touch of god
here telling me
so now you redeem the five cents and you
recover
also the the dignity and the value of
each human being
each of us can do a lot given the chance
i don't think anybody here at sure we
can wants to live like
wall street people we are rich in some
way and
i think when the persons have the
ability to participate
in decision making in managing their own
life
that is already empty poverty
[Applause]
resilience strength and conviction
doesn't depend upon money it depends
upon spirit and
actually often community so there is
amazing transformative power
lying in many of the world's poorest
communities
thousands of traders have set up shop
near nairobi's dandora landfill
they buy and sell the goods that the
garbage pickers bring them from the dump
it's a bustling economy but with very
low profit margins
they may both have millions of poor
people but there's a huge wealth gap
between kenya and the united states
it takes the average kenyan 20 years to
earn the equivalent of the average
annual income in the u.s
people like gojing would need the better
part of a lifetime
the world is more unequal than any one
nation within it
it's extreme levels of inequality
between
the poorest nations and the richest and
in fact when you look at wealth
the accumulation of wealth is rising to
a fraction of a global one percent at an
extraordinary rate new york is not just
one of the cities with the most
billionaires it's also one of the most
wasteful urban centers on earth
more trash is produced per capita here
than in most other cities
but many of the objects don't belong in
the garbage in the first place
as retired sanitation worker nelson
molina can testify
for 32 years he's salvaged treasures
from the trash
enough to fill a small museum
and you just you did you set this all up
i set all this up man that's
that's ancient man that's over 40
something almost 50 years old yes sir
the movie projectors oh come on super
eight
super eight eight i got a six yeah it's
an original sunny they say we're young
and we don't know that's it that's it
baby
that's it wow this is what new yorkers
throw out every single day this has
history man
if you give me uh three months i can
furnish a two bedroom apartment
and i'm talking about living room
bedroom bathroom
everything it's all out there when i was
a kid
my mother always told us if you can use
it again you save it
trash is part of a professional
discipline for anthropologist robin
nagle
she also worked as a garbage collector
which made her see trash
with different eyes
you could almost say trash doesn't exist
we could decide it's not trash it's
simply something in between
my use and its next use the cultural
forces in which many of us exist today
tell us to hurry and go faster and do
more and never slow down
and as long as we keep moving fast we're
going to generate lots and lots of trash
food waste as a subcategory of garbage
is its own
challenge because approximately a
quarter
of all food in grown produced in the
united states never even reaches a table
it goes straight into the garbage how
that addresses problems of inequality
it's getting worse the disparity between
the wealthy
and people who don't have enough
resources to feed their kids across a
week
right the gap is getting bigger and
bigger
wealthy people not only produce more
waste than poor people
they also use more of the planet's
resources and cause more environmental
damage
the ecological footprint of
industrialized countries
is much bigger than that in the
developing world i think there are two
sides to human prosperity that
are so simple i have them in my pockets
so on the one side
a bean everybody needs food these water
housing education healthcare the basic
subsistence of life
that each person has a claim to and we
know these as human rights
but at the same time this little blue
marble
our planetary home we need a stable
climate
fertile soils healthy oceans a
protective ozone layer
so we need to end deprivation and
extremes of inequality
while creating a sustainable future they
go together so beautifully
per capita kenyans produce just two
percent of the co2 generated by
americans
and use only a hundredth of the
electricity but consumption is growing
in kenya too
fueled by demand from the rich
it's on my tv these tvs and watches are
a luxury
but when you have the money you can buy
them and feel like everyone else
i feel relaxed being here relax but
but since i walked in i have this
feeling like i am in a place of a
different class
a place where i am not supposed to be
but i also deserve to be here
lately i have noticed more shopping
malls being built than schools and
children's homes
the way i see it they are investing more
in malls
than in homes hospitals and schools
inequality can actually disrupt an
economy
an economy that is too unequal is an
economy that is not going to do the
proper investments
in order to for this economy to flourish
in the future
new york-based artist paul valinsky has
also figured out how to make money out
of trash
he creates artworks using discarded
everyday objects
like the cans collected by pierre
simmons
this is trash that the rich are willing
to invest in
one of velinsky's works adorns a
friend's luxury apartment
so this is it yeah this is 432 park
avenue
wow a little too high for me too high
for you
yeah you got to be choking wow
apartments in the manhattan skyscrapers
sell for between 17 and 95 million
dollars
uh come and look at your cans oh
wow okay what this once was
has been transformed to what we see now
but there's still a memory of what it
was right okay
do you feel any um bitterness about the
fact that
you know the residents of this apartment
are able to spend
you know tens of thousands of dollars on
artwork
i don't want to judge them i don't want
to judge them
i don't maybe that might cross my mind
but it's not them that i'm concerned
about i'm glad that they like it
they love your work that they're willing
to pay you for it and i think you
deserve it
because that is your soul your genius
you know but i don't
concentrate on them yeah
i told anna and them and other people i
don't want to be rich
i would love to have the money and the
resources of the rich
and they ask me why i said because then
i can do the things that need to be done
yeah education health care
uh housing decent housing
mental health services mental
health we need we need that people are
i believe america right now is a
sociopathic society
there's no love there's no compassion
people don't want to hear it
and i think it's so sociopathic that
maybe it's only the privileged ones who
can have
sensitivity that can look at that and
enjoy it
i mean for me it's i'm almost amused by
it that
that artwork originates in the gutter
and here it is
you know in the tallest residential
building in the world
you know at one of the poshest addresses
in new york city you know and but it
comes directly from the gutters of
queens and brooklyn
you know looking and there's something
kind of you know there's something
beautiful about that
and more than beautiful
i mean i mean the 10 square meter room
that godwino chieng shares with his wife
lorna and their daughter eliana
costs about 35 dollars a month ochiang
lives in constant fear of being unable
to pay the rent
he can't imagine trash as a luxury
object
he uses it to feed his family and
furnish his home
it's hard all these years we've grown up
with hardship
i grew up like that
once they have filled their own pockets
the rest of us who are poor will just
have to struggle
and if you don't struggle you will stay
poor always
there are those who have money and those
who don't
if you don't have much and you compare
yourself with those who do
you will get hurt so if you don't have
much
it is better not to stress yourself
one day you will make it
[Music]
the rich don't care about inequality
they're indifferent to it inequality in
america
is growing so far it's
so far at one time one person
or for one salary was able to support
the whole family
it's gone
gone disparity between rich and poor
they'll try and make you think it
doesn't exist
when you do bring these things up the
first thing that they'll say
is all you're talking about class
warfare yes i'm talking about class
warfare
yes i'm the one who goes into the
refrigerator and there's nothing there
i'm that one not you
you see this stock exchange wall street
these people are on a mission they want
more money
they want more control there's going to
have to be
either a great rebellion or a great
revolution
i don't care what is is that you boycott
them
that you stop watching tv
stop stop looking at the advertisements
stop
buying stuff people in america
work to buy stuff
cell phones flat screen tvs
computers as soon as you take them out
of the box
they obsolete what kind of madness is
that
[Music]
the poor can disrupt this system to the
very core even if
one day everybody got together
middle class poor we're not going to
work
simple as that it would send vibrations
throughout this whole country
inequality threatens the wealth the good
functioning of the economy
it also threatens the health of the
society
it also threatens the quality of
the democratic institutions and of
democratic debate you know wealth is not
just
wealth it's it's shares of companies
it's shares of newspapers so
it buys you basically social power if
this continues
there will be major disruptions
[Music]
near the dump site in dandora is a youth
club
here young people meet and sing about
life love poverty drugs
and violence
there is a lot of talent in the slum
areas but much of it gets wasted
when they can't make money out of music
they switch
hey
thank you very much one person who tries
to help youths in the slum is godwin
ochiang's role model
hip-hop star giuliani who also comes
from dandora
the founder of the youth club wants to
radically change kenyan society
the people can never leave themselves
from poverty anybody who's going to
through our education system is
underprivileged already anybody that is
going to a
health system most likely come out dead
than the life
you see so he's the poor who feels all
these
effects so it's it's for us to organize
it's trying to get informed it's worth
work to be active
so that we get things done otherwise
these
we can't promise our kids anything do i
think
inequality could ever be a good thing
no there has to
be
we either we all gonna sail this ship
together or it's gonna sink
in a house
on a hill up the stairs
down the corridor
[Music]
that was when i was the guy
next door
yes she loved him
Посмотреть больше похожих видео
$25,000 vs. $25,000,000
Permasalahan Sosial dalam Masyarakat - Materi Sosiologi Kelas XI
Thinking Schools in a South African context. | Sonja Vandeleur | TEDxNorrkopingED
Why the rich get richer and the poor get poorer | Us & Them | DW Documentary
LABOR in the Gilded Age [APUSH Review Unit 6 Topic 7] Period 6: 1865-1898
Japan Travel Tips: How to Throw Away Garbage in Japan | JAPAN and more
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)