Poverty. Hunger. Feminism.
The struggle is real in America. When we imagine poverty and hunger we usually imagine third world countries where people struggle to find clean water, proper health care, a roof over their heads, fathers working all day and mothers trying to care for all their children. Although this is a true crisis for third world countries, we need not to forget that the United States is currently under a poverty and hunger crisis that the media, the government, and the American billionaires have kept in the shadows. It is time to have a discussion and question why hunger and poverty is linked to feminism and why America is allowing over 50 million children to starve, when according to the Business Insider the United States is the 7th richest country in the world.
Why feminism?
Feminism is a prospective that should be valued in the world’s ecology system.
Ecofeminism views the government’s approach of colonialism as a way of taking advantage of natural resources. For centuries the government of the United States has worked closely with billionaires to exploit the nation’s natural resources for profit and efficiency. Let us not forget that in order to accomplish many of their goals they have used women in order to exploit and attain power. The use of women in factory work, child care labor, sexual exploitation, and other acts of selfishness have made it hard for women to attain a riotous lifestyle in the United States.
How can you sell an apple to someone with a value that was more than the wage earned for picking that apple? And then say it is their fault they cannot buy that apple because they fail to attain a standard lifestyle.
Blaming the Victim
The United States government and the population of billionaires are so intrigued in making the world a better place through the consumption of the environment, fossil fuels, and labor exploitation. Their views on efficiency and profit are much different than the ecofeminism view. Their wealth is dependent on dispassion of resources. In order to make this work and to cover up for the damage billionaires gravitate towards blaming the victims of their acts. They blame the poor, people of color, and women for their poverty and hunger. Many use the culture of poverty approach in order to justify the injustice they are imposing on society. They blame the value of cultures, female headed families, the absence of a father, and failure to meet social norms.
It angers me because I know this is real, I have experienced it myself. I have watched my parents when they only had enough money to feed us ramen for dinner. I was part of the public school system located in communities where a lot of household were run by single mothers or lower income families. Instead of helping the community the schools would serve unhealthy frozen food to children. Poor people of color are amongst the most affected by poverty and hunger in the United States.
Activism!
In order to help poverty and hunger in the United States we must take the initiative as activist for the cost. One can get involved in many different ways from signing a petition, to joining community groups who focus on these issues, joining an organization, educating oneself in the topic, and many other empowering movements like the ones listed below. It is up to us to make a difference and stop the poverty crisis in the United States.
1. Talk Poverty
