According to NGO, there 3.2 billion people in the world living with less than 2 dollars per day, over 1 billion people one dollar. The more depressing news is that these people are not limited only to poor regions. What's the reason? How can this misery be alleviated?
There has just been a TV show (similar program), featuring a girl in cerntain south American coutry. She is 12 years old, has been living in slum area all her life. One dollar is good enough to buy one day's food for her family of a single mother and 4 children. But it takes great efforts, including picking empty cans from trash, to get one dollar a day. During the 5 interview days, she once blacked out in the street, due to malnutrition. If the TV staffs were not present, she might have lost her life. She has an innocent looking, works hard to help her mother and three younger siblings. She also enjoys study and dreams going to college, building a big house in the rich area. It is no doubt a corny story and makes viewer wonder what an luxury life we have (being able to watch TV in a clean house itself is a big difference already).
On the other hand, the term working poor is suddenly all over the media for the past months. There is in fact a book about it in 1996, but this term does not cause people's serious attentions until the social phenomena of internet cafe refugee (ネットカフェ難民)and Macdonald refugee (マック難民) become more and more prominent. Many people can not offer an apartment, because they do not have stable income. As a result, they can not get regular job, because they don't have an mailing address. When they have enough income, mostly from daily hire type of jobs, they take shower and sleep at internet cafes. When not, they go to 24h restaraunts such as Macdonalds, buy a cup of coffee for 100 yen, and doze off the night.
100 yen (about one dollar) for a whole family's daily provision, and a roof for one night's rest are different in their values. But the seriousness is the same. With or without 100 yen, one's life changes from heaven to hell, irregardless how developed the surrounding is. We are living in a society with income inequality (格差社会)Note 1.
Note 1: The poverty rate of USA in 2005 was 12.6%. The threshold of poverty in 2004 is US$19,307 for a family of 4. The average of daily expenditure per person is 19307/4/365=13.22. A quick lunch in a restaurant costs 5 dollars or more.
References:
1. Social Security System and the Poor in Japan
2. Poverty threshold 2004 (USA)
3. Poverty highlights 2005.
4. Poverty in the Unitied States.
5. A dollar a day(in English with short ads at the beginning).
On the other hand, the term working poor is suddenly all over the media for the past months. There is in fact a book about it in 1996, but this term does not cause people's serious attentions until the social phenomena of internet cafe refugee (ネットカフェ難民)and Macdonald refugee (マック難民) become more and more prominent. Many people can not offer an apartment, because they do not have stable income. As a result, they can not get regular job, because they don't have an mailing address. When they have enough income, mostly from daily hire type of jobs, they take shower and sleep at internet cafes. When not, they go to 24h restaraunts such as Macdonalds, buy a cup of coffee for 100 yen, and doze off the night.
100 yen (about one dollar) for a whole family's daily provision, and a roof for one night's rest are different in their values. But the seriousness is the same. With or without 100 yen, one's life changes from heaven to hell, irregardless how developed the surrounding is. We are living in a society with income inequality (格差社会)Note 1.
Note 1: The poverty rate of USA in 2005 was 12.6%. The threshold of poverty in 2004 is US$19,307 for a family of 4. The average of daily expenditure per person is 19307/4/365=13.22. A quick lunch in a restaurant costs 5 dollars or more.
References:
1. Social Security System and the Poor in Japan
2. Poverty threshold 2004 (USA)
3. Poverty highlights 2005.
4. Poverty in the Unitied States.
5. A dollar a day(in English with short ads at the beginning).
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