Poverty Porn Essay

Fundraising is a noble and selfless deed. However, an ethical issue has risen concerning the performance of raising property for penury-stricken communities. Often, visuals of the common lives mess in privation face ar portrayed when raising funds. The exploitation of such visuals to maturation donations or support a cause is known as poverty soot (Collin, 2009). exiguity carbon black is powerful in raising funds but it is incorrect due to the unethical way it is carried out that degrades the needy communities.Poverty vulgarism is widely used by charitable organisations because it is an effective method of collecting donations. Research has shown that interdict stimuli which evoke emotion fire tardily capture an individuals attention (Murphy, Hill, Ramponi, Calder & Barnard, 2010). Images of children as hearty as those which bring about negative emotions also t halt to pay back more donations (Burt & Strongman, 2005). Thus, the disturbing visuals of dying children a nd women as well as their harsh living conditions portrayed in poverty soot is effective in grabbing attention and generating noticeings of sympathy. These feelings argon then converted into actions whereby donations are increased. Therefore, poverty pornography plays a role in helping innocent communities as it easily grabs peoples attention and encourages them to increase their donations.However, its method of exploiting visuals that degrade the poverty-stricken communities achieves poverty pornography unethical. The exploitation of biased visuals depicts poverty-stricken communities in a negative manner. Common examples are severely malnourished African children double-dyed(a) at the camera, waiting to be saved (Osa, 2010). While it is true that in that location are malnourished children, there are healthier children too. However, poverty pornography is biased as it does not represent this side of poverty-stricken communities. Although taken for a good cause, a distorted trope of them is painted (Opoku-Owusu, 2003). This is unethical as the partial representation degrades them, leaving the plan that they are at sea individuals, waiting for their lives to be taken away and unable to do anything.On the other hand, some charitable organisations try to incorporate positive images into their advertisements by showing the after-effects of our donations. For example, they whitethorn show visuals of happy, smiling children as a import of our aid. However, such images indirectly degrade the communities as it gives us the impression that without our swear outance, they are unable to survive. In 2001, a poll conducted in United country discovered that 74% thought that Developing countries depend on the capital and knowledge of the West to progress (Voluntary Service Overseas, 2002).From this, we can deduce that many a(prenominal) arouse the light that poverty-stricken communities are weak and vulnerable as they are highly dependent on our help. Howev er, this may not be true because in reality, they are the most strongest willed, most tenacious people one could hope to meet (Cowdroy & Evans, 2010). Thus, the misrepresentation renders a false impression that poverty-stricken communities are weak and cannot survive without our aid. This false impression may also create an environment of self-pity which may lead to self-fulfilling prophecies.The self-fulfilling prophecy, introduced by Merton (1948), refers to mess whereby an initial false claim later turns into reality. The exploitation of negative visuals pertaining to the lives of poverty-stricken communities has led to a stereotype that they are uneducated, incapable of freeing themselves from poverty, abstracted in competence, and miserable (Clark, 2004). This stereotype may cause people to nab negative expectations on the poverty-stricken communities (Madon, Jussim, Eccles, 1997). Although these negative expectations may not be true initially, the poverty-stricken communiti es might adhere to them thence leading to a self-fulfilled prophecy. Therefore, the use of poverty pornography to assist them may backfire as incorrect claims can become true.Nevertheless, many organizations unremittingly use poverty pornography. Does this make poverty pornography a necessary evil?Poverty pornography is definitely not a necessary evil. It is unethical to degrade or stereotype the poverty-stricken communities, even if it is for a noble cause. Moreover, poverty pornography can instead generate to thepoverty cycle as the negative assumptions about the poverty-stricken communities may become self-fulfilling prophecies. Thus, instead of eradicating poverty, it may exasperate the conditions of poverty-stricken communities. However what other methods can we adopt to increase knowingness on the needs of the poverty-stricken communities without degrading them?Instead of exploiting biased images that return feelings of sympathy, programmes that create feelings of empathy and responsibility can be created. One such solvent is the inaugural 30 Hour Famine Camp in capital of Singapore held by World Vision. In this camp, youths are given a feel of life in poverty by taking part in activities that simulates lives of children in poverty. The youths also make a stand to end ball-shaped poverty by fasting for thirty hours. This camp generates empathy which encourages youths to not merely donate but also to think of more ways to assist by allowing them to realise that they have the ability and responsibility to help end poverty.To portray full representation of their lives, some have embarked on projects akin Perspectives of Poverty which exposes this bias poverty pornography and present people in a shine of dignity (McNiholl, n.d). Even though it may not help in raising funds, by presenting poverty-stricken in a better light, it balances impinge on how degrading poverty pornography has been and slowly alters peoples perception on poverty-stricken comm unities. This can help remove stereotypes on them thus avoid self-fulfilling prophecies.Poverty pornography has proven to be effective. However, its unethical methods have undermined the usefulness of helping poverty-stricken communities. Instead of assisting, it strips them of their dignity, their ability to help themselves and contribute to the poverty cycle. Even though poverty pornography cannot be eradicated in the near future as it is widely used, the two methods presented above are examples of how we can slowly break away from poverty pornography. People in poverty are benevolent beings too. Thus, in the process of assisting them, we must create a full representation of them and treat them as dignified human beings. To achieve this, poverty pornography must be eradicated.REFERENCESBurt, CDB. & Strongman, K. Use Of Images In Charity Advertising Improving Donations and Compliance Rates. International Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 8(8) 1, Retrieved from http//www.usq.edu .au/extrafiles/ line of products/journals/HRMJournal/InternationalArticles/Volume%208/Burt%20Vol%208%20no%208.pdfClark, D. J. (2004). The production of a contemporary famine image The image economy, indigenous photographers and the case of Mekanic Philipos. Journal of International Development, 16, 693704. inside 10.1002/jid.112Collin, M. (2009). What is poverty porn and why does it matter for development? Retrieved 16 July 2011 from Aid Thoughts website http//aidthoughts.org/?p=69 Cowdroy, J. & Evans, H. (2005), Poverty Pornography. Retrieved 16 July, 2011 from The Global Poverty Project website http//www.globalpovertyproject.com/blog/ consume/238Madon, S., Jussim, L., Eccles, J. (1997). In search of the powerful self-fulfilling prophecy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(4), 791-809. DOI 10.1037/0022-3514.72.4.791Merton, R.K. (1948). The self-fulfilling prophecy. The Antioch Review, 8(2), 193-210. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.Murphy, F. C., Hill, E. L., Ramponi, C. C., Calder, A. J., & Barnard, P. J. (2010). Paying attention to emotional images with impact. Emotion, 10(5), 605-614. DOI 10.1037/a0019681Opoku-Owusu, S. A. S. (2003). What can the African diaspora do to challenge distorted media perceptions about Africa? London AFFORD.Osa, E. (2010). The starving baby syndrome is botheration Africas image. New African, (501), 72-73. Retrieved from EBSCOhostScale E. (2010), WaterAid UK And Poverty Porn. Retrieved 16 July, 2011 from The Global Poverty Project website http//www.globalpovertyproject.com/blogs/view/262Voluntary Service Overseas, (2002). The Live Aid legacy The developing world through British eyes A explore report. London, UK Voluntary Service Overseas.