I am quite prone to getting in the middle of big, heated internet debates. My very first such experience was regarding the “relativity-factor” of poverty. I can’t really remember who said what (this was eons ago), but I think it went something like, “Poverty is relevant” and “No, it shouldn’t be.”

Since starting this blog, I’ve stumbled upon plenty clashing opinions and personalities.

There are those who believe that Americans must stop pouring money into developing countries and instead help their own poor citizens.

Then there are those who are quite adamant that the aforementioned opinion is rubbish and that there is no such thing as poverty in America.

Some believe that although there is poverty in Africa, the continent receives too much aid when compared to the poor in India and China. A very touching line in one forum was (ad lib), “Why should the ideal of freedom from want stop at the borders of any country?”

The connecting factor between all these opinions is that it involves relative- versus absolute poverty and whether or not you know it (or like it) your opinions about poverty relief are shaped by an inclination towards either one. So the reason I’m writing this today is not to make a particular point, but to make people more aware of what influences their own beliefs, as well as hopefully giving insight into the opinions of others.

As a means of explanation, let’s take the scenario regarding whether or not poverty exists in America. My father visited Georgia, Atlanta in 2000. The owner of his B&B took him to a soup kitchen where she volunteered – and my dad was astounded to find that the people were given hamburgers! At soup kitchens in South Africa, one tries to feed as many mouths with the few resources available – hoping you won’t have to turn away a hungry face with the words, “There is no more”. The results are often severely watered-down soup with a slice or two of bread.

If we go by the rule of absolute poverty – which basically sets a monetary line, say for argument’s sake $2, and classifies everyone who lives on less than that amount per day as being poor – then perhaps many “poor” Americans are not poor.

But the idea of relative poverty changes that. Imagine being a citizen in a country where owning two cars, a boat, a computer and a PS2 is the norm… while you don’t have a car (never mind the rest) and share a two-bedroom house with your folks and two siblings . Suddenly you might not only feel poor, but appear poor to your society as well.

Similarly, in a country where starvation and homelessness is the norm, if your mom and her five kids live in a low-cost house and can afford a pot of porridge in the morning and a chicken sandwich for lunch, as well as getting the kids into a low-cost school - you may very well feel rich compared to the starving, illiterate homeless who beg for a slice of bread at your front door.

It might be a good idea to take both these concepts into account when forming opinions and making decisions – in that way remembering that there are perhaps more poor around you than you think, but at the same time knowing that there are some people who struggle a bit more.