Live Below the Line, Day 3: Not just another ‘play poor’ project

May 18th, 2011 1:17 PM UTC
By Malaka Gharib

It’s Day 3 of Live Below the Line’s week-long challenge to eat and drink for less than $1.50 a day — and so far, so good. I’m not starving, but it’s also not fun to go to bed on an empty stomach and watch other people eat whatever they want. For the last three days I’ve been craving a peanut butter and jelly sandwich of all things, but instead, I’ve been eating frozen vegetables, split pea mush and the occasional egg.

Last night, one of my friends emailed me an article criticizing Live Below the Line’s social experiment. I was surprised to discover that it was written by Cord Jefferson, an editor at GOOD magazine — a publication for people who “want to live well and do good.” The piece, titled “What Do ‘Pretend to Be Poor’ Experiments Really Teach Us?” argued that most “play poor” projects are “unintentionally offensive and grotesque” and can’t possibly teach participants how the world’s most destitute, impoverished people live.

While I agree that this social experiment will never show me what true poverty feels like, it certainly gives me a small (and much-needed) sense of empathy for the poor. Empathy, different from sympathy, goes beyond understanding and allows a person to experience and relate to the thoughts and emotions of another. It’s for that reason that Muslims fast for Ramadan — to diminish their dependence on material goods, purify their hearts and establish solidarity with the poor. And it’s why the Pope, in 2009, asked members of the Catholic Church to reflect on the one billion people in the world who suffer from starvation as they fasted and abstained during that year’s Lent.

In addition, Live Below the Line has certainly put the issue of hunger at the forefront of my mind, despite the fact that I work for ONE and deal with stories from the developing world every day. As I walked home from the office yesterday, I wondered whether poor people got sick of the monotony of cheap food, or whether they craved weird things like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, too. And before I went to bed, I thought about what it must feel like for a poor mom to have to ration out food to her hungry children. I’ve barely put myself in their shoes (half of a foot, maybe) and I already want to take action.

So, no. I don’t think that this is just another “play poor” project. Any social experiment that teaches you to empathize with another is meaningful and important. And it gives you a pretty good reason to talk about these issues with other people, like I’m doing here. But I’m curious to get your thoughts — do you think projects like these are helpful, or don’t really make a difference? Share them the comments below.

Check the ONE Blog tomorrow for updates on Day 4.

TAGS: ONE, hunger