In the Realm of the Poor Part Three: A Contrast in Poverty

I thought I'd post this little ditty for you to read while you revel in whatever holiday largesse you got yesterday, and whatever largesse you plan on hunting down in the deep discount days ahead.
_______________________________________________________

Let me bring you up to speed with the “realm” saga—part one was witnessed accounts, part two was a comparison of poverty levels, and now we come to part three.

This episode will contrast two middle-aged gentlemen: a backwoods Appalachian man and a doctor in Kinshasa, Africa (the Congo). I’ll refer to them as Mr. Mountain and Dr. Congo for the sake of simplicity.

Mr. Mountain receives SSI (supplemental subsistence income for a previous disability—a heart attack on the job), and lives in a trailer surrounded by a working truck and about six non-working vehicles, along with assorted parts strewn around the yard. His ex-wife lives next door—they divorced so she could get welfare money for their three sons. Underneath Mr. Mountain’s front porch is a large and ever-growing pile of crushed Pepsi cans. His locale regularly fights back and forth with coal corporations, whose corrupt policies have put a stranglehold on the area’s jobs and economic viability—not to mention environmental viability.

Dr. Congo, by comparison, lives in a four-bedroom hut with 12 other family members. Since he is a prominent surgeon, he makes about $250 month from his hospital work and about another $400 from seeing private patients on the side. He’s rarely home with his family other than to sleep. He also suffers from twice-monthly shakedowns from the uniformed regime members of his so-called “government”, whose soldiers regularly fight back and forth with civilians over diamond and gold mines. Like Mr. Mountain, he too suffers from the effects of a political regime who struggles to keep control on the area’s economic viability—mostly through corruption, shakedowns, bribes, etc.

Mr. Mountain enjoys basic necessities as refrigeration, electricity, running water, and indoor plumbing. He also has good protection from the wind, rain, heat, and cold, and of course, has climate controls.

Dr. Congo, on the other hand, lives in a stick-built hut (albeit large), just like all his neighbors. He has seen how other doctors in the world live, and would very much like to have running water and access to reliable electricity for more than a few hours twice-weekly. Meat is a monthly rarity, and air conditioning is a wild fantasy for him.

Both men are roughly on the same scale monetarily, yet priority and will separate them for miles. TV (Dr. Congo sees it at work, while Mr. Mountain has cable) has made each acutely aware of his own and the other’s living conditions. Who do you think is happiest and why?

I’ll tell you my response: Mr. Mountain, of course! He doesn’t have to do anything for his money but show up to collect it each month. His trailer, coupled with our country’s definition of basic standard of living, has assured him a rather comfy life with all the amenities he could possibly take for granted. Even for an Appalachian backwoods trailer-dweller, he does a darn sight better than Dr. Congo, who had to go through years of schooling, make many sacrifices, and puts up with much day-to-day corruption to get where he is—and if he stops now, he loses what little he has. Mr. Mountain has no fear of losing anything except possessions due to a possible burglary if he slows down. Hell, he’s already stopped, in my opinion.

Even a prestigious surgeon in Kinshasa doesn’t rate in comparative wealth to our Appalachian man on the dole.