The Do-Gooder Industrial Complex

I was in eighth grade. It was a cold spring morning in Ohio. And, I was holding my mom’s hand in a human chain that stretched across the continental United States. We were ending hunger in America.

It was my first act as a do-gooder.  And, it was the beginning of my conditioning by the Do-Gooder-Industrial-Complex.

The Do-Gooder-Industrial-Complex spun a particular narrative about the end of global poverty. It fed me a particular set of beliefs, assumptions, and notions about poverty and the poor. It prescribed a role for me in ending global poverty. And, over the years (a lot of years), it motivated me to take a set of actions that I now know were in many cases inconsistent with long-term sustainable development.

I was brainwashed. And, I am not the only one.

But, there’s an alternative narrative that is being put forward. It is not new. However, technological advances have made it easier for this narrative to compete with the communications departments of the Do-Gooder-Industrial-Complex.

So, I thought I would take a stab at a rough juxtaposition of the two narratives:

The Do-Gooder-Industrial-Complex is fond of saying:

  • “We are the generation that will end global poverty.”
  • “Teach a Man to Fish.”
  • “Be a voice for the voiceless.”

We like to ask:

  • “How can we end another’s poverty when we never had to end our own?”
  • “How can we teach a woman to fish when most of us don’t know how to put a worm on a hook?”
  • “Why not try listening?”

The Do-Gooder-Industrial-Complex believes:

  • Laptops, play pumps, and solar cookers = Silver Bullets
  • Poor People = Good People
  • Barefoot Child = Poor Child

We believe:

  •  Laptops, play pumps, and solar cookers = “Oy vey”
  • Poor People = People
  • Barefoot Child = Child who may prefer not to wear her shoes at that very moment

The Do-Gooder-Industrial-Complex believes that solutions come from without, are top-down, and flow from male dominated panels in the conference halls of the Western World. We believe solutions come from within, are bottom-up, and flow from local communities.

The Do-Gooder-Industrial-Complex believes in the Buy-One Give-One Business Model as a way to end poverty. We do not (and this goes for RED as well). We cannot consume our way to the end of global poverty. Indeed, we believe that our current consumption patterns are part of the problem.

The Do-Gooder-Industrial-Complex currently believes in “Girl Power!” We believe in “Woman, Man, Girl, and Boy Power!”

The Do-Gooder-Industrial-Complex likes to say “You can make a difference over spring break.” We like to say that making a difference is an internal political process that is years in the making.

The Do-Gooder-Industrial-Complex leaves a lot of people saying:

  • “No one is doing anything!”
  • “Something is better than nothing.”
  • “You have the ability to change the world. But, are you willing?”

We want to leave people saying:

  • “How can I partner with local leaders who are doing the heavy lifting?”
  • “Sometimes doing nothing is the best course of action.”
  • “What role (if any) do I have to play?”

The Do-Gooder-Industrial-Complex elicits:

  • Sympathy
  • Hubris
  • Conviction

We want to elicit:

  • Empathy
  • Humility
  • Doubt

In the Do-Gooder-Industrial-Complex narrative, the hero is usually a well-funded Western do-gooder. This narrative dominates our culture. It steals dignity from others. And, it needs to end.

In our narrative, we can only be sidekicks. This narrative is just beginning to gain traction. And, there is a coalition of educators and young people forming with the purpose of pushing back on the narrative of the Do-Gooder-Industrial-Complex.

We are striving for a fundamental and sustainable change in how our culture interacts, communicates, and articulates its relationships with those who are materially poor.

We may be a small group. But, we are on the right side of history.

Which side are you on?

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If you enjoyed this blog, you may enjoy my This is the Work newsletter.

Thanks. – shawn

P.S. Read the Sidekick Manifesto and Take the Pledge!

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