Whenever I watch satellite television airing programs that talk at length about stock markets, fashion, makeup, cuisine and other things considered as luxuries by many, I find myself asking the same question: What can a father of a poor family benefit from all those boring economic bulletins telling him of market trends in New York, London and Tokyo, of the euro going up and the dollar sliding in the face of other currencies?
What can the poor father gain listening to experts discussing the rise and fall of commodities, of oil, gold, silver, platinum and other goods?
Likewise, what can the poor man’s wife and children gain watching designers advising women about winter, summer and autumn collections and what colors and models they should use when going out partying? What does a simple family living on a modest income stand to benefit from programs featuring chefs talking about how to prepare exotic dishes that need expensive appliances to prepare?
We should all think about the reaction of such families to these programs. They know very well they may never be able to get out of their own world.
It is a world in which the dominant market forces are not the stock markets, commodity prices or fashion shows but low-quality low-price goods.
I would like to know what the exact purpose behind such programs is.
Is it to add to the anxiety and frustration of the poor women, or to lure men into watching models parading before a selected audience showing off their fancy dresses?
We have started establishing banks for the poor. Why not start operating television channels for the poor? The project could go even further by opening special markets, schools, health centers and even parks for the poor.
