I cringed when I first heard the phrase “carbon footprint”, assuming the worst/wankiest usage.

These fears were confirmed when I saw it in use and on mainstream TV (back when I had a TV to numb my brain!).

Likely implemented by the powers that be to better control global economic imbalances by restricting production outputs by various regions and imposing financial penalties (carbon trading?) for excess.

I’m just guessing, but when corporate crusaders have a new hard-on for green, carbon, biodiversity, whatever the latest buzzword is, it gets further from the fact that poverty is still not being addressed, but increased continually.

Why watch a TV show about saving whales or funniest home animal rescues while literally millions are being forced to death by starvation as a known by-product of globalisation?

There is a great ignorance of the clothed and fed world of just how bad the other 80% are (decreasingly) living.

On this point today, I figured there should at least be a feel-good buzz word such as “poverty footprint”, by which we can measure our daily or industrial net effect on poverty.

It turns out, there is such a word, and Oxfam comes up first in Google for it. I’ll look into it further as I am self studying poverty (both by becoming increasingly poor and by doing research).

In the meantime, I think we should all be accountable for our NET result on the poverty gap, which is effectng every country as it is the globe.

Still working on the formula, but I think it goes a litle something like this:

MoneyInPocket – MyFood – MyShelter = Excess

Sure, you may argue that we need savings, health insurance and Gatorade, but with the stability of banks, trecherousness of insurance companies and sugary sweetness of Gatorade, why not help give others the same right to life as you/me/we/they have?

Putting your kids in school? How about sponsor someone else’s family for a year with school clothes, textbooks and some words of encouragement? Not talking only about Africa, I’m sure it would not be hard to find someone in your local community who needs assistance.

But there are a LOT of people dying everyday in those countries you never go to, never see the real stories on TV as they’d put you off eating and make you feel bad about your creature comforts.

It’s going to take time to adjust and start giving back, my eyes are just re-opening now after years of thinking my own little family problems were the center of the world, but start by educating yourself on global poverty.

What products you buy make a difference, for a start, look at where the money goes. Why put your faith in the people pushing products down your throat, the internet gives us the chance to ask questions and take control, not be a pawn in the game of globalisation and poverty mongering.

I’m a high school dropout, if you think I’m wrong, please educate me~~