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Poverty: The state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount.

Your life's destiny is made or broken by one simple thing, a thing that is your birthright; how you walk on this earth and how you are treated, it is all based on the wealth that is so valued by our society.

I admire no man more than I admire the street artist Banksy. This anonymous figure so valiantly creeps through city after city, bringing his work to speak of things so often ignored, and that so often control so many aspects of life. (Banksy Official Site)

The piece above, created in Boston, shows an older low class worker with darker skin. Banksy prepared to stencil by whitewashing the wall, and also chose a location frequented by the upper class. The man, because of his economic status, cannot live his dreams, and therefore is showing that others like him cannot live theirs as well. A common cliche is to "follow your dreams", but this statement is exclusive to those who can afford it. Banksy is saying that our world is very whitewashed and exclusive, that opportunities are not equal, and that we rationalize this with the rare stories of poverty stricken people who eventually make it 'big' in life. We don't follow our dreams because we are unable to follow them.

Having found a book on Shepard Fairey at the bookstore yesterday, it sparked a conversation about street artists and their significance with a friend. Commercialism, opportunity and race was our topic of discussion, reminding me of The Bluest Eye and it's intriguing prologue. Pecola and the people in her town are unable to follow the dreams they dreamt of as young children because of their place in life, their poverty, and being insufficient across the board. 

"If we planted the seeds, and said the right words over them, they would blossom, and everything would be all right."

"A little examination and much less melancoly would have proved to us that our seeds were not the only ones that did not sprout; nobody's did."

But not everything can be all right when you cannot take control over the birthright of poverty, of opportunity... or lack of it. The seeds in The Bluest Eye are a metaphor for life and the potential of it. These quotes show how these people's lives are cut short by poverty, and how they forgoe their dreams not because of incapibility, but because of uncontrollable circumstances in life.

Our world is whitewashed by those who refuse to understand and accept that not all are equal. We need to look outside of our priviliged lives and be thankful for the opportunities that we have, and try to bring the same opportunities to those who cannot experience the same as us because of poverty.

Banksy

This movie is the best one I have ever seen, featuring and directed by Banksy, it's on Netflix and I HIGHLY recommend for everyone to check out this beautiful work of art: Exit Through The Giftshop