Is Poverty a Matter of Fate? Reflections on Poverty

English translation of an archival essay. Originally published September 17, 2024. Türkçe oku.

The affluent, the wealthy… and opposite them, a vast multitude: the poor, the destitute, the unfortunate, the fallen, the excluded, the hungry, the wretched… a multitude subjected to these labels and so many others. What do all these descriptions tell us? Are people condemned to be crushed beneath them? Is the individual alone to blame? Or the family? Is poverty a matter of fate? Or is it the outcome of “certain” things?

When we think about the origins of poverty, one of the first questions that comes to mind may be this: Is the individual to blame, or society itself? These questions draw us into a moral dilemma. If individuals are to blame, why would they choose poverty? No one voluntarily chooses to be hungry, destitute or excluded. If the fault does not lie with the individual, then whose structure is this? Do the mechanisms that constitute society produce poverty, or do some people grow rich through the labor of others? At this point, we are reminded of the lines Cem Karaca sings in a sorrowful voice:

“You’re a worker. Stay a worker!” (Cem Karaca, “Tamirci Çırağı” [The mechanic’s apprentice])

As Karaca’s song suggests, we confront a system in which the working classes seem condemned to live in a kind of social trap. Must workers remain workers? Does poverty travel through generations like a curse?

These questions lead us to the socioeconomic dimensions of poverty. Poverty is not merely an individual struggle; it is also the outcome of a system. As long as the wheels of capitalism keep turning, some will always be crushed while others grow rich.

But the question we must ask at this point is this: How can we confront poverty? As a society, we need to move beyond individual responsibility in the struggle against it. Without social justice, equal opportunity and a more balanced distribution of income, poverty cannot be addressed effectively.

So we must ask once more: Is poverty a matter of fate?