Structural Violence

Killing with Kindness and “Suffering and Structural Violence” complement each other well.  Farmer’s article sets the tone and background for Schuller’s book.  I like Schuller’s idea of NGOs as a form of “trickle-down imperialism.”  Although technically a non-government organization, they are very political and funded by governments.  They also seem just as crooked as governments.  They come in, get a lot of foreign aid that is supposed to help, yet they do not involve those they are supposed to help.  Schuller’s work with hierarchies proves this.  Looking at the top-down system used by these organizations, he showed how an NGO’s relationship in Haiti depends upon the relationship with the institution/government at the top of the hierarchy. 

When looking at the situation in Haiti, you can see the social and economic forces that Paul Farmer talks about being utilized to limit the choices of Haitians to their detriment.  Along with this is the invisibility of the suffering poor.  As stated by Pablo Richard, “A wall between the rich and poor is being built, so that poverty does not annoy the powerful and the poor are obliged to die in the silence of history” (Farmer 383).  In a large natural disaster, such as the earthquake, the world took notice and sent aid.  Yet years later, Haitians are still suffering from that same disaster despite the millions of dollars sent in aid.  There is nothing about this on television now.  Their suffering is ignored.  Along with this invisibility of suffering comes the nonchalant way that people donate.  A natural disaster provoked telethons and text campaigns for donations, and millions of dollars were given, which allows the donator to give him/herself a pat on the back and continue on with his/her life without giving a second thought to where the money is going or how it is spent.  Yet, if asked to donate prior to the earthquake many of these same donators would not even consider it, assuming that these poverty ridden, black Haitians either got themselves into this situation or they prefer to stay there…ignoring their extreme suffering and the structural violence that aided in their situation.