POOR PEOPLE

To the extent that the poor constitute a supply of something—cheap labor, easy availability for some project (war or prostitution, for instance), convenient obedience—they will be tolerated, even "wanted." To the extent that they constitute a demand for common resources, they will be unwanted.
—page 127, Poor People by William T. Vollmann

I was asked to model clothes for a fashion show and in a moment of weakness, and perhaps vanity, agreed. I hope never to do such again.

There was such a disconnect for me between the experience of modeling clothes that I could not afford to wear and all of the problems that I see in the world around me—famine, genocide, warfare, the AIDS crisis, poverty, hunger, homelessness. As I was called forward to model an outfit that consisted of $150 pants, a $110 "dress" shirt, and a $76 T-shirt, I kept thinking about how this was definitely not who I am. I didn't like the pretense or the prancing or the objectification that I was receiving from the women of the audience. After modeling two additional outfits that consisted of even more expensive articles of clothing, and having women feel the fabric of the pants I was wearing—which was encouraged by the store that provided the clothes because when ladies feel the fabric it could mean sales—I was ready to go home.

It didn't help that I was firmly in the middle of reading William T. Vollmann's Poor People at the time. In chapter twenty-one of his book, "I Know I Am Rich," I was once again reminded that I, like Vollmann, "am a petty-bourgeois property owner." Throughout the book, I read about people who have been dispossessed of property, belongings, employment, dignity, or security due to circumstances that are oftentimes beyond their control. It made me thankful for what I do have and who I am. It saddened me for those whose lives consist of a struggle for mere survival.

It further saddens me that we are a nation of Wal-marts and warfare, of Hummers and cheap gasoline. And, I know that I am as culpable as my neighbors. I may not shop at Wal-mart or drive an SUV, but I haven't participated in an anti-war protest or started driving less. My silence speaks for itself.

Vollmann interviews people that are poor throughout the globe. He bluntly asks them, "Why are you poor?" If he speaks with them for a length of time, then he asks them related questions, such as, "Why are some people rich and others poor?" Their answers are mingled with Vollmann's questioning of his own role as a "rich man" relative to those he speaks with. He even gives us a glimpse of their lives through their eyes, trying not to judge them from our standards of "normal."

This is not one of Vollmann's great books—it is a really good book from him—but it is a great book. It is a nice companion piece to both his collection of interrelated short stories, The Atlas, and his magnum opus seven-volume reflection on violence, Rising Up and Rising Down. It is a book that ties together many of the themes brought forth in all of his works, but especially these two. It is a bridge between his fiction and non-fiction.

It definitely made me once again question my own stasis. I only wish that it were longer and that he had more time to develop some of the themes he touches upon. But, perhaps it is meant to be a "jumping-off point" that sends one forth into the world with renewed eyes and a repentant heart—a teaching tool now meant to be put into practice.