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I cannot help but think that the current debate about poverty in some countries is just using the old but effective trick of magic: that of misdirection.

Instead of pointing at the reality – the widening of wealth inequalities, the lack of income redistribution, the absence of quality jobs and cuts made in social protection – our attention is attracted to another spot: individuals living in poverty, portrayed as responsible for their own situation or even as “benefits abusers”. Focusing on the latter makes us forget about where the real challenges are.

The use of misdirection can be illustrated in Denmark: the focus is on the unemployed who “make the choice of not working”. In the spotlight Carina and “Lazy Robert” who have not worked since 2001 and receive social security. The light was pointing at these two single individuals – it made it to the the New York times and the Belgian Press yesterday and triggered an official reaction from the Prime Minister who expects more from “lazy” people. I should mention that the rate of unemployment is only 6,6% in Denmark, one of the lowest rates in the EU. That’s the whole purpose of misdirection: it makes you think that what you are shown is the challenge. My question is: is it acceptable to use one individual situation as the real challenge to society? Is it acceptable that the Danish government uses the example of “Carina” “to reduce the welfare rolls by concentrating on making sure that people like Carina do not exist in the future. It is proposing cuts to welfare grants for those under 30 and stricter reviews to make sure that such recipients are steered into jobs or educational programs before they get comfortable on government benefits”? as the NYT stated. Misdirection is currently being used to unknot the welfare state: for example in Denmark disability benefits are not available if you are under 40, welfare benefits will be a lot stricter if you are under 30 and so on.

Misdirection is also used in France. Lately, public attention has been concentrated on two individuals: Nathalie Michaud who accosted the French president in the street to talk about her unemployment situation and Isabelle Maurer who made her case in front of the opposition party’s president. Both showed the whole country that being poor is not about being lazy – and one was later offered a job. Why do I say misdirection this time? Because the solution to poverty is not about finding a job for one individual who makes it to the front page. It is a structural problem, a symptom of a malfunctioning society that requires change in other policy areas.

So let’s unveil the trick, let’s shift the lights towards the real solutions – such as a better redistribution of wealth among all of us, better access to all goods and services for the benefit of all, a real action plan to eradicate poverty. We deserve better than magic – we want to end poverty.

Let’s engage!

Pierre Baussand, Director