I was reading an article today about the children from the slums of India who were in the movie Slumdog Millionaire. If you can believe what is reported, they are saying that the children are having a very difficult time re-adjusting to the slums after going to the Oscar ceremony then on to a trip to Disney World. That was not a surprise to me.
The little girl was quoted as saying that now that she has seen what is outside of her world, she wants a better life. She would at least like to have a bed to sleep in and live in a place where the air did not smell like poo. The children are still wearing the clothes they wore on Oscar night.
The little boy is reported to have been slapped around by his dad the other day because he refused to come out of his shack to be paraded about. Dad apologized saying he didn't know what had gotten into him and that he loves his son. He is frustrated because he feels his son should receive more money now and not have to wait until he is 18. Although the movie is paying for their education, the rest of the money is in a trust until they are 18 years old.
But maybe I am wrong, maybe they deserved the opportunity to celebrate with the rest of the cast since they were critical players in the whole movie process. Could be that since they have experienced life outside of the slums, it will motivate them to work hard and to achieve their goals.
Either way, it will only be in hindsight before they will know what would have been best for them.
The little girl was quoted as saying that now that she has seen what is outside of her world, she wants a better life. She would at least like to have a bed to sleep in and live in a place where the air did not smell like poo. The children are still wearing the clothes they wore on Oscar night.
The little boy is reported to have been slapped around by his dad the other day because he refused to come out of his shack to be paraded about. Dad apologized saying he didn't know what had gotten into him and that he loves his son. He is frustrated because he feels his son should receive more money now and not have to wait until he is 18. Although the movie is paying for their education, the rest of the money is in a trust until they are 18 years old.
The whole story gave me a feeling of despair. Those poor kids. To be uprooted and taken for a fantasy trip beyond their imaginations must have been just more than they could process. And then after living the high life for a few days, they are sent back to the slums. At least before they didn't realize what they are missing to the extent that they do now. I am thinking that it would have been better to leave them to their life and not to have taken them to the Oscars. The let
down of going back to the slums maybe more than they can re- adjust to.
down of going back to the slums maybe more than they can re- adjust to.
But maybe I am wrong, maybe they deserved the opportunity to celebrate with the rest of the cast since they were critical players in the whole movie process. Could be that since they have experienced life outside of the slums, it will motivate them to work hard and to achieve their goals.
Either way, it will only be in hindsight before they will know what would have been best for them.
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6 comments:
I cannot imagine how horrid that would be -- to see so clearly and to experience wealth and then be forced to return to squalor and live there.
We were talking about this the other day -- how the Oscars and awards shows like it are exercises in ostentatious excess. Wouldn't it make much more sense to take the cost and give it to people who are hungry? I'm not saying do away with the awards: they could still have a modest ceremony, but the cost of one 'goody bag' given to attendees, could easily feed a family of five for a week in that very slum.
Piggy backing on Kathy's comment, what if they had taken the money they spent on travel and clothes and helped the families relocate? And helped them get education and / or jobs? Just wondering.
This sounds like a subject worthy of another movie.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss. It's a sad commentary on our world - that the Oscars are more important than the children's real lives.
I thought I read that the children and their families were being given houses. I hope I'm right. I just finished a book, Shining Hero by Sara Banerji, that also takes place in the Indian slums. Very interesting book and thought-provoking.
The real problem of course, is that these children are just four of about four-hundred million children living in India in extreme poverty. I am sure that most of those children are aware that many of the rst of the world are living a less toxic life. They see the Mercedes drive by.
But to help the poor we would have to tax the rich, and that never seems to happen to any point at which the rich notice a change in their life-style.
Are you willing to donate 45% of your income? Would you if everyone else did?
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