Poverty is common problem worldwide, that is often touched on but nobody ever finds the underlying cause of it to properly eradicate it. Rutger Bregman, one of Europe’s most prominent young thinkers, shows his audience what poverty truly is and how it can be solved. He explains the misconceptions about the poor, as people would normally think that “there’s something wrong with them.” Poverty can affect anyone from any background or place. People can work as hard as they want but that does not change how more obstacles are constantly thrown back at them. It does not make them pathetic or any less of a human being. So, they shouldn't be treated as less than everyone else. Bregman brings up the concept of guaranteed income to boost everybody over the poverty line. The idea sounds expensive and possibly far-fetched, but he uses various scientific experiments and well-known books to show how effective this plan could be.
Bregman primarily makes use of logos in his talk, but also includes ethos and pathos. He provides a myriad of facts to convince his audience of his points. He explains that people involved with a guaranteed income experiment “had not only become richer but also smarter and healthier. The school performance of kids improved substantially. The hospitalization rate decreased by as much as 8.5 percent. Domestic violence incidents were down, as were mental health complaints. And people didn't quit their jobs.” (9:05) This proves to his viewers that the concept of guaranteed income not only brings people out of poverty, but improves their lives overall. Bregman also tells them that guaranteed income would not be as expensive as poverty, comparing the cost to that of child poverty in the United States. The cost of child poverty in the US is approximately five hundred billion a year, and the cost of guaranteed income, according to economists, would be less than half of that. “For a net cost of 175 billion -- a quarter of US military spending, one percent of GDP -- you could lift all impoverished Americans above the poverty line. You could actually eradicate poverty. Now, that should be our goal. “ (11:00) If the facts were not enough to convince his viewers, his use of ethos was. Bregman mentions, “I'm a historian. And if history teaches us anything, it is that things could be different.” Being a historian means that Bregman must know what he is talking about on the subject, since many people say that history repeats itself, so similar problems arise as well as solutions for them. Considering the poverty rate in America, Bregman’s ideas would give everyone an equal chance that they do not have now due to a “lack of cash.” Guaranteed income gets people out of poverty into the success that many strive for as a part of the American Dream. Health, education, and overall happiness would improve significantly. It wouldn't only benefit the lives of those who struggle, but also the middle and higher classes. Living a life without poverty is a right that all people deserve. Everybody should have the same opportunities as others, no matter what hand they were given in life. This is my favorite of the Ted Talks because I feel like Bregman effectively uses rhetoric to reveal to others what poverty really is, how it can be solved, and how important it is to focus our efforts on it. I’ve lived in poverty for most of my life and seen how it has also affected family and friends around me. Being poor only brings a life of constant stress and anxiety. Bregman shows people that we cannot use the same failed methods to fix things or we will not make any progress. Getting rid of poverty would help everyone so that they have the ability to be happy, creative, and innovative, so that we can all push society in a better direction. |