10/15/2008
Distributism – A Third Response to Poverty
Today is Blog Action Day 2008, and the topic is a most serious one – poverty. With dark economic clouds descending, this topic, unfortunately, couldn’t be more apt.
Haves and Have-Nots
The cartoon above is one I created around the words of G.K. Chesterton. Chesterton was an Englishman of the early 20th century, a brilliant journalist, essayist, novelist, and poet. He held very definite views on wealth, poverty, and the horrors that befall a society when the gap between the two is great.
While the divide between rich and poor in the U.S. is not nearly so extreme as what Chesterton experienced in England in the immediate aftermath of the Industrial Revolution, if you look at the situation worldwide, it is worse.
A Cure for Poverty – Distributism
Chesterton developed and tried to popularize a socio-economic theory called Distributism, which he and others believed would right the wrongs inflicted on the masses by an extreme imbalance between rich and poor. Distributism holds that -
- All people should own property and the means of production
- Property (wealth) should be divided as evenly as possible
Distributism is a “third way” between socialism and capitalism. With socialism, the goal is an even distribution of wealth, but with government ownership. In capitalism, the goal is every man for himself, but with wealth being in the hands of the people. In Chesterton’s time, both socialism and capitalism were producing horrific human suffering without seeming to provide basic economic necessities to the majority of citizens within their respective realms.
Have things changed very much?
Distributism never gained much traction in its day. For one thing, the theory was thought to be unprogressive – a return to the medieval guild system Chesterton loved so much. Its roots in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church may not have helped, either – anti-Catholic sentiment lingered in England and many other industrialized nations.
Yet I believe distributism deserves another look. The environmental movement, which does have traction, encourages local production of human necessities, very much in line with distributist thinking. Entrepreneurship and small business perhaps have more political clout today than ever, partly because they work, and party because the excesses of big business and big government have been exposed. (We can thank the Internet for that.) A fair amount of economic development in the Third World has come from courageous entrepreneurs who have stepped into the breach. Kiva and the micro-loan phenomenon demonstrate how effective this response to poverty can be.
There are no magic bullets for poverty, or any other problem for that matter. But economically speaking, our framework is broken. Clearly. Is distributism the answer? It may be at least part of the answer, and while its mechanics may need adjusting, its heart is definitely in the right place.
Further Reading
What’s Wrong with the World, by G.K. Chesterton
The Servile State, by Hilaire Belloc
Rerum Novarum, Encyclical by Pope Leo XIII on Capital and Labor
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29 Responses to Distributism – A Third Response to Poverty
Brad, we definitely need to find a third way. Interesting that you mention the environment – sustainable development is a model that aims to look at social, economic and environmental problems in the round, as the only way to try and find solutions that will work both now and in the long term.
Have to confess I don’t know anything about Chesterton’s work but will add this to the (long) list of things to learn more about.
Joanna
Joanna Youngs last blog post..Words That Make A Difference: Blog Action Day 2008
Hi Joanna, I think you would like Chesterton. If you’re really interested, I might be able to suggest a good starting point. But I’m glad you agree with my thesis. A society based on how many plasma TV’s a person owns cannot survive economically or morally.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Do You Have a Pet Phrase?
I dunno, Brad. I still believe Capitalism is fundamentally a sound system, while Socialism is fundamentally flawed. I know very little of Chesterton’s work, but Distributism doesn’t really sound much different from Socialism to me.
Oh, sure; Capitalism has it’s share of problems; anyone can see that. But the truth is, in this world, no system is, or even can be, perfect.
I believe the real problem lies not in the system but in the human heart. That’s what really holds the key to the solution. And there’s where the focus needs to be to solve it.
Honestly, I think that’s where the power of Blog Action Day really is. It’s a focus on the hearts of listeners.
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Robert, actually you may have stated my case better than I did. The problem with capitalism has a lot to do with heart. The “invisible hand” is amoral. So while capitalism has positive economic attributes, its societal and cultural impact is questionable. Distributism, in contrast, has a spiritual and moral basis. Don’t get me wrong – capitalism has brought enormous prosperity to the world. What I’m trying to say is we need an economic model with more heart.
Hi Brad, what a great post! I am familiar with Chesterton and the roots of distributism can be found in the Bible. It is an idea that I wish would take root. While the gap in the US is not as severe it is growing but as you noted when viewed in global terms, it is astounding. I am astounded that people die of hunger not because the world does not produce enough food but simply because there is no access to it. That horrifies me. Yet, I have also seen how the efforts of individuals make such a huge difference (like Kiva). Wow, this post really fired up my thoughts. Great job Brad!
Karen Swims last blog post..Blog Action Day 2008 – Poverty
Karen, Thank you, and I’m so glad you are energized. This day is turning out to have that effect on me and I think many people.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Distributism – A Third Response to Poverty
Hi Brad, your cartoon depicting Chesterton’s words so well, helps me perceive poverty in a new way. Thanks for bringing your rich talent to the theme of poverty for Blog Action Day.
Economic poverty is devastating, and I can see your heart for social justice reflected in your work here.
Thanks for a thought-provoking piece.
Robyn McMasters last blog post..Education – Power to Fight Inner City Poverty – Blog Action Day
Robyn, A picture says 1000 words, but I’m happy if my cartoon says a handful. Thank you again for all your wonderful support.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Distributism – A Third Response to Poverty
Wow – Brad, what an amazing example of how we can use our own unique talents to spread awareness of poverty’s problem, and greed’s horrors! Thanks for the terrific cartoon, and the inspiring message that follows. Looks like we share yet another wish for the local and global community. Cool!
ellen webers last blog post..Men are Logical, Women are Emotional
You deserve much support when you share the riches of your gifts and talents, Brad. Thanks.
Robyns last blog post..Education – Power to Fight Inner City Poverty – Blog Action Day
Hi Ellen – really glad the cartoon resonates with you. If you or anybody else wants to use it, please feel free!
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Distributism – A Third Response to Poverty
Thanks Brad! If I use I’ll make sure your name is at the center as artist!
ellen webers last blog post..10 Marks of Mental Poverty on Blog Action Day
Brad
I have been on both sides of the fence. And I never blamed anyone when I was poor and never took credit when I was rich.
The blame that goes on in regard to poverty is shameful. I appreciate your thoughts.
David
http://www.redletterbelievers.blogspot.com
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Hi Brad – I like the idea of distributism. A middle ground between capitalism and socialism would be brilliant. I like the idea of helping people to help themselves, rather than giving them a temporary solution, or ignoring them completely.
I guess that is what Kiva is all about – and the people who receive the loans can do so much with very little money.
David, Thank you for sharing your ideas and experiences here at Word Sell. Lots of finger pointing these days and it’s getting us nowhere.
Cath, Kiva is very much in the spirit of distributism, at least as I understand it. It seems to be working, too, which is encouraging. Maybe Chesterton & co. were ahead of their time.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Distributism – A Third Response to Poverty
Very thoughtprovoking – thanks Brad. I have been looking at Kiva and like the idea. And indeed – according to the website’s stories – it does seem to be working. Worth watching.
Jackie Camerons last blog post..Word of the week – stress
Jackie, Kiva will probably get quite a boost from Blog Action Day. It’ll be interesting to track the results of all that posting that went on.
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Brad,
I’m not certain whether or not whether I understand what you describe correctly or not, but the principles outlined in your post seem to be similar to those which are described in the Freedom Charter in South Africa in 1955.
This was essentially the key policy document which outlined the core principles for which the ANC and other groups struggled during the fight against arpathied.
The document outlined ten core principles which specified equal treatment and unity in society. Amongst them were the principles that “the people shall govern,” “the people shall share in the country’s wealth,” and “the land shall be shared amongst those who work it.”
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Hi Andrew, Sorry I am not familiar with that Charter at all. Chesterton often used the European peasant society as an illustration of distributism, where families owned their land and homes and took care of their economic needs locally. The family was the basic economic and social unit. Of course today “property” can be in the form of real estate or a hundred other things, such as shares of stock.
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Dear Brad,
It is wonderful to see how Distributism has grown across the web. For many, Distributism seems to be the cataylst for those progressives and conservatives who have much in common and are looking for a third way.
For some of your readers who may be aware of the great work of economist E.F. Schumacher, they may be interested to know how deeply Distributism had an impact on him and other organisations such as the Mondragon Cooperative in Spain.
We have just begun a non-profit, The Society for Distributism, and our first event will be debating Michael Novak and Dr. Charles Clark on April 4th, at Nassau Community College, Long Island, New York.
If you don’t mind shameless links, might I refer your readers to:
http://www.distributist.blogspot.com – an archive on Distributist literature.
and
http://www.distributism.blogspot.com – a blog on the economic model.
Richard Alemans last blog post..Democrats for Life: November Newsletter
Hi Richard, It’s good to hear that Distributism is alive and well. We need it today more than ever. Thank you for providing these excellent links.
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Dear Mr. Shorr,
Looks like Richard beat me to it on those two good Distributist links.
But there are also two others I wish to bring up.
One is “The Distributist Voice”, covering events in America and elsewhere from the Distributist standpoint – http://www.distributistvoice.blogspot.com
The other is the Distributism Yahoo Group, where there are very good and involved discussions on Distributism in regards to labor, monetary policy, agriculture, trade, government affairs, defense of the traditional family and so on.
And you’ll find the archive in “The ChesterBelloc Mandate” blog a Fort Knox of information and education, to say the least.
Many, many thanks for your interest in this alternative to capitalism and socialism. And many thanks for your time and attention.
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Hello Roy, (Hope that’s OK; please call me Brad) -
“The Distributive Voice” looks fascinating – thank you so much for bringing it our attention. One of the reasons I’ve been tinkering with Chesterton cartoons is to find a way to help Distributism go “mainstream”. Feel free to use the cartoon from this post if it helps. It’s encouraging to learn there’s a Yahoo Group devoted to the cause – is the membership growing?
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Thankfully, it is. I’ve been it’s moderator since 2002. We are now up to 165 members so far, thanks be to God.
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Brad-
This is terrfic and thanks for giving permission to reprint it which I am doing in the Christmas edition of Common Sense. I will send you a copy asap.
Keep up the great wrok and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Tom
Hi Tom, Look forward to seeing it – thanks! It’s good to see an active online Distributist community. Merry Christmas.
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