John F. Kennedy (via thinkprogress)

Great quote. It still feels relevant now. But there is one thing I wanted to point out: He did not mean the US-American poor. The quote is taken from his inaugural speech 1961: 

To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required — not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

Not only does this passage have a certain condescending neo-colonial tint, but it reminded me of the criticism of Obama’s speech toward Egypt and how he apparently does not direct the same criticism at his own country. This is all part of a (Western) trend to “other” things like poverty or civil rights abuses.  It’s the poor in Africa that need “our” help, the poor in New York just need to get off their asses and find a job. It’s those evil Arabs that commit police brutality, our own boys in blue are just enforcing the law and protecting their own. 

I do not want to compare poverty, police brutality etc. in country A versus country B. The countries are different and sure, on average, “we” in the West are better off and more democratic than other places (especially by our own definitions…) My point is simply this: It is always easier to criticize the Other than the Self.