We use unconscious “frames” or “images” to think about most issues in our lives, and it makes a big difference which of the available frames we choose. For instance, talking about our healthcare system as “undernourished” leads to very different policies from talking about it as “broken.” It’s useful to look at the frames we employ, especially around social and political issues, to see whether they are still serving us well.
Two contrary images or frames are widely used in relation to poverty in New Zealand. The first, “Life is a race” means there will inevitably be winners and losers – and poor people make up the families who’ve come in last. That image views us as individuals and assumes that everyone is running on the same level track.
If, however, you view us all as “a family” or “a community”, the emphasis will be on ensuring the wellbeing of every member, making sure no-one is disadvantaged. Imagining the wealth of the country as “a cake” allows a valuable perspective on poverty: The fact that 1% of the population has a 21% slice of the wealth has been widely discussed. Less often mentioned is that the top 10% own almost 60% of the wealth, while the next 40% own just 40% (which seems pretty fair?), and, surely shocking, that the bottom 50% have just one percent of the wealth cake.
While most people would say between 2% and 5% are really poor in this country, the reality is that 50% have so little in reserve that they are at risk of .
