Slavoj Zizek: Less than nothing

Just started to read Slavoj Zizeks' book Less Than Nothing (2012). A book about Hegel and dialectical materialism and consists of 1000 pages. Who is this Slavoj Zizek? The coverpage says that he "was born, writes books, and will die". That didn't help much. My first question as I read the title is if it is possible to be a Hegelian today? I see that Zizek has offered a whole chapter for this question. Zizek not only believes we should not only return to Hegel and read his works, but "repeat and exceed his triumphs, overcoming his limitations by being even more Hegelian than the master himself" (coverpage). I must say that I have a major emotional and ideological resistance when I open this hugh book. Maybe it will give me an intellectual struggle more than I can take? I open the book, put my nose between page 594 and 595 and smell the pages. The book smells good. That's a good start. I love the smell of new books. OK, now I can start reading. I'm ready Zizek. Ready for "less than nothing".

 Kaare T. Pettersen

Reference:
Zizek, Slavoj (2012). Less Than Nothing. Hegel and the Shadow of Dialectical Materialism. London: Verso.

Brazil and inequality

Brazil is renowned for  being the world champion in overall income inequality. This inequality is the root of nearly all of Brazil's major social problems, including its poverty, poor health and education systems, high rates of crime, and the lack of social and political integration of the majority of the population. The fact that black and brown men earn 40 to 50 percent of white men in Brazil, while black men earn 75 percent of white men in the USA, reflects the great income inequality.

The top 10 percent of Brazilians earn incomes worth 52 percent of total income of all Brazilians. South Africa has the second most unequal structure among large countries, in which the top 10 percent of South African earners control 47 percent of the country's total income. In the USA, the top 10 percent control 25 percent of the country's total income. This high rate of poverty, coupled with a sizable number of persons in the top rung, reflects the status of Brazil and South Africa as the two most unequal large countries in the world.

In Brazil, South Africa and the USA, whites tend to be concentrated near the top and blacks near the bottom, although the differences in racial distribution vary. Racial inequality in Brazil derives mostly from the near absence of nonwhites in the middle class and above, rather that the absence of whites among the poor.

In a study carried out by Lopes in 1989, he found out that 50 percent of all black and brown households in Brazil are poor in 1989, compared to only 22 percent of white households. Poverty is here understood as the minimum income needed to satisfy all of the basic need of an individual, including food, access to schools, health services, water, and sanitation.

By 1980, Brazil has become the seventh-largest economy in the capitalist world. Brazil's high income is largely the result of the top 5 or 10 percent earning much more than the rest. Since the 1950's, Brazil has experienced termendous economic growth, making it one of the worlds largest industrial economies in the world. Brazil has grown from a rural to an urban society.

Kaare T. Pettersen

Reference:
Telles, Edward E. (2004) Race in Another America. The Significance of Skin Color in Brazil. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Foto taken by Kaare T. Pettersen during a visit to Rio de Janeiro in 2012

Clínica da Família Cantagalo Pavão Pavãozinho - A fantastic health clinic in Rio de Janeiro

Gert Ferreira Wimmer

During my stay in Rio de Janeiro in November 2013, I was fortunate enough to visit a family health clinic called Clínica da Família Cantagalo Pavão Pavãozinho. The clinic gives health and social services to two neighboring poor living areas (favellas) called Cantagalo and Pavão Pavãozinho. I work myself as a Associate Professor at the Department for Health and Social Studies at Oestfold University College in Norway, and for me this was a great opportunity to learn more about health and social services in Brazil. My expectations were not disappointed. On the contrary! This was a highly qualified clinic under the professional leadership of Gert Ferreira Wimmer. He impressed me not only with his high academic level but most of all with his commitment to serve the people of Cantagalo and Pavão Pavãozinho. Rio de Janeiro show be proud of this commited leader and the Clínica da Família Cantagalo Pavão Pavãozinho.




One of the lectures I give to my students in Norway is about The Art of Helping where I quote the Danish Philosopher Søren Kierkegaard:

The clinic leader Gert Ferrira Wimmer at work

"If one is truly to succeed in leading a person to a specific place, one must first and foremost take care to find him where he is and begin there. 

This is the secret in the entire art of helping. Anyone who cannot do this is himself under a delusion if he thinks he is able to help someone else. In order truly to help someone else, I must understand more than he - but certainly first and foremost understand what he understands. If I do not do that, then my greatest understanding does not help him at all. If I nevertheless want to assert my greater understanding, then it is because I am vain or proud, then basically instead of benefiting him I really want to be admired by him. But all true helping begins with a humbling. The helper must first humble himself under the person he wants to help and thereby understand that to help is not to dominate but to serve, that to help is not to be the most dominating but the most patient, that to help is a willingness for the time being to put up with being in the wrong and not understand what the other understands." Soren Kierkegaard, [1855] 1962. Viewpoint of my Authorship. Copenhagen, Gyldendal, p.96-07.


Gert Wimmer and the family clinic lives up to this quoation perfectly. What he showed me during my stay at this fabious family clinic is how they really strive to find the other where the other is and start helping there. A typical Norwegian bureaucratic solution would be an office where people in need of help strive to find a helper. This clinic shows in practical work how it is possible to do what Kierkegaard says is the secret to the entire art of helping. The helper must find the one in need of help, not the other way around. His use of unbureacratic methods, by empowering people living in Cantagalo Pavão Pavãozinho which this clinic meets every day, and the use of untraditional methods really impressed me.

The clinic medical doctor José Luiz Roizenbruch and Kaare

 I told Gert that we in Norway, one of the riches countries in the world, have much to learn from this clinic and the way it is driven. We went so far in our meeting as to shake hands and committ ourselves to try to find a way in which we can cooperate in education of our health and social work students in Norway and having researchers from our University College cooperate with the highly qualified staff at the clinic in research projects. Two projects we discussed was sexual abuse and domestic violence. These are two topics we have advanced classes in at our University College and it would be wounderful to be able to cooperate in the production of new knowledge together with Gert and his staff. So we have started a cooperation and time will show if we are able to find a way to work and walk together. 

Gert, Kaare, Trond, Anne-Martha, Fabio, Jean and Åsne outside the clinic

Cantagalo Pavão Pavãozinho

Paintings on the wall in a Brazilian favella

I visited Rio de Janeiro in November 2013 and had a day where I had the pleasure of being guided around in several poor living areas. Such areas are called Favellas and there over 900 of them in Rio de Janeiro. I visited Cantagalo and Pavão-Pavãozinho. These two places were considered "war sones" for just a year ago. Drug gangs were at war with each other here and the situation was considered unstable. People were not adviced to visit these places without a guide who was well known. Now these favellas are much more safe. Drug gangs are driven out and the police have "pacified" the favellas.

Kaare together with Fabio Luiz Ferreira da Silva

One of the persons who showed me around was the public health worker Fabio Luiz Ferreira da Silva. He is born and raised in this area and now works here at a health clinic, helping the inhabitants making it through the day. Fabio told of friends and family members who were killed during the war between drug gangs and with the police. His story became very real when we stopped and Fabio said that right here were we stand now, so and so was shot dead. Living in this area must have been very unsafe before. I had the impression that Fabio knew every corner in the favella. We had to stop often so he could handshake with all the people he knew. I felt very safe walking around here with Fabio. All those I meet were friendly, had a smile to give and a warm handshake.They seemed proud and treated both myself and others with dignity. I wish to meet the people of Cantagalo and Pavão-Pavãozinho again soon. Thank you to Fabio for showing me around and thank you to Jean Carlos Håndlykke Luz and Åsne Håndlykke Luz for both introducing me to the health clinic here and to those who work here. They also helped in guiding us around in the favellas were they were well-known.

Cantagalo and Pavão-Pavãozinho in Rio de Janeiro

I took many pictures during my journey through the area. Something that was dangerous to do for just a year ago. Now, Fabio encouraged me to take pictures. I saw many pantings on the brick walls here. Painting made by those living in the favellas and they all have a story to tell. Here are some of the pictures I took of "Paintings on the wall in a Brazilian favella".

Kaare T. Pettersen