Prima Raymond made a comment on my “Dan Pouri” post that prompted me to post a clarification that I think would be worth reading. I have reposted Prima’s comment and my response below. Thanks again! Any further comments and questions are welcomed and encouraged.
COMMENT
“I, too, am fond of Haitian proverbs and the aforementioned happened to be one of my favorite as well. I wanted to congratulate you on your initiative to stand on behalf of those who are less fortunate (the restavec)… way to go! However, I am not in total agreement with you… you believe that the ‘restavec’ are being exploited by the poor people (dan pouri), but I certainly believe that most Haitians will tell you otherwise. The restavec are the children of the ‘dan pouri,’ they are from poor families. Their parents cannot take care of them, which is why they are often given to the ‘gran neg’ in hope of a better life. In other words, ‘Gran neg’ are the ones using the restavec (Sixto, Maurice ‘Ti Santaniz’). I, on the other hand, agree that your article clearly demonstrates the truthfulness of another well known Haitian proverb:’tout sa ki pa bon sanble malere’.”
–Prima S. Raymond
RESPONSE
Thanks for your comment, and you are right. The restavecs are the children of the poor, but we have also witnessed a phenomenon in which the lower class (those who are not destitute poor, but not quite “gran neg”) also have restavecs. This is mostly a result of the centralization of education and economics in Port-au-prince. This makes just about anyone in Port-au-prince better off than a poor person who lives far from such opportunities. All restavecs are at risk for abuse, neglect and exploitation, but it seems that the children placed in these lower class homes are the ones who almost definitely will not find a better life away from home. The families who have them have little to offer, even if they wanted to. I know that the restavec system began as a benefit for “gran neg,” and it probably still rests mainly among them, but I was using this proverb to explain the strange phenomenon of the poor exploiting the poorer. I also wouldn’t say that “dan pouri” only refers to the poor and the weak who exploit the poorer and the weaker. I think that the proverb really says that wherever a power dynamic can be found, big or small, it is not surprising to find people exploiting the situation. People will wield power over nearly whomever they can. For the poor, its the poorer. For the rich, it’s just about anyone. For adults… well… everyone can wield power over children. The fact that this can be defined as a “power dynamic” and the fact that it is a dynamic that is readily exploited are the saddest facts of all. This in a nation where people commonly suffer from “crise chef” (crisis of power hunger) makes the problem volatile.
–J. G. Bataille, Jr.
FURTHER COMMENTARY
First, I never claimed to be an expert on this subject, and I know that I am not (which is why I really appreciate feedback and other people’s opinions). Second, having been raised in the Middle-of-Nowhere, Ohio, far from any Haitians other than my immediate family, I am not really an expert on Haitian culture. This blog is not an expert’s blog. I am just one man trying to make sense of what I see before me. I guess what I wanted to suggest by explaining what I defined as a “disastrous recipe” (the constant vie for power + children serving adults rather than the reverse) is that perhaps the problem does not lie only in the hearts of the rich who maintain their elite status by exploiting the poor. Perhaps the problem is in the heart of many Haitians who, for whatever reason, will do whatever they can to avoid being the bottom rung of the power hierarchy. I don’t say this to say that we have major, inherent cultural and social flaws. I often play devils advocate for myself, and when I think about the reasoning from the other end I can understand why people would be fighting for some control in a country where your life is largely controlled, advanced, or inhibited by a number of factors that are waaay beyond your control. This is true whether you are rich or poor, powerful or weak (for one good example just ask me how many meetings that have been canceled this week by traffic jams). Everyone wants a handle on their own life, whether it be a rich man trying to efficiently do business or a poor man that is simply trying to avoid being trampled at the bottom of the social ladder. I can understand that and I won’t judge it. But what is still hard to understand is how and why children, the weakest of the weak, end up with the worst case of exploitation in this power struggle.
“Dan Pouri” Comment
7 03 2009Prima Raymond made a comment on my “Dan Pouri” post that prompted me to post a clarification that I think would be worth reading. I have reposted Prima’s comment and my response below. Thanks again! Any further comments and questions are welcomed and encouraged.
COMMENT
RESPONSE
Thanks for your comment, and you are right. The restavecs are the children of the poor, but we have also witnessed a phenomenon in which the lower class (those who are not destitute poor, but not quite “gran neg”) also have restavecs. This is mostly a result of the centralization of education and economics in Port-au-prince. This makes just about anyone in Port-au-prince better off than a poor person who lives far from such opportunities. All restavecs are at risk for abuse, neglect and exploitation, but it seems that the children placed in these lower class homes are the ones who almost definitely will not find a better life away from home. The families who have them have little to offer, even if they wanted to. I know that the restavec system began as a benefit for “gran neg,” and it probably still rests mainly among them, but I was using this proverb to explain the strange phenomenon of the poor exploiting the poorer. I also wouldn’t say that “dan pouri” only refers to the poor and the weak who exploit the poorer and the weaker. I think that the proverb really says that wherever a power dynamic can be found, big or small, it is not surprising to find people exploiting the situation. People will wield power over nearly whomever they can. For the poor, its the poorer. For the rich, it’s just about anyone. For adults… well… everyone can wield power over children. The fact that this can be defined as a “power dynamic” and the fact that it is a dynamic that is readily exploited are the saddest facts of all. This in a nation where people commonly suffer from “crise chef” (crisis of power hunger) makes the problem volatile.
–J. G. Bataille, Jr.
FURTHER COMMENTARY
First, I never claimed to be an expert on this subject, and I know that I am not (which is why I really appreciate feedback and other people’s opinions). Second, having been raised in the Middle-of-Nowhere, Ohio, far from any Haitians other than my immediate family, I am not really an expert on Haitian culture. This blog is not an expert’s blog. I am just one man trying to make sense of what I see before me. I guess what I wanted to suggest by explaining what I defined as a “disastrous recipe” (the constant vie for power + children serving adults rather than the reverse) is that perhaps the problem does not lie only in the hearts of the rich who maintain their elite status by exploiting the poor. Perhaps the problem is in the heart of many Haitians who, for whatever reason, will do whatever they can to avoid being the bottom rung of the power hierarchy. I don’t say this to say that we have major, inherent cultural and social flaws. I often play devils advocate for myself, and when I think about the reasoning from the other end I can understand why people would be fighting for some control in a country where your life is largely controlled, advanced, or inhibited by a number of factors that are waaay beyond your control. This is true whether you are rich or poor, powerful or weak (for one good example just ask me how many meetings that have been canceled this week by traffic jams). Everyone wants a handle on their own life, whether it be a rich man trying to efficiently do business or a poor man that is simply trying to avoid being trampled at the bottom of the social ladder. I can understand that and I won’t judge it. But what is still hard to understand is how and why children, the weakest of the weak, end up with the worst case of exploitation in this power struggle.