The One With Prosperity

There is a mini-series that started on RTE a couple of weeks ago called "Prosperity". It consists of four episodes and tells the story of four different people living in North Dublin, in the poorest areas of Dublin. Basically, their stories are told in the shadow of irony cast by the series' title, to contradict the dubious prosperity of Irish society today and show that in spite of the wealth, the economic growth, the ceaseless spending, the nice cars and expensive houses, there are people wallowing in poverty and self destruction behind the scenes. But just how reliable is it, really?


People are struggling financially in Ireland as they do in any other country. It's a given and undisputed fact because people, especially the current and future materialistic generations, seem to have an innate tendency to strive to live outside their means. But that aside, the quality of life this country has to offer (if you're legal in it, that is) is second to very few (according to most universal polls, less than a handful). The amount of money spent on social welfare in Ireland, next to amounts spent in other countries is enormous. For a country as young as it is and considering the ruined financial state in which Ireland received its long-overdue independence, the manner in which it handled improving the lives of its citizens and how far it's come is exceptional at best. In fact, I think it's safe to say Ireland has given these people far too much; so much they are now taking advantage of it and keep wanting more and more; to make things worse, thinking the country *owes* it to them. This is where Prosperity comes into the picture.


I have seen a couple of episodes, and the scripts of the remaining two that are yet to be aired I have already read online. I have nothing to say against its quality because I actually find it to be very good, but I have a lot to say against the message it supposedly attempts to convene. It is flawed and misleading. And as a person who loves this country, I believe it deserves better. People who live in Ireland should know better than to take Prosperity for what it is, but people who live abroad don't, and that is the problem. Is this mini-series does leak abroad, it might (in fact, it will) send a very misleading impression. And no, I don't think I'm biased. I do think that I am realistic, and the people who wrote these scripts should have realized that they were dealing with one of the last situations to be purely either black or white. It's all shades of gray.


Apart from the story of the boy (Gavin), who is a child and his psychological state is largely attributed to the environment his parents (or lack thereof) created for him, the other three stories deal with adults (and mind that Gavin's story is in fact not restricted to "poor people". Indifferent, rude and neglectful parents may be rich too. The adults are a Nigerian asylum seeker (Pala), a middle-aged man (George) and a 17 year old single mother (Stacey). Now let's briefly review their cases:


Pala is Nigerian but has all the rights needed to work and live in this country, plus English is supposed to be her native tongue so the language barrier is removed. And yet, she is on welfare and holds a part-time unreliable job as a cleaner with barely any pay and reflects upon the possibility of prostitution. Needing money, she cheats it out of her welfare officer and pointlessly battles to get her 10 year old son to Ireland, growing more and more aggravated at her situation. She doesn't like what Ireland has to offer. But here is the question – just what does Ireland owe her? There is no way any country would allow her to bring her son over if she can't even (and makes no visible effort) take care of herself. She has been in the country for 2 years and still made no effort to find a decent job and rent a decent place, although nothing is stopping her. Instead she is perfectly content demanding privileges from the government. Work in Ireland, especially in Dublin, in literally lining the streets. Even the most basic employment, in the retail or food sector, will put her up in a rented place in the nicer part of town and cover her bills as well as put her financial struggles to an end, which altogether will make her more eligible to apply for family reunification. And yet she wallows in self pity and makes no effort.


George is Irish. He lives with his mother, whom he treats like dirt even though she always tries to help; he takes money from his son; he is a lazy layabout who openly thinks the government owes him money and when he is asked to enter a training program that will help him to find work, he makes a conscious choice not to. He passes the days taking money from anyone and everyone and drinking it away, literally sitting on his ass.


Stacey is a young girl from a broken home, yet she is also an adult. She is a single mother to a baby girl named Lorna. Lorna's father is of course, absent, but occasionally pops in their lives to use Stacey when he sees fit. While in any other given country, she could be thrown out on the street, she lives in a state-provided B&B, which although admittedly is nothing to write home about, is at least a bed and a roof over her head. She too sits of welfare and does nothing all day, but continuously demands to be provided with a government flat. She has an adult sister who although refuses to watch Lorna in order for her to go and fuck her fella, would clearly do that if Stacey had an actual reason, such as a job. She is a good, clean, girl. She doesn't do drugs, doesn't drink, she is the best mother she can be under the given circumstances. And yet, she is willingly wasting her life away. Like Pala and George, she waits and complains for better life to be handed to her and refuses to work to get it. So is it Ireland's fault or hers?


I think you can now understand why this series frustrates me so much. The poor lives and bleak circumstances of these people are not created by Ireland and have nothing to do with "prosperity". They are utterly and completely self-made. These people made their choices and are completely responsible for their lives. The state, on its part, is trying to help them far more than they deserve, yet they do nothing to help themselves, thinking the country owes them a better life. I think, if anything, this series shows how Ireland's prosperity backfires in her face, and its not at all a pretty picture.

Mood: Disappointed
Listening to: Gingersol - Never Noticed