Dumping: a metaphor for plunder

Haitians surround a truck at a rubbish dump in Port-au-Prince to scavenge recyclable items to use or sell. Under neoliberal policies, waste management in the plundered countries is completely neglected & they’ve become dumping grounds for the plundering regimes. (Somali pirating was a response to foreign vessels dumping toxic waste in their fishing waters.) This scene of impoverished peoples reduced to scavenging is documented in dozens of countries across the globe. In Haiti, the crime is magnified to the nth degree since millions & millions of dollars were donated for earthquake relief, 10,000 NGOs operate there, awards are being dished out right & left to movie stars like Sean Penn & reprobates like Clinton for humanitarian service to Haiti. So why are a million people still living in pup tents & reduced to scavenging? This isn’t just grand larceny. It is a crime of colossal proportions & it is an attempt to break the spirit of the Haitian people. No need to donate money to the black hole of earthquake relief but there are Haitian solidarity groups around the world to support the Haitian people in getting the US, the 10,000 NGOS, & all other predators out of their country. (Photo by Spencer Platt)