Using "poor" to caption first-class seats and luxury brands
Criticism grows over "gamifying" poverty and ignoring real suffering
As the so-called 'Poverty Challenge' spreads across social networking services (SNS), posts in which people flaunt their wealth while ironically describing themselves as 'poor' are facing criticism for making light of poverty. Critics point out that these posts turn the real weight and pain of poverty into self-deprecating jokes, ignoring its harsh realities.
Recently, on platforms such as Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), posts featuring the phrase "this miserable poverty" alongside displays of expensive consumption have been appearing one after another. For example, some users post photos of themselves in first-class airplane seats with the caption "this miserable poverty," or take photos of luxury car smart keys next to simple meals like gimbap and ramen, adding comments such as "When will I ever escape this poverty?"
There are also posts featuring photos of luxury brand purchases with similar captions, or revealing spacious living rooms adorned with expensive artwork, accompanied by statements like "All I have are a few paintings." While these posts appear to be self-deprecating about poverty on the surface, in reality, they are an indirect way of flaunting economic affluence.
As this 'Poverty Challenge' spreads rapidly online, the reaction has been cold. Internet users who have seen these posts have criticized them, saying, "Can poverty really be a subject for jokes or trends?", "If they had just shown off their wealth, I might have been envious, but this is simply offensive," and "No matter how trendy it is, there are lines that should not be crossed."
The core of the criticism is that the real pain and social context of poverty have been erased. The actual problems that accompany poverty have disappeared, and only the word 'poverty' remains, consumed as a meme.
Singer and actor Kim Dongwan commented on his SNS, "Calling this a self-deprecating joke seems more like turning someone else's deprivation into a prop," and added, "Poverty is an emotion that is difficult to joke about. There are things you simply cannot say for the sake of humor, and certain portrayals should be avoided."
In addition, a line from author Park Wanseo's short story 'Stolen Poverty' is being referenced again: "I didn't realize that having only impressive academic backgrounds and careers wasn't enough for them, so they wanted to steal poverty to add another colorful episode to their already colorful lives." Many are saying this line perfectly describes the current 'Poverty Challenge.'
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