Abstract

The Tyranny of Charity

The article presents information about the coal county of East Kentucky in the summer of 1965; about the tragedy of that country and its people, and to the shame, acknowledged or not, of what some still like to call the American way of life. The article gives the example of a furniture maker who earns his living by his profession but also depends on the aid given by the government for the poor of the region. But having established, and given extravagant publicity to the necessarily superficial expedient of feeding the hungry, the government seems to be doing little to bring about the economic health of the region. It can be said, in fact, that the government is tacitly abetting the further gutting of the region by the coal companies.