Dorothy Day: Communist Why Poor
on Friday, November 8, 2019Dorothy Day Money Quote saying simply giving food to people in need is seen as a godly thing, but wanting to solve the poverty is suspect. Dorothy Day said:
“If you feed the poor, you’re a saint. If you ask why they’re poor, you’re a Communist” — Dorothy Day
Share the Dorothy Day Money quote image above on your site:
Short Link to this Quote:
In this quote, Dorothy Day was criticizing how society views helping the poor. She meant that if you directly help poor people by feeding them, you will be seen as a saint. However, if you try to analyze and address the root causes of poverty through things like social or economic reform, some people may accuse you of being a communist. Day was pointing out a double standard where direct charity is praised but systemic solutions are more controversial. She appeared to believe both charity and seeking reforms were needed to truly help the poor.
Some have considered wanting to solve poverty as being suspect because it could be seen as having communist sympathies or motivations. In the 1950s during the Red Scare in the United States, communism was heavily criticized and seen as a threat. Day’s point was that simply providing direct aid to those in need, like food or shelter, was less controversial than trying to analyze and address the root societal and economic causes of poverty, which could more easily be misconstrued as promoting communist ideals.
Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist and Catholic convert who founded the Catholic Worker Movement.