«Un manifiesto que nos invita a dejar atr s la inercia, los mitos que discriminan, y la falsa neutralidad frente a las ra ces de la desigualdad. -PATRICIA MERCADO, senadora de la Rep blica M xico y el resto de Latinoam rica son sociedades sumamente desiguales. Pero tambi n son sociedades que creen fervientemente en los mitos de la narrativa meritocr tica y, en gran medida, perciben dichas desigualdades como leg timas. El problema no es solo que exista la meritocracia, sino los efectos morales y subjetivos perversos que provoca. Bajo esa narrativa se cree que cada quien recibe lo que merece: que el pobre es pobre porque quiere y que el rico es rico por talentoso y trabajador. En este libro M ximo E. Jaramillo Molina --doctor en Sociolog a y creador del proyecto Gatitos contra la Desigualdad-- detalla c mo la narrativa meritocr tica resulta funcional para legitimar la extrema acumulaci n a la par de la pobreza extrema. A lo largo de siete cap tulos el autor busca desmontar los distintos mitos --«los pobres son pobres porque quieren , «con esfuerzo y talento cualquiera puede volverse millonario , «el patriarcado y el racismo no existen, se trata de clasismo , «la educaci n te sacar de pobre , «los j venes prefieren no tener viviendas , «los programas sociales hacen dependientes del gobierno a sus beneficiarios -- que sostienen la narrativa meritocr tica en sociedades con desigualdad extrema y creciente, como la mexicana. Pobres porque quieren es un llamado a derrumbar esta narrativa que ha hecho que las personas se creen una visi n individualista del mundo, olvidando que los logros de cada quien son resultados colectivos y de su contexto. Este libro es una argumentaci n profunda a favor de que en M xico no hay pobres porque as lo quieran: hay pobreza porque hay riqueza descomunal; hay opresi n, dominaci n y explotaci n, y esto, nos dice el autor, tiene que quedarnos claro para exigir cambios transformativos en nuestra sociedad. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION "A manifesto urging us to overcome inertia, discard discriminatory myths, and reject false neutrality in the face of deep-seated inequality." PATRICIA MERCADO, Mexican Senator Mexico and the rest of Latin America are sharply unequal societies. But they are also societies with a fervent belief in the myth of meritocracy, and their inequalities are largely perceived as legitimate. The problem is not only the existence of meritocracy, but also its perverse moral and subjective effects. According to this narrative, everyone gets what they deserve: The poor are poor because they want to be, and the rich got that way because they are talented and hardworking. In this book, M ximo E. Jaramillo Molina -- PhD in Sociology and creator of the Gatitos contra la Desigualdad (Cats against Inequality) project -- explains how the narrative of meritocracy works to legitimize extremes of wealth and poverty. In seven chapters, he debunks the myths -- "poor people are poor because they want to be," "anyone can become a millionaire through hard work and talent," "there's no such thing as patriarchy or racism; the real issue is classism," "education is the ticket out of poverty," "young people would rather not own homes," "social programs make their beneficiaries dependent on the government"-- that underpin the narrative of meritocracy in societies characterized by extreme and spiraling poverty, such as Mexico. Poor Because They Want to Be calls on us to refute ideas such as these, which encourage an individualistic view of the world while ignoring the fact that personal achievements are collective results and a product of their context. This book is a compelling argument that Mexico's poor aren't that way because they want to be; instead, poverty exists because of the unequal distribution of wealth, because of oppression, domination and exploitation. This reality must be understood before transformative social change is possible.
