“The White Savior Industrial Complex” by Teju Cole

I identify with Black Teju Cole when he says that the universe today exists to satisfy the nostalgic needs of white people. He argues that the White Savior Business Complex is not concerned with justice. It is about getting a powerful emotional experience that validates one's role (Cole web). According to this statement, there is an open depiction of so many cooks spoiling the broth in the American population. I agree with this fact as from my personal experience I can confirm that there are currently way too many designers in the American populace whose intention is to create a design with a positive social impact – yet this is not so. Even the economic pattern in America confirms that in as much as some of these designers have a good intention, they are ultimately misguided by their deeply seated passion to provide assistance to individuals who appear impoverished. From the essay written by Elizabeth Dwoskin titled “Why Americans won’t do dirty jobs” I would agree with the assertion that these misguided passions have even led to more suffering among all populations in America. Dwoskin says “These are difficult, dirty, exhausting jobs that, for previous generations, were the first rickety step on the ladder to prosperity. They still are—just not for Americans” (Dwoskin 45). In their zeal to help the poor people (immigrants from Guatemala and other third world countries) their misguided notions have placed Americans in more trouble. The problem with such an arrangement is that the poor suffer more than the rich. For instance, most of the people who lost their jobs in Alabama were from minority communities and especially the African Americans. Cole’s assertion that “there is much more to doing good work than “making a difference.” There is the principle of first do no harm” (web). The idea is supported by Dwoskin who portrays immigrant workers as part of the American economy yet poor pay and unsuitable working conditions chased them out of Alabama. Furthermore, a better world calls for a situation where every party is satisfied but not at the cost of their safety (Fisher 81). From personal experience, I would say that making a positive social impact involves all communities working together in an open manner, while dealing with the radical challenges and changes that may be useful in guiding current design practice (Braverman 11). Dwoskin makes this very clear by showing that the passing of the immigrant law in Alabama led to the suffering of most farm owners whose employment slots remain unfilled. Fisher agrees that a society, especially one that is cosmopolitan can only work together when there is fairness (40). A similar stance is taken by The Editors of SUNY Levin who describe globalization as a concept that survives based on fairness and equality (web). Clearly, Cole’s assertion is founded on solid evidence as the current situation of African Americans and most minority communities is pathetic. The existence of minority communities in America was brought about by the need to improve the economic lives of such people. The ‘low paying/status’ jobs are given to these communities as a way of ensuring that they make a significant contribution to the American economy (Lefebvre and Nicholson 13; Braverman 10). However, the many designers of how these communities should live have led to numerous problems. Works Cited Braverman, Harry. Labor and Monopoly Capitalism, The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1998. Print. Cole, Teju. “The White-Savior Industrial Complex,” The Atlantic. Washington DC: The Atlantic Media Company, Web. March 21, 2012. Dwoskin, Elizabeth. “Why Americans won’t do dirty jobs.” Globalization: A Reader for Writers. Ed. Maria Jerskey. New York: Oxford UP, 2014. 45-50. Print. Lefebvre, Henri and Donald Nicholson (translator). The Production of Space. New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 1992. Print. The Editors of SUNY Levin. “What Is Globalization?” Globalization101. State University of New York: Levin Institute, n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2014. Thomas Fisher, Designing our Way to a Better World. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2016,