The obscenities of this country are not girls like you. It is the poverty which is obscene, and the criminal irresponsibility of the leaders who make this poverty a deadening reality. The obscenities in this country are the places of the rich, the new hotels made at the expense of the people, the hospitals where the poor die when they get sick because they don't have the money either for medicines or services. It is only in this light that the real definition of obscenity should be made.
Interpretation
The quote critiques the moral failures of society, highlighting poverty and the irresponsibility of leaders as true obscenities.
In this powerful quote, F. Sionil Jose articulates a strong denunciation of societal flaws, arguing that the real obscenity lies not in the actions or appearances of individuals, but in the systemic poverty and the moral failure of those in power who perpetuate it. He emphasizes that such injustices are the true shame of a nation, and that the luxurious lifestyles of the affluent stand in stark contrast to the suffering of the poor, thus redefining what is truly obscene in society.
In practice
In a speech addressing social inequality, one might quote this to illustrate the true sources of societal shame.
I don't want our white working class sisters and brothers to feel as though their pain is not important because it is. But at the same time, I want my white sisters and brothers to understand that when we talk about income and wealth inequality, that disproportionately African Americans suffer a little more.
In a sense the quest for the emancipation of black people in the U.S. has always been a quest for economic liberation which means to a certain extent that the rise of black middle class would be inevitable.
The gifts of God should be enjoyed by all citizens in Mississippi.
When you ask people to name victims of police brutality, for the most part, nobody will give you a woman's name.
I remember my dad always complaining about getting pulled over. I remember the differences in school systems. I remember seeing police officers, not knowing their names, and knowing that they were there not to protect us, not to serve us, but to watch us.
I don't want to flee, nor do I want to abandon the battle of these farmers who live without any protection in the forest. They have the sacrosanct right to aspire to a better life on land where they can live and work with dignity while respecting the environment.
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