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.
It's not white versus black any more, it's haves versus have-nots. Unless the black middle-classes unite to promote the interests of the black underclass, tension between them is inevitable. What we, the black middle class have to do, is think of a strategy to avert that.
Progress is always relative: to the oppressed, it can only be viewed as an all or nothing deal - if oppression continues, even in a modified form, then the system must still be attacked until that injustice is eradicated.
Who is affected more when it's cold? Poor people. Who is affected more when it's hot? Poor people. Who is affected more when it's wet? Poor people. Who is most affected when the economy is bad? Poor people. Poor people are the most fragile.
The people who serve your fast food lunch or your after-work drinks deserve dignity - and if big companies don't start paying them enough for a decent standard of living, they have the power to close these businesses. But no one goes on strike lightly.
When thousands of men and women work full time but need food stamps to put food on their tables, when they can't get health benefits, when they can't get paid sick days, then we must do whatever we can to stand up for them.
The default of our society is the reproduction of racial inequality. I mean, that's what it does; that's what it's been doing for hundreds of years.
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