Tim Unwin, How I Sing Your Praises: Issues of Technology and Social Justice

There are several reasons why I want Tim Unwin's unborn children in my belly, these are just a few of them.  On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of attending his lecture at the Faculty of Education in Cambridge, and man o man, how I love a fellow conspiracy theorist!  The lecture was about Open educational resources, and how technology can and should be used to help the underprivileged (and the sad truth that they just aren't being utilized that way).  Any one who opens their speech with, "You'll think I'm a bit of a pessimistic conspiracy theorist" is already o.k. in my book, but my praise goes beyond just his critical analysis.  Yes, we must know that capitalism drives most things, whether we like it or not, and we've come to know it as a necessary evil.  Tim reminds us that most tech companies are privately owned for the purpose of making money (even though they'll have you think they're changing the world for you), and most technology is expensive (not in the manufacturing sense, but the hours of pre-production and  hiring the top minds in the world is not cheap).  This is problematic in developing free educational resources.  In an ideal world, everyone cares about others, and we are able to put our brother's needs before our own, but what I'm learning is that ideal worlds only exist in ideal minds.  I remember writing in my application for this program that what I hoped to do with my degree after graduation was to "introduce and allocate funding for technology in underprivileged communities".  Deep down inside my heart, this is still what I want to do (as Tim's lecture has reminded me), but I laugh a little at my own naivety in thinking "this is totally possible".  It's possible, but its not easy.  It requires more than just a will and desire for social justice, it requires shifting the beliefs of the world and unveiling certain truths that most people probably don't want to listen to.  It's something that requires not just one person, but generations of individuals devoted to a common vision and of course, God's favor.  I believe that most aspiring humanitarians hold true and fast to a bottom-up philosophy, but in a world run by corporations and money, "trickle-down" economics always seems to be the first solution presented.  If my tenth grade history class has taught me anything, its that trickle-down economics never works for those who are starving and poor.  The argument that if we let the rich get richer, they will somehow generate more opportunities for the lower classmen and distribute their wealth amongst the refuse is imbued with the same idealism that lets your brother eat before you eat; it just doesn't happen.  Bailouts don't work, tax break for millionaires don't work.  We need more Roosevelts and less Tafts, and Tim reminds us that the gap in equality is even greater now than it ever was, and technology has been historically developed to serve the interests of the rich and the powerful. 

When we think about technology being in the hands of the rich and powerful, we imagine old, white men with slicked back hair wearing pin-stripe suits with ascots diving into pools of gold (yes, I just referenced Scrooge McDuck).  But we forget that we (me and you) are the rich and the powerful.  We are the ones that technology helps and advances further up the social and economic ladder.  We are the ones that benefit from new programs and applications that help us research, write, analyze, design, and photograph the things we need in order to stay competitive, linked-in, up-to-date, and relevant.  Another one of Tim's major concerns is how can we ensure that the benefits of economic growth are fairly distributed, and what, indeed, is fair?  And what, indeed, are the needs of the poor? As much as I complain about the paltry state of my bank accounts, I am not poor, and I would be foolish if I thought I could speak on their behalf.  Part of the problem is that all too often, those in positions of power and wealth start thinking they know what poor people need and what's best for them.  Hardly ever do we set out initiatives that gives them a voice.  Do they need computers?  Do they need to know how to use twitter?  Do they need us to film another documentary that goes viral? Or are we just exploiting them out of our own selfish desires that revolve around our own notions of justice and fairness?  Is teaching inner city kids how to use digital design software something they really need?   These are questions I wrestle with on a daily basis.  There is a sense of social responsibility that those who have should give to those who don't have, but when do we cross the line between servant and Messiah?  Serving is different from saving, we all think we can save, but only God can do that.  Part of Tim's beliefs is that teachers should be less like teachers and more like facilitators, and as I do agree with this point, I still wonder if facilitating is enough in certain situations? The issue of providing open education resources is only the tip of the ice-berg.  Below are greater questions regarding the role of education in promoting social justice, and the responsibility of the individual in carrying out that role.  Providing tools and software to those who cannot afford them is only the beginning, and it opens us up to a world of questions that should be asked when thinking about the needs of others.  I do believe that education can be a the great equalizer, that was something I was taught by my immigrant mother and part of her dream for me when she left China for the States.  And I also believe that technology can do the same, and I end with one of the best Tim Unwin quotes from his lecture, that the "best use of technology starts in prayer", and really, anything we set ourselves out to do should start with deep contemplation before God.