http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=df3_1263532738
Damn that sucks :(
I want to help so bad, but I'm just a high schooler on the other side of America... :(
Responses?
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http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=df3_1263532738
Damn that sucks :(
I want to help so bad, but I'm just a high schooler on the other side of America... :(
Responses?
I'm unfazed.
It's not like everything was well with the world before this happened. There's constant misery all around the globe and pretty much no one gives a shit, then fresh-new misery makes the news and suddenly everyone is so caring and worried. Media driven hypocrisy.
http://www.getbuddyicons.com/buddyic...site-00716.gif
^ that pretty much sums up how I feel.
You'd be "fazed" and care if it happened to you, in your city. You damn well know you would.
Nearly 1,900 people died in Hurricane Katrina. The Indonesian tsunami in 2004 hit the 230,000+ death toll mark and the death estimates (so far) are around 200,000 for the earthquake in Haiti.
It's when we stop caring or that we are "unfazed" that we stop becoming human beings and start being apathetic morons too involved in our own emo driven "all the world is a stage, life sucks everywhere, media driven propaganda, who gives a shit etc." attitudes to remember what it feels like to feel for others in times of crisis as these.
What happened in Haiti just further proves to me that there is no God to care about us. Therefore, we have to care about each other.
Note: I'm not calling names, I'm just sharing my thoughts.
I think his point was more along the lines that we're unfazed about the many more people who die in Africa of preventable diseases or starvation, for example. When was the last time you cared about them?
Exactly. Millions of people (or is it over a billion?) suffer from starvation. There's also disease. And currently there are several or dozens of ongoing conflicts occurring around the world.
People are expected to act sad and altruistic with the flashy news-worthy events. But not with the other nameless "boring" situations.
Yeah.
On top of that all these unappreciative responses I keep reading about.
And then hearing about a potential huge influx of Haitians into the US?
Honestly wtf?
I'm all for helping people. People who appreciate it, and voluntarily helping them, not having money taken from me to help them. So I'm :? on the entire thing, and I also think that there's no reason to ship Haitians here and/or allow them in (and I'm not confusing this with pausing deportations). I mean... why aren't we bringing in everyone from every other shitty place/situation in the world, too?
It's just too inconsistent. I agree.
Well, I'm a high schooler too living on the other side of the world (New Zealand =\) and there's plenty being done over here.
Seriously, as far as broke ass teens go I take the cake but even I managed to donate a little.
If you really want to help so bad donate. Easy as pie.
I was very touched to see the women and chanting coming together in peaceful and hopeful marches in their own cities, that's what actually drew me into the story. I understand that much of the world is suffering, but that's not any reason to take it out on the people of Haiti and not care about them. Apathy happens when you feel powerless or hopeless. By caring for the people of Haiti you actually empower yourself to care for others. Apathy on the other hand is an end to itself.
I feel for Haiti, but something else also seriously disturbs me. Why are the people struggling for food and water just because of an earthquake?
Haiti is on the island of Hispaniola. Take a look at what this island used to once be all over.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...hispaniola.jpg
It's a tropical paradise! Growing food on the island should be ridiculously easy. I have family living in Puerto Rico who enjoy wild fruits and vegetables growing all around their home. Other Puerto Ricans who don't live so close to the jungle can still transform their small front or backyard into a vegetable or fruit paradise with a minimum amount of effort. I mean, you pretty much just toss some seeds and nature does the rest. On the streets you'll find people selling large fruits to tourists. Just take a small detour off the street and you can get your own for free.
My family living in Puerto Rico has been hit by hurricanes before, which are just as devastating. Yes houses fall a part. Power lines go down. But water, food? There isn't any reason for anyone to go starving or thirsty! In the event of an emergency, my family only needs to go outside with a pan and wait - they'll get water eventually because you can always count on a rainforest to rain.
However, it's the rainforest that creates the rain. No rainforest...no rain.
What has Haiti done to itself??
"In 1925, Haiti was lush, with 60% of its original forest covering the lands and mountainous regions. Since then, the population has cut down an estimated 98% of its original forest cover, and in the process has destroyed fertile farmland soils, contributing to desertification"
http://www.friendships.org/WebPics_2...20117_POST.jpg
It makes me worried about Puerto Rico. Is this the destiny of all the taino islands? And it makes me worried about myself here in Texas.
At what point is it not insane for a people collectively to rely on money to buy them all their food and water? At what point is it not insane to not take advantage of what nature can provide for virtually free? At what point is it not insane to not know where water comes from?
True, the reason people will feel bad about these things is the media coverage, but should we really go around feeling bad for everyone all the time? Sure, one can try to help, scrape together some extra cash and give it to an organization one trusts, hopefully when it's needed the most. But does it help anyone if you go around feeling bad about their situation?
Nicely put. People just don't care unless it happens to them...only when their endangered does people really "give a fuck". Like animals..truth be told.
That's why when a crisis happens people start coming together and caring. Maybe that's necessary.
Damn a 7.0..isn't that the largest earthquake in history or something? Man, if that shit happened in the U.S, how much area would a 7.0 earthquake take out? A whole city? State?
It was tragic, but i don't think people should walk around feeling bad about it, like dude said above me.
Wow whoever said they were unfazed needs to be shot.. Im serious.. Its people like you who we don't need in this world. It's not just about you, it's also about helping others. Ya people may be dieing from starvation but were doing the best we can to help 'em.
So sad. Get a mirror, instead of a gun you are so quickly bringing up. Without attacking the person, I must say, that post can become a formal definition of Hypocrisy.
Help individuals around you who are not flashed by the media, or loose the hypocrisy. I sympathize a lot, but I refuse to watch disturbing videos they present in the news.
Wow you fuckin self thinkin bastard... Why has this community turned into such pricks...
Just because you dont like how DISASTERS are presented doesn't mean you don't have to give a shit when one actually happens... Get a life.
And yes, it's so sad. BTW, I do volunteer at local nursing homes.. It's people like you people who make me lose hope in humanity.. Then again there are alot of good people... I guess every once in a while you will come by pricks like the past 2 posts.
I believe that an earthquake that size hit California just a few days before the one hit Haiti. I don't even think there were any casualties. The weird thing is that when the earthquake hit Cali, my mom said, it's so strange that when an earthquake like this hits a third world country it's such a tragic event, but in the US b/c we are prepared it's no big deal. Then a few days later, tragedy strikes Haiti. My mom was shocked and feels bad for saying what she did. Not that she feels responsible, but she just had a feeling it was going to happen. :? It's really unfortunate what's going on there right now.
Xyn, read the rest of the thread then post again...
Scatterbrain is correct, he's not saying he's not fazed by those people being in the current situation they are in, he's saying he doesn't feel more for them than he does for any other people suffering in the rest of the world. There's a shit ton the media doens't tell you that happens every day, it's the biggest and "best" story that makes the headlines bro. The media companies are soaking it in drama and making it out to be so damn bad and airing it so much because.... ratings brother, ratings, they're getting rich off you sitting there going "oh boohoo look at these poor people". They're the ones who don't give a damn, not scatterbrain. It's ALL about profit man, every bit of it. You think every bit of your donations go to them? I mean honestly do you truly believe if you hand them ten dollars that every cent of it gets to those people?
The answer is no by the way, they have to pay for the advertising they did so you would know who to they are and where to send your donations, they have to pay the people that made the advertisements, you give ten, around $1-$3 actually goes there the rest goes into others pockets... The best thing you could do is find or start a food drive or a drinking water drive or a clothes drive, but don't think that people like scatterbrain don't care, we just aren't going to entertain the media mongers pockets.
Xyn...can you ease up on the personal insults please? There's no need for such language, and no reason this cannot be discussed in a civil and respectful manor.
The US takes earthquakes that size no problem.
Port-au-Prince just wasn't constructed to withstand something like that.
Even the president's palace collapsed.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NE-72ZXux-...l_de_Haiti.jpg
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/po...20collapse.jpg
+1
Love ya, Jeff. :hug: Problem is, we're too damned desensitized to all of this. Every other week in the news, there's some story about a natural disaster or millions dying, etc. It really starts getting hard to care after a while. "Oh, another ten million dead? Go figure. Well, time to move on with my life..." This attitude is not healthy, but it is the truth. :(
Im sorry Aqua, humanity just pisses me off sometimes.
Haiti is our neighbor. If one does not have the resources to save the world, one can start by helping a neighbor. The reason why the world is the way it is, is because so many see that there are problems everywhere and decide this means they should do nothing at all.
Nope, its not even the largest in the last year. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak...ear/byyear.php
The largest magnitude ever recorded was in Chile in 1960; a 9.5 on the richter scale.
Thank you for pointing out my points.. You did a better job then I could.. Dam, I cannot type a propper sentence about people in this thread without insulting them... Cause i'm so pissed. But I think people think that we don't help anybody.. There are so many caring people out there who donate to every cause in the world.. Haiti is no different.
If you would like to donate, just read below.
Clinton Foundation
Donate online at www.clintonfoundation.org/haitirelief to help provide immediate relief and long-term support to earthquake survivors. Text "HAITI" to 20222 and $10 will be donated to relief efforts,
charged to your cell phone bill.
I donated 20, I hope some of you do the same.
Xyn, chill your violent ignorance.
What exactly are you afraid of, that causes your frustrated repetition?Quote:
I donated 20
Oh, figures.Quote:
But I think people think that we don't help anybody..
Anyway, one of the televisions here in my country made some sickening video that actually looks like screen saver, with captured crying faces and even disaster movie music! Unfortunately, this will continue as long as there is a psychologically disturbing demand for this kind of twisted and not by any chance beneficial journalism.
wow ^^^ that guy seriously looks like a chimpanzee human hybrid looking....planet of the apes type shit
I honestly can't bring myself to care. Yes, it would in fact faze me if it was here in Sierra Vista, but it wasn't. I don't know anyone in Haiti, I have no known relatives there, I'm not there, I feel no sorrow. Maybe I have lost my humanity, but it's not like I chose what I care and don't care about. I also like what you said about there being no God. Thanks for that remark.
I love Tim Minchin, honest in a world of false images. I'm actually thinking about starting a canned food drive for them, but i will not give my money to any company.
here's the link to the page, most of the comments express my opinion.
"Just send your money.... we'll make sure it's spent wisely."
- yeah i fucking bet, just like you've done so far with money used in-country? These 3 millionaires should send their own money. 10% unemployment and they beg for our money.
The United States is donating at least $150 million dollars to help Haiti, and that is the highest figure of all countries in the world. China is donating about 10 million. France is donating $0.00. Does anybody know how much Iran, Syria, Libya, and Lebanon are donating? I know we can count on Cuba, Vietnam, and North Korea.
It's not like hurricanes and earthquakes and tragedy are anything new‼
I should be fair and mention that I just learned that France announced yesterday they will donate the equivalent of 14.3 million U.S. dollars. Also, the U.S. has only pledged 100 million but has projected 150 million over time. China has pledged the equivalent of about 6 million U.S. dollars so far but plans to give more.
People usually seem to think that doing something about a bad situation is useless if it can't make a dent in some statistic or help the overall population. If you have the opportunity to help someone at a given moment without it taking away anything truly substantial in your life, why turn away from it simply because you can't possibly solve the whole problem? Yes, there are problems all over the world, and we have our own problems to take care of; we don't all need to feel responsible to help. But what I find so appalling about people is that they actually try to put people down who have realized that it would be worthwhile for them to help even one person. You actually try to turn someone away from helping another human being who is in need. That's just sad.
Fuck you, shitheads. What kind of horrible fucking assholes do you think you are? 200,000 people are estimated dead, and 3 Million people were affected by the quake. That's almost a third of the population of Haiti. Here are some pictures of "just another disaster" that can maybe wake you up to how self-absorbed and snivelling you are being right now:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/201...urs_later.html
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/201...ays_later.html
You think you're gonna miss 10 dollars? What are you gonna spend it on, a fucking Green Day CD? I'm unemployed and I donated $50. It's ridiculously easy to donate: text "Haiti" to 90999 and they stick it on your phone bill. There, you've just donated $10. But no, you two will sit at home and you won't donate a dollar because you can't bring yourself to care. Even if you can't make yourself care, The Lucid, you don't even have to: just donate. You're not going to miss $10.
You two need to grow a fucking pair, and realise how terrible you are being. There's nothing worse than indifference. If this kind of thing hit where you lived, you'd be begging for the charity of others. But no, you don't care about it when it doesn't affect you.
Tragedies happen every day. You can't help the survivors of all of them. But you can easily help out in this one. There's nothing stopping you but your shitty attitude. So shut your dumb traps for a moment, feel some fucking empathy, and maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to evolve from the sewer-crawling, shit-eating, selfish dicks those three posts have led me to believe you are.
Just in case you think it's not easy to donate, here you fucking go:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/01/13/help-haiti
https://american.redcross.org/site/D...a&NoJSReload=1
http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/
http://donations.ebay.com/charity/event.jsp?NP_ID=-52
http://www.dec.org.uk/donate_now/
https://donate.doctorswithoutborders...e=ADR1001E1D01
https://secure2.convio.net/dri/site/...sevc94.app245b
https://secure.oxfamamerica.org/site...rm1&df_id=3600
Have a nice fucking day. Listen to some Green Day.
Kiza, I understand that you are upset considering this is a sensitive subject but please remember that this IS a forum with rules in place. If you want to take out your anger on someone, use words and sentences that pack more punches than swears and curse words do. That's something we learned in my debate class, to fight with our words. Let your anger spur your vernacular to new heights.
China and India are both emerging as new super powers. How is China a poor country?
Understandable. Perhaps you have lost your humanity. From a guy who previously said that he slits his wrists, I can definitely understand your lack of empathy for anyone or anything else aside from the razor. Your post also served as a magnifying glass into why apathy runs so deep within your veins.
I saw a little boy who was rescued from the rubble on T.V. the other day. Katie Couric was holding him in her arms as he was screaming. He was no older than 8. He was saying in his native tongue "Why did this happen? WHY WHY WHY!? IN GOD'S NAME WHY!?!" His father and mother and siblings were all killed.
You wakeup every morning and stare at your ceiling. I assume you are a student so you get up and out of bed, then get ready for school. You dress in apparel that fully clothes you and walk in shoes that don't hurt your feet. You come home, eat dinner and go back to that warm bed of yours. If this is true, I can relate to this. Because I do the same thing every day. One of the reasons why I do care though, is because, the warm beds you and I have.. in Haiti and other places around the world, people have rubble to sleep on. There are siblings lost and children whose parents died a little over one week ago.
I'm not attacking you. I'm really not. But if you and others like you have lost your humanity, then I would have to ask myself if I were you.. "What good am I to mankind if I have no humanity? How can I see hundreds of thousands of my brothers and sisters in pain, some limbless, most homeless, all in pain.. and not.. feel a thing."
You know, some consider the homeless and tramps to be useless eaters, but I would consider a useless eater to be you. Someone else deserves that bed you sleep in tonight. And yours as well Flanders.
[sorry, I'm late been busy not gonna lie didn't read the rest of the thread just replying to this:]
I completely understand, and you're right.
but my point, and I think the point Scatterbrain was trying to make, is that suffering already exists, we all know this, it's old news.
when a disaster like this happens, it is just...more concentrated? and so a golden opportunity for the "apathetic morons" to pretend like they care all of a sudden and for the media to do whatever they do and for bad charities to actually make a profit off it (like apparently Pat Robertson?).
it's not that I don't care, at all, it's just, there isn't anything I can do.
you know something? I go to starbucks once in awhile for a latte - even though I kindof hate that place because it's so fucking pretentious and I almost choke on the corporate miasma - but anyway, every time I step through the door, I remember something I heard awhile back. I don't remember it clearly, but basically this man in a country over in the middle east caught his 16 year old daughter having sex with some guy...which is a big deal in a country like that, where women are supposed to be covered up all the time and can't even walk within so many feet of men (or whatever), so guess what he does? he slits her throat and leaves her to bleed to death, holding her throat, on the floor.
it isn't that I don't care, I try to help people when I can, I'm not one of those apathetic moron zombies who doesn't consider the pain and suffering that other people go through. yes, this is a major disaster that has just happened, but what about all the suffering that is spread out across the globe, happening every day?
am I supposed to stop everything, and never enjoy myself? I could wake up every day, don sackcloth and rub ashes in my hair because "suffering exists", OR I could enjoy my life, be genuinely grateful that I was born in a free country in a nice neighborhood in a wonderful, loving (albeit religious) family, and not pretend to be this great righteous person just because I gave a dollar to some (probably bogus) charity.
and that isn't directed at you, I'm not saying you're like that, and hopefully you see I'm not exactly like the person you described above? I don't know, I feel like I could have worded all that better but unfortunately I can't articulate today (or most days, admittedly) :\
[edit: I just read your last post...that's poetry. I think we are more or less on the same page.]
It appears my point is being missed. Never did I say we shouldn't help others.
I criticized the fact people tend to only help flashy mainstream tragedies (often ignoring tragedy right at their doorsteps). Regardless of that, and worse yet, many seem to think that the fact they donated an insignificantly small amount of money to charity automatically puts them in some higher moral ground and in the right to pass judgement onto others. "Uhhh, I effortlessly pressed a button to donate 20€, a mere few % of my monthly income, to poor people. I'm so much of a better person than you monsters."
The satire by Tim Minchin linked earlier illustrates this very funnily.
Dozens of orphans from Haiti have begun to arrive in the US after having their adoptions fast-tracked in the wake of the earthquake.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ive-in-US.html.
I watched a story on CBS about this and those children looked so happy to be in the U.S. joining their soon-to-be adoptive families.
Why thank you for your wonderful compliment :P
I do in fact know I'm a horrible asshole, and I know how many people died. No, those pictures didn't "wake me up" but they did tell me that you're intent on a subject that doesn't affect you. It also tells me that you're compassionate about other people, but I'm not.
No, I wouldn't miss $10, money means next to nothing to me. The only reason I earn and use it is because it means something to others and is almost nessecary (spelling??) to live these days. As a matter of fact, I have all the Green Day Cds (just saying XD) but it's pretty low to go to something I like a lot to try to ridicule or insult me. I don't have a phone bill, I use a prepaid :P
If I don't believe in a cause or can't bring myself to care why would I donate money that could be used on my food??
I wouldn't beg for the charity of others, sure I'd take what I could get, but begging?? No. Anyway, I don't care about what doesn't affect me. Once something hits Massachusettes or Sierra Vista I'll care, but right now. Right now I couldn't care less.
If I could possibly feel empathy for these people, don't you think I would?? I will never "shut my trap" when I'm speaking my voice for my beliefs and what I feel. But thanks for caring enough to try ;)
I'd rather not, thanks ;)
Have a nice one your fucking self. I planned on it, assimus.
Exactly. Starvation is preventable. Disease is somewhat preventable. And we can provide shelter for them as well.
The Haiti earthquake was just something that happened. Nothing could of prevented it. But that doesn't mean we should stop caring either. I'm just kind of neutral. If I could help, I would. But like you said, we're just in high school. And I got my own problems.. not that I'm saying they are greater than those in need on the other side of the world, but still.. :?
In case any Americans in here think Haiti is some really far off and "irrelevant" place, it is not. For whatever it might be worth to you, Haitians are our neighbors. Cuba is 90 miles from the southern tip of Florida, and Haiti is Cuba's next door neighbor. Puerto Rico is further away, and it is one of our provinces.
http://www.caribpro.com/Caribbean_Ma..._Map_Large.gif
yeah, those are very valid points. I completely agree that it's wrong for people to think that the purpose of helping others is to put yourself on some higher moral ground with the intention of feeling superior to others. Charity should be an action that was motivated by a true desire to help the suffering of another person, even if it does give you those "warm fuzzies" inside of feeling like you did some good. I don't think there's anything wrong with that as long as you don't suddenly consider yourself so much better than everyone else and give for that specific reason.
.... But what made you think my original comment was aimed at you? I haven't gone through and read all of the posts; I just skimmed over a lot of negativity and put in my two cents. I probably didn't even read your comment(s), and if I did, I skimmed over it too fast to remember what you said :roll:
I guess i should donate to every single thing that happens in the world then? Some poor people are hungry, give them my paycheck! a snowfall in a snowy place that has alot of people trapped, give them my next paycheck! more poor people starving, that is 3 paychecks gone. I donate every year $300-$500 to PC childrens charity, i don't need to be giving all of my fuckin money to every single disaster, or to everyone that needs it. I even helped a guy out for a long while who had child services on his neck. I GUESS I AM A BAD GUY BECAUSE I DID NOT DONATE TO SOME STARVING CHILDREN OH NOES! Shit happens every single day in the world, am i some type of money maker who has all kinds of money to throw away to every single bad thing in the world? i also did not donate to the trade towers thing, i guess i am a bad person? i coulda donated my paperoute money for that! but instead i kept it, and stayed in school. Don't forget the animal cruelty in the world ontop of human suffering. You sound like one of those people from the "give us money to help them get a better life" people.
I'm fine, thanks for the advice though. I've been dealing with haters who can't mind their own fucking buisness my whole life. If Kiza wants to argue, let him. He's just another mindless drone that society has created to be the perfect, caring, money-giving, yeerk that everybody loves.
Alrighty then. China has a population of 1.325 billion. Its nominal GDP is 4.327 trillion. Its nominal per capita GDP is about 3,250 dollars, ranking 104 of 180 countries. China would have to grow its economy 1,480% to 64,100,323,000 trillion dollars in order to reach the per capita GDP of the United States. And the United states is only number 13 in terms of per capita GDP. A post in this thread says China is donating 10 million and that the US is donating 150 million. Proportionally, China is donating about as much as America.
So yes, China is a poor country.
I think it's funny how this guy affirmed nearly everything Kiza said about him.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...e-relationship
As always, the money is not spent as we wanted it to...
The interesting thing about generalizations is they entirely illusionary. You do NOT know what other people think, feel, or do in their own personal lives, if they have or have not donated to a cause more personal to them than Haiti.
The interesting thing about generalizations is we base them off ourselves. If you feel people are hypocrite, then you feel people are hypocrite because you are a hypocrite.
The other interesting thing is we human beings simply aren't robots. You can tell a human a number like "1 million people have died today" and they are completely unchanged. Not because they don't care. Not because they are heartless or apathetic. But because the conscious human mind can't even fathom what the number 1 million is. We use six zeros to represent it. And while this representation works for math, it still doesn't illustrate to the human mind what one million really looks like. Let alone that this number is representing real conscious sentient humans. Go ahead and try to imagine a million distinct units in your head! YOU CAN'T!!
All human beings are emotional. All of us speak the human body language. All of us know the language of pain and suffering when shown to us by the human face. And despite what ever you say or think, we all react to each others body language!!!
Our apathy and hypocrisy is partly due to how information is given to us. In numbers, in statistics. But none of these things equate to reality in the human mind. What the media has to offer us is a chance to understand and realize there are real human lives behind these arbitrary and meaningless numbers. Which is why media coverage is important! And when we SEE their faces, we react! Even if its just on an unconscious level. The same just isn't true with numbers.
And what you are seeing are many people waking up and realizing for the first time that these numbers represent real people. But don't think it ends with Haiti. Once people are able to understand the suffering happening in one place, they are able to understand better the very real suffering happening in another place. You can yell at them and judge them all you want. It's not helping anyone. It's not going to help them connect to these people.
If you really care about the suffering, then you would help these individuals are still 'asleep' wake up and understand the reality behind these numbers. And we need to see their face! Or even better, hear their voice.
And for the argument that people donate to feel superior? No..no no no no....No...No!!......... There is no such thing. How do I know? It's simple. If these donating individuals donate to feel superior, why would they ask you to do the same? Why would they get angry if you don't donate like them? If they really wanted to feel superior they would conclude "Nah, I don't want you to donate and be on the same level as me! I would rather that you remain worthless and not donate!"
They aren't donating to feel superior to other people. Because they would rather that everyone donated just like them! Are they being judgmental? Yes they are judging you for not being more like them. But does it mean that to judge you is the motivation behind their desire to donate...NO! They donated for honest and good intentions, and everyone who donates does!
In short, it's wrong to judge an individual based on when and where they donated and to whom, regardless of which side of the donation argument you are on. Instead, we should understand that we will always donate to the cause that effected us on an emotional level. And that depends on whether or not we can fathom and understand that real human lives, faces, were involved. . . . . . Numbers, statistics, these things don't influence us unless we can relate it to a previous experience.
Rather than judging each other for doing or not doing - we should help educate each other on the suffering in the world, and help empower each other to create change, understanding that change can be created even if we only help one person. Global or local, that's your choice!
What are you going to gain by judging people for being hypocritical donators out to feel superior, except to make yourself feel superior to these people??
An argument that some people donate to feel superior stands correct. They ask others to do the same and they tend to get angry because of a parent ego state, they need to patronize, therefore feel superior. Think about it, cause you obviously just touched the surface of the given behaviour's cause.
Everyone acts in their own self-interest. Whether or not you agree with this or not, it has a shocking tendency to hold true. Why do people donate to charity? A multitude of reasons, but especially to feel good and/or stave off guilt. (This is more of a debate for another thread, but in a philosophy class with 30+ students, we couldn't think of a single exception). It all comes down to the individual doing what he/she thinks best...and "best" here meaning bring them the greatest amounts of joy. $10 is very little, and when you get to feel like you're helping someone, I'd say it's well worth it.
They have four times as many people as us, yet we can donate 10 times more money with the same GDP percentage. Doesn't that speak volumes about the effectiveness of capitalism? Our relatively low taxes are the REASON for our ability to have so much money and donate so much money. If we majorly raised our taxes and gave a much higher percentage of our GDP to foreign aid, we would not be able to give anywhere near as much foreign aid, which we lead the world in... out of 193 countries in the world. Capitalism should not be fucked with. It works.
"The path forward seems to go backward." - Lao Tzu
Solid logic there Aristotle.
I didn't say people donate to feel superior. I said many people who donate act and talk as if that make them better persons than those who don't. And voila...Quote:
And for the argument that people donate to feel superior? No..no no no no....No...No!!.........
.Quote:
If you really care about the suffering, then you would help these individuals are still 'asleep' wake up and understand the reality behind these numbers.
I didn't assert moral judgement onto anyone. I merely logically demonstrated the common hypocrisy that goes around in charity.Quote:
What are you going to gain by judging people for being hypocritical donators out to feel superior, except to make yourself feel superior to these people??
...I, for one, have a desire to save the whales. Who will join me?
Flanders, and especially Jesus of Sububia, please stop posting here.
You guys have both made your points that you don't give a fuck about Haiti, and, if so, you have nothing more to do in this thread.
The entire thread is about the tragedy in Haiti... you think Haiti can go to hell... you're both pretty much apathetic towards the whole thing... thread no longer applies to you.
QED.
Leave.
Thank you.
One: That was kinda late :P I posted twice.
Two: What about any of the others who said the same thing??
Three: I don't believe in hell, and they don't deserve any such punishment anyway, they might have been good people, I just don't give two shits about them.
and Four: I haven't a clue what QED means.
Thank you :bow:
[Edit:] Lulz, wrong "bow" XD
You're quite welcome.
They need to GTFO tooQuote:
Originally Posted by Jesus of Suburbia
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jesus of Suburbia
lol watQuote:
Originally Posted by Jesus of Suburbia
No, don't post a response!
I can see your hands hovering over the keyboard.
Don't do it
Thanks :D
I donated like £100
I'm a pro.
That's not useless info silly,
A group of unicorns is called a blessing.
Owls are the only birds that can see the color blue.
Humans are the only primats without pigment in their palms.
The Areosmith song, "Dude Looks Like a Lady" is about Jim Morisson.
That is useless information. Anyway, I plead the first :P
j u s t s t o p. . . .
Your making youself look like an idiot.
You sir, are officially an idiot.
You won a prize!
http://www.afunnystuff.com/forumpics..._the_prize.jpg
I have to ask, are you two both American? How did we Americans become so self involved? Here in a thread about helping other people, you have degenerated to bickering and name calling because someone disagrees with you. J of Suburbs, we get it; you're apathetic. You've made it painfully obvious. Do you have such a strong desire to be the center of attention that you care that we all know just how apathetic you are? Do you not see the irony in belaboring the point that you don't care?
Xyn, although your intentions may be righteous, you aren't earning any Karma points by trying to belittle someone for not caring as much as you. You also seem like you are putting on a show of sympathy for the less fortunate in order to gain attention. If your intentions in this thread were truly selfless, you would accept that there are people who hold different opinions, and simply ignore anyone who tries to goad you into an argument. Not wanting to donate money to Haiti does not make someone ignorant, especially when the methods for donating that you are suggesting are a little suspect; I know I wouldn't 'text' my dollars to some vague organization that popped up to take your money and bring it to Haiti. How much of that money is actually going to help people and how much is just perpetuating the organization?
I know I sound like I'm putting myself in the position of judge, I'm not trying to. I'm merely presenting myself as a mirror so that you two might see how others perceive you and possibly see the ridiculousness in your argument.
Naa just my personality everybody is different..
I like to cause a stink.. so what?
And yes I do wish self centered people died.
I know don't know about you but if my city got broken to bits, I would like some help
i read a couple days ago u.s wouldnt allow brazil or france ground support, permission to land their choppers,planes for additional aid,supplies,thats pretty bad
I said what i wanted to say, the other guys starts flaming me because my opinion is i dont wanna help every single thing that happens in the world, and now you tell me to stop posting for defending my opinion. Its simple really, i dont wanna pay every bad thing that happens in the world but if i dont i am turned into some bad guy that is insensative. Sure, it is $10 to donate and who does not have $10, but because i did that for them, now i HAVE to donate to everyone else because it is only fair. I also know what happens when donating to starving children, the companies steal just about 100% of your money and give the poor next to none, how do i know this? i donated to them before. Im not some insensative prick like some people wanna think, i just dont wanna give out every penny to every single thing that happens in the world, i work hard for my money so why should i have to give every single penny of it away to every single bad thing the world gives us? i do my part, i donate to help some people live a little better and help out everyone i know in RL if its monjey, food, whatever. Anyway im done in this thread now seeing as im just going to look like "the bad guy" for having a different opinion then someone else and a thread towards something like this does not deserve this kind of attention.
Yes dostoevskyblue, and here it is:
Quote:
CARICOM BLOCKED
...as US takes control of airport
Rickey Singh Barbados
Sunday, January 17th 2010
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/images/pix.gif http://www.trinidadexpress.com/images/pix.gif http://www.trinidadexpress.com/share...0/01/17/n1.jpg IN DIRE NEED: A woman reacts in a street in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, yesterday. Relief groups and officials are focused on moving aid flowing into Haiti to survivors of the powerful 7.0 earthquake that hit the country on Tuesday. -Photo: AP
THE CARIBBEAN Community’s emergency aid mission to Haiti, comprising Heads of Government and leading technical officials, failed to secure permission Friday to land at that devastated country’s airport, now under the control of the United States.
Consequently, the Caricom ’assessment mission’, that was to determine priority humanitarian needs resulting from the mind-boggling earthquake disaster of Haiti last Tuesday, had to travel back from Jamaica to their respective home destinations..
On Friday afternoon the US State Department confirmed signing two ’Memoranda of Understanding’ with the Government of Haiti that made ’official that the United States is in charge of all inbound and outbound flights and aid off-loading...’
Further, according to the agreements signed, US medical personnel ’now have the authority to operate on Haitian citizens and otherwise render medical assistance without having to wait for licenses from Haiti’s government...’
Prior to the US taking control of Haiti’s airport, a batch of some 30 Cuban doctors had left Havana, following Wednesday’s earthquake, to join more than 300 of their colleagues who have been working there for more than a year.
Last evening the frustration suffered by the Caricom mission to get landing permission was expected to be raised in a scheduled meeting at Jamaica’s Norman Manley International Airport with US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding who was making arrangements for the meeting with Clinton, following her visit earlier in the day to witness the devastation of the capital Port-au-Prince, said he could not comment on details to be discussed.
He, however, told this correspondent: ’I appreciate the chaos and confusion at Haiti’s airport, where there is just one operational runway. But Haiti is a member of Caricom and we simply have to be facilitated and the truth is, there is hardly a functioning government in Haiti...’
Asked whether the difficulties encountered by the Caricom mission may be related to reports that US authorities were not anxious to facilitate landing of aircraft from Cuba and Venezuela, Prime Minister Golding said he could ’only hope that there is no truth to such immature thinking in the face of the horrific scale of Haiti’s tragedy...’
Golding, who has lead portfolio responsibility among Caricom leaders for external economic relations, had a personal first-hand assessment when he flew to Haiti on Thursday.
A contingent of some 150 members of the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF has since established a camp with medical facilities in the vicinity of Haiti’s airport.
Ahead of last evening scheduled meeting with Secretary of State Clinton, Prime Minister Golding had discussed on Friday in Kingstom some of the problems to be overcome at a meeting he held in Kingston on Friday with the Prime Ministers of Barbados and Dominica and including the Community’s Secretary General..
Among urgent matters to be discussed with Secretary Clinton was to be possible use of the Norman Manley Airport as a primary hub, given its short distance from Haiti (45 minutes), for all emergency missions.
The Community’s Secretary General (Edwin Carrington) explained that proper use of the Norman Manley Airport would be consistent with a decision last week for Jamaica to serve as the Sub-regional Operational Focal Point (SOFP) responses to the Haitian humanitarian crisis.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index...s?id=161583443
and this i cried over, this is why i hate my country's government... i love the american people and their spirit, but the government has ruined this country, and i can barely stand to say that i'm an american... I'M MORE A SON OF LIBERTY AND HOPE THAN A SON OF MY COUNTRY...:whyohwhy::damnit:
Xyn, this is why i stated what i did... because as i've said before, you're not shown everything here in the US of A
Edit: Grrr!! i've gone from saddened to pissed! What has this country came to?!?!
Ok then.
On the other hand, it was capitalism that kept the Haitian people's economy down before the earthquake. Paying attention to the tax rate of a predominantly capitalist mixed market economy and saying, by that detail alone, that capitalism works, would be to completely disregard the big picture.
You actually did affirm most of what he said. See below.
The United Stats is controlling the airport in Haiti because the government of Haiti can't. We aren't doing it without their consent. Somebody has to run things over there while this nightmare is happening. Keep in mind that the United States has already pledged $100 million to Haiti, the hightest pledge of all 193 countries in the world. We have also given $1.5 billion to Haiti since 1990. There are plenty of countries not doing shit for Haiti you could condemn.
How is capitalism the problem? Haiti's big problem is their maniacally interfering government. They are socialistic. The United States is not purely capitalistic, but we are relatively extremely capitalistic. That is the key to our success.
The problem with Haiti's economy:
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=551
As far as I know, we are doing what we are doing with permission from the Haitian government. If we turned down some specific actions from other countries, I'm sure there are reasons not given in the article. We have not told anybody they can't donate at all.
How do you feel about the fact that the U.S. has pledged $100 million so far and has given Haiti $1.5 billion since 1990?
Did you watch the video at all?
The fatc that we're pledging money to other countries when we're supposedly in such a an economic crisis, and that it wasn't voted on to pledge that money pisses me off. I'm more than willing to help out when asked, but them just handing money over, and telling the that the only way i can help out is only give money is bullshit! It's a front and a face, i'll go with anyone of you that want to go down there and lend time and effort to helping them. But i wont intrust my money to a government that already has so much trouble accounting for it's citizens tax money, I'm sorry but no. I apologize but America has it's dark side just like every other country and it's not shown here, you have to get on the internet and dig for it.
UM, i'm not trying to be unappreciative of the US's efforts, i'm saying they have no right to say who helps them and who doesn't....
You seem to take these dollar amounts at face value without even wondering to yourself what they really mean. Where did you get this $100 million figure? What is that money being used for, exactly? Are the salaries of the soldiers carrying guns and turning away mexican planes full of humanitarian supplies included in that figure? How much of that $100 million is actually benefiting Haitian citizens? Do you know?