*money
*quality

Boosting this quality contribution up in the Hot Listing - declared quality by NetRunner.

Adding video to channels (Money) - requested by NetRunner.

Some *philosophy of something or other floating around in somewhere in there....

Adding video to channels (Philosophy) - requested by notarobot.

I kind of see what he's saying but he generalizes too much for me to fully see what's he's getting at.

I agree with his notion of cynicism of green products, of purportedly charitable companies who are ultimately motivated by profit and positive brand image. Makes me draw to the comparison to how people who go to funerals aren't really honoring the individual so much as satisfying their own need for acceptance and release.

But he oversimplifies the issue. Yes, for example when food relief is dumped into country, and destroys local markets by drastically lowering the price to below cost, the effects are dependance and worse economic conditions in the long run, but in the example he gives, curing preventable diseases is hugely beneficial in reducing mortality rates, which tends to lead to lower birth rates, and higher standards of living for all over time.

I think the problem with charity is that it gives us the illusion that we are properly redistributing wealth when we are not. You steal $100,000 from a man, such that he can no longer pay his debts and is evicted. The next time you see him on the street you hand him $10, and your conscience is somehow cleared. I don't think thats even an exaggeration unfortunately...

I don't think its as black and white as "all aid is bad" and that wasn't the point he was making, more that the nature of charity, of green washing etc really distracts from a broken system badly in need of radical changes.

I certainly subscribe to his notion of "soft apocalyptic vision". I mean, don't know about anybody else, but when I really think about the situation the world is in you must come to the conclusion that its just...so unsustainable, and something has gotta give. Massive disparity between rich and poor, an energy addiction fueled by dwindling resources with no viable alternatives in sight, a planet radically changed by a bloated population of humans over the tiniest sliver of time...if your not misanthropic then your in denial.

>> ^RedSky:

... but in the example he gives, curing preventable diseases is hugely beneficial in reducing mortality rates, which tends to lead to lower birth rates, and higher standards of living for all over time.


I believe that's exactly how he meant it; that was his example of unquestionably helpful charity. But he made the further point that it doesn't go nearly far enough when the real problem is a child living in abject poverty.

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I think he's right about charity demoralising the recipient. I haven't been on the receiving end of charity often, but one time ...

We had recently arrived in Australia, and we didn't have anyone around to spend Christmas with - we heard on the radio about a community Christmas dinner for "anyone who doesn't have somewhere to go for Christmas" it sounded good, like a great way to meet some people and make some ties in our new home.

So, it turned out it was a charity event - there were people from homeless shelters and nursing homes and us. There were all these volunteers running around serving turkey and making sure everyone got a Christmas gift. And I have to say, although the people were really nice, I did feel terrible - I had a job, we had plenty of money - but we were treated like a down-and-out family hit on hard times by these throngs of do-gooders. My present was a comb and some cheap soap so I could "clean myself up" I suppose to get a job.

My experience from that dinner was that the volunteers who were helping out finished the day feeling very good about themselves-- while the recipients of their magnanimity and largess left with their self-esteem taken down one notch.

No one wants to be a charity case.

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*promote

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 1:47pm PDT - promote requested by dag.