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It's only semi autobiographical
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Well... I will start off with the prerequisite "Oh its so bad, my condolences etc..."
Now that is over with... The state the city is in, riots, rape, pillage and murder, has shocked many people. I do not see why this should be so. What you ahve is a group of people broughtup in a country where, from birth, you are taught to take what you want and manipulate a given situation to your advantage.
Always the hero of capitalism, America is the most extreem example of this. If it is fine to amass great wealth, bankrupting hundreds, and causing pain and misery in the thrid world, what is so bad about shooting that one person in the head? There are no consequences, no one will ever find out, and it might mean you get some more food to keep you alive through the night. Or at least prevent you from loosing weight.
I have tended to believe that in general, people are not nice. There are always people who will lie and cheat to get their way, hence why capitalism so often results in the very rich, and very poor. Psychological studies have also shown that when responsibility is removed from someones actions, they will do the most obcene things. Milgram's expreriment of 1963 was the prime exaple of this. Nazi Germany for example, hundreds of normal people were somehow convinced that it was alright to burn and gass members of the Jewish faith.
So, essentialy, we should not be surprised. A city in chaos, unless lead by a strong hand, or equipped with an effective system to deal with the emergency, will only become more chaotic.
Finally, I noticed a donation drive on the internet, and a box on a shop counter for this crisis.
Yes, the best way we can help the richest nation in the world is by giving them money. The USA does not need more money, most of which gets taken up by the burocracy anyway. If you really want to help... well either go over there and fish people out of the water, or take a course in structural engineering, help find better ways of building flood defences, and stop it happening again.
A note on the Daily Mail. They ran an article (front page) about how little the British Consulate is doing out there. The main beef seemed to be that the 4 diplomats sent to co-ordinate relief were not in the city itself. The flooded city.
The woman ranted about how little they could do from outside in their hotel, asked why they hadnot gone in, and then related how hard it was for her to get into the city, having to hold onto busses and cross roadblocks.
The best way for these men to help, is to do what they do best. Talk to the right people, organise the right flights out, locate the citizens who are their responsibility, and get what aid they can.
This is not best done from a rat infested hellhole, with bullets flying round their heads. It is best done where they have communications, and the ability to make a difference. Saying otherwise is like expecting 999 operators to run out to fires, medical emergancies or crimes on their own, rather than sending in proffessionals to help.
Yeah, I have a lot of rage at the moment...
Level 51, come on 52...
Comments:
Yes, but what you're missing is that you're not giving money to AMERICA, a technically very rich nation, you are giving money to the people who have been totally fucked by the SYSTEM in America, and are not getting the help they need because there is a philosiphy in the US that if you can't afford to help yourself, then you're not worth helping.... Might sound harsh, but look at their health system.
Well, I wouldn't say missing... the thing is, a higher percentage of what you send probably does go to corporate America.
What I am really railing about is that the USA should be helping their own. The thing I am angry with is the fact that we shouldn't need to send money, the US itself should help the helpless.
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What I am really railing about is that the USA should be helping their own. The thing I am angry with is the fact that we shouldn't need to send money, the US itself should help the helpless.
