Are We The World?

Is it me, or is this Idol Gives Back campaign just, plain icky?

I find it ironic that a bunch of bagillionaire rock stars and celebrities were begging us regular folk for money in their quest to accomplish their latest cause. And on top of that they were hawking mosquito nets, malaria pills and I suppose porridge(?) for the starving children of the world.

Let’s put aside the fact that the United States and the rest of the Western world have given billions, maybe even trillions of dollars to AIDS relief and foreign aid of every type and description – and still the world is full of starving, dying, sick children. We apparently have gotten nowhere. Because you see, the problem still exists. And each new campaign is determined to wipe out these horrible conditions – but never seems to. This is not including the private donations of again, billions, possibly trillions of dollars by regular folk like you and me, for these causes. Again, still they exist. Don’t you have to ask  yourself, why?

Isn’t it the ultimate irony that if we took those dollars and enabled these countries, particularly Africa, to modernize – to have proper plumbing, power, sanitizing plants, recycling plants, (in other words, have all the things we have as a matter of everyday life) and showed them how to industrialize so they could compete on the open market, that they wouldnt need our charity? Because you see, they’d be self sufficient. They’d be able to take care of their children, diseases, hunger. The disease, hunger and abject poverty would quickly become a thing of the past, wouldn’t it?

We wouldn’t need Bono, American Idol or any vacuous celebrities to hawk the cause, nor lecture us about giving back. Would we?

The truth is that we have decided (I use the collective we, because I by no means made this decision) that these folks have to stay in the dark ages. Lest they destroy the planet with something as evil as progress, industry, commerce, clean power sources and dare I say it, motor vehicles.  No, we mustn’t do anything that logical or survival for these folks. It’s much better that we make them totally and utterly dependent upon our charity. And force them to live in the dark ages for the rest of their existence.

So we do crap like this to make ourselves feel better about ‘giving back.’ Or at least it makes some people feel that way.

If we’re going to give, why not give what we have? A decent, liveable world and all the opportunities that comes with it?

Perhaps that would be too easy or make too much sense. It’s much better to give food and decide what food to give than to actually teach them how to grow, catch or make food. Better to give medical supplies than to train doctors and build hospitals. Better to make them live the green life and deal with the balance of nature, yes?

Personally, I find this reprehensible. Don’t you ever wonder why all the bagillions already given don’t result in a change in these conditions? I do. I really do. I mean where is all that money going? Don’t you have to wonder? With all that money, we could have modernized Africa 20 times by now, don’t you think? I do.

Don’t get me wrong. I want to help as much as the next person. I don’t want to see other human beings suffer. I don’t want children to go to bed hungry. I don’t want mothers having to bury their children because they couldn’t get what would be in our country, ordinary medical care. I don’t want to see anyone suffer. I feel for my fellow human beings.

I just want to give them real help. Help them to make better lives for themselves. Help them to fulfill their potential. Not just feed them for a few months. I mean, really does that help them in the long run? I don’t think so.

So, excuse me if I view this and every other ‘star-studded extravaganza’ with a cynical eye. Forgive me if I see vested interest in these deeds. I can’t help it. Because in my mind, real help actually solves the problem it doesn’t perpetuate it.

What do you think?

WC