All Around Me Are A Million Faces
It's wild to think that as many people as were killed in the tsunami in Southeast asia die each month in Africa due to an ongoing, potentially solvable, preventable problem...starvation.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
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5 Comments:
Never mind that whole HIV/AIDS thing.
Honestly, I'm starting to get a little uppity over all this. The world has handed over millions of dollars for tsunami relief, forgiven or frozen debts for the stricken countries - yet Africa, the birthplace of mankind, is still allowed to die a slow, painful death.
I suppose AIDS, starvation - and maybe even Africa itself - are just tired issues from the 80s, and don't sell airtime like a natural disaster. Television sold us that bigass wave, and we bought it.
Turns out, Bono on Larry King wasn't enough.
...w
South East Asia: Tsunami
Africa: AIDS, starvation, genocide
Ah, really riles the cockles, don't it?!
It's great to get emotional and passionate about these topics, but for God's sake (and my own), don't act surprised. If the memory of yesterday is your only knowledge of history, then surprise should not enter the equation.
Humans, in all their techno-glory, are still driven by the same primal instincts and emotions as we were 10,000 years ago. We hairless apes are just a bunch of confused multi-coloured dough-heads bumbling around ripping up the planet. There still isn't a whole lot of intelligence there, so please, you nay-sayers, take it easy on the rest of us lesser beings.
As for the Asia vs. Africa thing, hmmm....oh yes, how about that little continents known as North America? You get angry at your fellow citizens and government for uber-funneling cash from one area of need to another, yet have no eyes for the attrocites your own citizens and government heap upon you on a daily basis. What the hell am I talking about?
Cigarettes & Alcohol.
These two substances have absolutely NO positive effect on the human body (drink grape juice), as a matter of fact, the are both forms of poison. Yet for some reason the North American governments find it totally acceptable and legal to sell these poisonous substances to it's citizens. What is the reason for this absurd insanity?
Money.
Pure and simple.
We kill each other in the name of greed.
They did it in 'The Clan of the Cave Bear', we do it now.
21% of all deaths in Canada are attributable to smoking (49,000 dead smokers).
25% of all deaths in America are attributable to smoking (610,000 dead smokers).
Each year 6,500+ deaths in Canada are attributable to alcohol consumption.
Each year 100,000+ deaths in America are attributable to alcohol consumption.
FACT: Western society is currently highly focused on one area of the planet.
TRUTH: Western society is currently highly focused on helping one area of the planet.
FACT: Western society is very willing and happy to sell it's citizens products which have no other purpose than to poison the human body.
TRUTH: We accept it.
In other words, get angry for the correct reason, for a REAL reason.
Other than that, be angry as hell at society for casting off an old ailment for a new one that shines a brighter spotlight, but then you must do the opposite.
When's the last time YOU sent a care package to Africa? Have YOU adopted an African orphan yet? Donate to M.A.D.D. this year?
There's an old adage that says (and they are old for a reason), "When you point a finger, there's three pointing right back at you."
Peace out, all you damned dirty apes!
(And I think the Chinese might have a thing or two to say about Africa being the "birthplace of mankind"!)
1. Yes, HIV is just as much if not more a problem as starvation...as I've said before. Not just prevention, but free or cheap HIV meds which the West refuses to allow. But everyone knows that.
2. Agreed on all points about the West's opinions about aid, about the Western greed.
3. As far as personal charities, I prefer to donate time, not money. I'm not going to list just *what* I do, but it involves the human cost of volunteering, not giving a few bucks to whichever charity. So far, only locally, but I'm working on that. Stay tuned.
Just a side to comment to a couple post ago.
While tobacco and alcohol cause a great deal of harm in North America. Removing them by some means of prohibition is impossible and would likely cause just as much harm as keeping them legal. Prohibition didn't work for alcohol in the 20's and 30's, doesn'work today for illicit drugs, and wouldn't work tommorow for tobacco.
I don't smoke because I make an informed decision about my health. I turned down joint the other night not because it's illegal, but because of the same reason I don't smoke tobacco.
Make all drugs legal. Tax the shit out of them. Set illegal blood levels for imparment. The result; the hell angels and other gangs would go out of buisness and we would have a better handle on the "drug" problem.
Pinder
Matty, your so right.
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