Mon 24 Oct 2005
So, in a few short months I have passed over 850 unique visitors and 8000 page views! Pretty good I think. To commemorate I now have a working script that checks my spelling for me so you no longer have to endure my laziness in proofreading my entries. 
(Thank you must go to Mike for his constant tech support!)
My last entry was on politics and how I believed the education system should be more proactive in teaching students about current events and world issues. A recent observance at my work place has prompted me to have this entry. At my weekly engineering meeting the environmental co-op did a brief advertisement for a now passed fund raising event (which I attended and was quite pleased with it). The charity was Engineers Without Borders (Founded by Waterloo Grads!), an organization that works with “developing communities around the world” to help “them gain access to the technologies they need to improve their lives.” A very worthy charity in my mind, and one I support. There are many that I don’t support though, and for good reasons. After the presentation, the student offered the sale of white Make Poverty History wristbands. Not surprisingly, a few people bought them, including one ignorant student. On questioning this student about the meaning of the band, he shook off the question and just went to say something along the lines of “oh well, these days they are fashion statements.” So now I have to declare that I hate wristbands and will challenge people who wear them.
“Fashion statement”? How can an ugly bulky silicone wristband be a fashion statement? Well, I say that it could easily be one with a few currently fashionable traits. Intelligence and being well informed (Note: Activism isn’t fashionable in my mind!) are very fashionable. To be in the know and be able to impress people with your grasp of the world is fashionable. Isn’t that what these wristbands (link on them from BBC) imply? That you have knowledge of current events, have opinions, and are showing everyone else that fact? Well, that would be the case if peoplewere informed of the issues. I’ve met too many people who aren’t informed, and wearing these wrist bands imply education that doesn’t exist. What I’d like to see is the people make their own opinions after being given all of the facts about the issue the wristband represents and what the organization sponsoring it campaigns for. For me, there is very few wristbands I’d ever consider wearing. One being the Live Wrong wristband…just to show my disgust with so many wristband wearers.
So, why don’t I make a case against the most popular one, the Make Poverty History band that inspired this entry. Their overall goal is raise awareness of poverty and pressure governments to take action, especially in dealing with developing countries. A worthy goal it would seem, until you examine the details and see how absurd some of their goals are. Well, first I must say a few policies are acceptable to me, such as debt relief to developing countries . The fact is, our government (Canada) and many others have already done this. Yet they continue to campaign. Their main goal: To get governments to commit to 0.7% of their GDP toward foreign aid . Don’t sound like much, eh? In Canada, that would be over $7 billion per year, put in comparison with the about $4 billion per year health care budget. Their website doesn’t give you those details does it? Canada cannot afford to give that high of a level of aid (if I recall, though can’t find a link, it’s around 2 billion now). Hence the reason Paul Martin took the stance against the pressure, and told the international community Canada will give what we are able to give, and will strive to eventually give that amount, but will not guarantee it. He increased aid this year, but has a sense of balance. We can’t save the world when we struggle at home. Think about Canadian poverty levels. Do you not think our government should deal with them before tramping around the world saving others when we can’t save our self? Of course not, it just doesn’t make sense.
Furthermore, the charity stands for awareness, which is a noble cause in my mind. But how do they go about it? By making a international musical event called Live 8 organized by a has been musician (read: Bob Geldof) that costs multi millions of dollars to produce with annoying celebrities talking about poverty their fortunes will prevent them from ever experiencing. I can’t even make a sarcastic comment here; it just doesn’t do it for me. Live 8, to everyone I talked to was just a big concert on TV, like SARSfest. Very few people learned the details I provided above. I think that makes it a failure. And what was with the banning charities from canvassing at it? Your charity is better than all the others including food drives for the Barrie area? Bullshit. Canada is doing exactly what we should, supporting causes in moderation, only what we can commit, and paying down our federal debt (which will give us future money on saved interest) unlike the US who’s public debt is now over $8 trillion (!) at $8,010,059,396,713.96. Not something to be proud of if you’re an American. Or the recent milestone the US military reached of 2000 Americans dead in Iraq…but all the deaths and massive debt is for the greater good! Isn’t it?…
Well, now I got that off my mind. I’ll have to think of something more positive for the next one. That will be hard…
Random Wikipedia Article: Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
Currently Listening to: Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down - Fall Out Boy
October 27th, 2005 at 5:02 pm
Although i do agree that ignorance is far too common in relation to charities (and, well, everything…), does it really matter what people know about? I mean, if people are out their buying these wristbands for $1 or $2 each, then they are still supporting whatever charity it is that puts out the wristbands. Who cares if people know what the stats are if they cough up some cash? Realistically, every charity organization has good points and bad points. Look at PETA-a great concept, but by protecting animals, we are also limiting AIDS research. And honestly, money is much more useful to most charity organizations that awareness. Yes, people not knowing the details sucks, but it really isn’t that big of a deal.
oh, and i do agree with your opinion of the wristbands in general-i find them tacky as a “fashion statement”.
October 27th, 2005 at 6:06 pm
It does matter! If people aren’t ignorant, they might contribute to worthy causes instead of charities that shouldn’t even exist. Charity shouldn’t just be something people do to make themselves feel better and sleep soundly at night. It should be because they actually want to change something. It’s a BIG deal.
Oh, and I hate PETA. Anyone who supports a charity for animals over human aid charities is an idiot.
October 27th, 2005 at 9:27 pm
Well Jeff, before I go into my long winded agreement with you I have to take some objection with that comment. While I can see your point about supporting human aid over animals there is still a need to protect animals. Because if we were the only animals on the planet, aside from the issues with not having a proper ecosystem, life would be a lot harder for a lot of people.
And I don’t think that getting rid of the wristbands would really do as much as you would like to eliminate charities that you disagree with. And it would do nothing to eliminate donations given because people want to make themselves feel better.
However, I do agree with your general sentiment on that. While the wristbands might be a way for charities to eke out money (and I’m not just talking the Make Poverty History campaign), I don’t think that’s a good thing, more from the donor end of it than the charity end, but the charities are guilty of enabling and encouraging it. I have a somewhat Emersonian view on this - if you can’t support the charity in the main then you oughtn’t be donating to them. It’s hard to find something that you can agree with completely, but you should at least have an idea of the general mission of the charity before you donate to them.
And I agree, charitable donations ought to be because you want to make a difference. I go with that largely because it’s far too difficult to give enough to stop feeling guilty, but giving without considering what you’re giving and why is an insult, it’s saying that you’re above the problems and concerns that others have. And it’s patronizing, instead of sharing their problems.
November 11th, 2005 at 5:56 am
I find it interesting how you so easily label those who support PETA instead of a human aid charity “idiots”.
Does that imply that we should support only charities dedicated to helping humans? Would someone who supports an environmental charity also be an idiot?
Furthermore, am I an idiot if I choose to support a local women’s shelter? Surely starving children in developing countries need my money more desperately than abused women in my community. If I’m an idiot because I choose to help animals despite a greater human need, am I also an idiot if I choose to help certain humans, despite a greater human need?
By your apparent logic, I would propose that anyone who posts rants on his blog about the charities others support, instead of going out and personally making a difference, is himself an an idiot. It should be pretty easy to see the hole in that argument.
I hope you think things through a bit more carefully next time, before labelling supporters of a particular charity “idiots”. It certainly doesn’t help lend credibility to your other points in your post.
November 11th, 2005 at 7:57 am
Quasi,
I usually don’t allow comments by people who don’t sign their names to their posts (FYI emails are safe, and are only used for future validation and fighting content spam, so no need for your bogus email). I am allowing yours because I have a few comments to make to it. (And the fact I can look on your Res door this weekend when I come to Waterloo and see your name in Village 1, South 2, [I won't post your room number])
I’m not sure exactly what you find so “interesting”. Maybe it’s hard for you to make judgements towards people, but for me it was quite easy, and not interesting in the least.
I don’t imply anything. I EXPLICITLY express my view that that people should support human charities before animal charities. I’m not sure where you pull your data for your environmental extrapolation, but to clarify my stance for you, as I doubt you’ve read all my previous blog entries, is that yes, I support human charities over environmental charities as well.
In regards to Women’s Shelters, I am in great support of them. They are human charities, are they not? Further extrapolation on your part; flawed I might add. And I support local charities over international charities. I believe we should help our own before others (which I expressed in my blog entry). You are only an idiot if you blindly support a human charity without understanding their full purpose.
My “apparent logic”? I made no such logical arguments. I made an opinion, so I’m not sure what logic you are basing your statement on, though I agree with it. I believe though you were implying that I just rant and don’t go out personally and make a difference. You are quite mistaken. I am a strong supporter of Cancer and AIDS charities, and have committed over 600 hours to community service over the past few years. I have been involved in many organizations, such as one that worked with disadvantaged children. I was awarded the Millennium Excellence Award for my community involvement and leadership (as well as many other distinctions). Few people I know personally have done as much as I have, so I believe your implication is unwarented. Investigate the topic before commenting, and validate your assumptions. I see no whole in my opinion. Which is now an argument. Please choose your terminology better next time.
To conclude, your hopes will go unfullfilled, as I stand by every comment I’ve made, with signing my name to it. More than you have done. My opinions are just as credible as they were before. Thank you for showing interest in my blog entry.
December 2nd, 2005 at 12:19 am
I have to add another comment here, because Anil Dash just linked to a great page with more colours than you can count for bracelets supporting various things.