Why Charity Doesn't Work

[sookie]

It's easy to fix poverty around the world. Quit using money. And then when you do that there will just be a new lower standard of poor. First of all what is poor? How would you describe a poor person? If you say a poor person lives in a poor country who's standard are you judging them by? And why are you judging them? It does not matter if it is capitalism democracy communism or the catholic church people like to create positions of power to achieve. Even if money was not the issue something else would be. The problem with the planet is humanity. And until humanity realizes that we all belong here we will have problems. And there is no way to make that happen. It is impossible. This life we have requires pain and suffering. It is the only path to growth. I have been thinking about this for a very long time. I too want to make life fair. But you cannot do it. Life is just not fair. It never was meant to be. Fairness is just a dream that humans have dreamed up. That is why for me the older I get the more I am turning to God. I am turning to love and acceptance. I will buy a homeless guy a meal I did it the other day. I will also pass out my money to them when I can. They are only there because we give it. Some are not. Some are desperate and that is a last resort. The homeless people I run into are either mentally ill or have lost their job forever, and they have given up. The focus on money can be good. Most of the time it is bad because of the power and corruption it brings with it. Money can buy everything. It once bought human life for a time. America is not the only place to have had slavery. Do not forget that Spain destroyed an entire civilization that made the American Indians look like a joke. The Native people of South America paid a heavy price for mans lust for gold and wealth. We have destroyed entire civilizations of people for money. Human life has been wasted because of it. I would call money the most expensive drug. I robs you of your time on earth and it makes you a slave to it. Today's slave owners are the banks and they have enslaved us with debt. We need each other to survive I just wish we could all see that and deal with one another in a fair and responsible way. It's a pipe dream that will never end. Life should and maybe could be fair but first we have to find a standard of fairness to agree on.

This is our choice as a society. Are we going to be corrupted by the need for wealth and power at the expense of others? This is not only a personal choice this is a choice of society as a whole. It is funny I just wrote in my paper. The theory of Social Role Valorization is know to be a theory that explains how society works. Society can either empower people or take their power away in varying degrees (W. Wolfensberger, J. Osborn). Both these men state that this is a theory that does not offer a solution but only explains and defines a social phenomenon. I think that it is up to each one of us to make our choices to how we view others, and how we help to empower others who are marginalized due to: poverty, social class race, and disability.

I think that it is up to everyone to ask themselves the following questions. You dont have to answer them here. Answer them yourself in your head. Do I want a society that values all people? Do I want a society that values money, and power? Do I think that charity will help empower people? Do I think that I can make a difference?

It is not for me or anyone to judge your answers. I think that if this is an issue that is important to you these are questions that might give interesting food for thought.

I will answer these questions. I do want a society that values everyone. Conversely, I do want to lead a comfortable life where I am able to help others to become empowered. I think my answer to that question may surprise people. I do think that this is a continuum and not a black and white issue. I also think that charity can be used to empower people. We need to be careful to who we give money to. I also do think I can make a difference. This is why I am posting this on the thread.

 

[Norton]

Fishing lessons: Charity that works.

 

[Raccoon Love]

I'm trying. I think that people just don't GET it. Africa was fine before colonialism. It is when the resources which exist were discovered, people started playing "Let's us just slide on in over there. ". And then the psychology of Africans was learned, and of course money-forward people learned this psychology and used it to their benefit. I am not making this a race thing at all. There we're Africans who knowingly contributed to this, and still do.
Posted via Mobile Device

Does trowing 2 atomic bombs at a country sound right to you? no, same with colonization, you would expect a country to be down for many centuries after such tragedy, instead the japanese got up immediately, it did not take them more than a few years to recover. As I said again, I do not feel I have to help Africa simply because of my race, I had nothing to do with those people and never will, however, I do feel like I need to help Africa because its the moral, humane thing to do. I just can't see this people suffering, however aiding a country just because we feel bad of what we supposedly this is not helping, we need to teach and educate instead of simply just aid.

 

[bamf]

Does trowing 2 atomic bombs at a country sound right to you? no, same with colonization, you would expect a country to be down for many centuries after such tragedy, instead the japanese got up immediately, it did not take them more than a few years to recover.

The differences between Japan, and Africa are immense. Before the atomic bombs, and before WWII, Japan had a society that was already very much modernized. There's a reasonable difference between jumping back up from an atomic bomb, and getting from where Africa is to the point the Japanese were when they were bombed.

 

[the]

It doesnt matter if you teach a man to fish if he has to buy a fishing permit first.

 

[myst]

arbygil solved the species of your avatar! Yay

Does trowing 2 atomic bombs at a country sound right to you? no, same with colonization, you would expect a country to be down for many centuries after such tragedy, instead the japanese got up immediately, it did not take them more than a few years to recover. As I said again, I do not feel I have to help Africa simply because of my race, I had nothing to do with those people and never will,

I think we United States-ians do have something to do with them because we're living off resources our recent ancestors and current business people steal from Africa. We wouldn't have the free schools, roads, jobs, university systems, health care and all the other things that make our lifestyles possible, if we weren't living on stolen $.

however, I do feel like I need to help Africa because its the moral, humane thing to do. I just can't see this people suffering, however aiding a country just because we feel bad of what we supposedly this is not helping, we need to teach and educate instead of simply just aid.

I don't think believing United States and other rich countries are responsible means we would have to just feel bad and give aid. We could feel responsible and try harder to figure out a real solution (not just aid). I don't mean that there's one easy solution, or that it we could totally eradicate poverty, but that we just have to try to learn how to do as much as we can.

Well, I also agree with your motivation that it's the moral, humane thing to do, too. You are awesome!

 

[Norton]

It doesnt matter if you teach a man to fish if he has to buy a fishing permit first.

Ha Ha! Very good!

 

[myst]

A lot of people said they try to give money to organizations that are accountable and organizations that try to work for longer term solutions, as well as giving food or aid when essential. So, what organizations do you all think are good at this? What do you think of Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders? World Food Program and Unicef? Do you know of any good places to look for information (besides, obviously, the organization's website)? You can get some info on Guidestar and Charity Navigator . It seems like there are endless organizations that are trying to get at the root of the problem, but which ones do the best?

 

[myst]

It doesnt matter if you teach a man to fish if he has to buy a fishing permit first.

+2

 

[WellNoWonder]

Does trowing 2 atomic bombs at a country sound right to you? no, same with colonization, you would expect a country to be down for many centuries after such tragedy, instead the japanese got up immediately, it did not take them more than a few years to recover. As I said again, I do not feel I have to help Africa simply because of my race, I had nothing to do with those people and never will, however, I do feel like I need to help Africa because its the moral, humane thing to do. I just can't see this people suffering, however aiding a country just because we feel bad of what we supposedly this is not helping, we need to teach and educate instead of simply just aid.

I am not asking anyone to feel guilty because of race, I will continue to reiterate this. However, from a personal level there are issues I deal with being a descendant of slaves and colonized Africans. It is part of who I am, and I did not make the choice of course. For me to say that it has nothing to do with me would serve no justice to those who struggled and died so that I am able to converse with you freely today. I cannot take this for granted.
in all fairness, atomic bombs and depletion and manipulation of resources are two vastly different methods of destruction. I don't think it's fair to compare the two, and I really think the Western world fails to see their the refusal to acknowledge present-day colonialization is part of what continues this tragedy. I have more but again, on this qwerty as I am not near a life sized keyboard
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[Raccoon Love]

The differences between Japan, and Africa are immense. Before the atomic bombs, and before WWII, Japan had a society that was already very much modernized. There's a reasonable difference between jumping back up from an atomic bomb, and getting from where Africa is to the point the Japanese were when they were bombed.

Then that's not an economic issue thats a political issue that Africa has not had an already developed society, that is social, its the whites wo hurt the africans economically yes but its not their fault that africa did not had an established society, we need to aid them in developing such awareness. The amount of time it takes from one to recover from an atomic bomb is centuries, specially since such thing has never been experienced before. This has to do mainly with the peoples way of looking at things then.

 

[54192&#cmy]

This is our choice as a society. Are we going to be corrupted by the need for wealth and power at the expense of others? This is not only a personal choice this is a choice of society as a whole. It is funny I just wrote in my paper. The theory of Social Role Valorization is know to be a theory that explains how society works. Society can either empower people or take their power away in varying degrees (W. Wolfensberger, J. Osborn). Both these men state that this is a theory that does not offer a solution but only explains and defines a social phenomenon. I think that it is up to each one of us to make our choices to how we view others, and how we help to empower others who are marginalized due to: poverty, social class race, and disability.

I think that it is up to everyone to ask themselves the following questions. You dont have to answer them here. Answer them yourself in your head. Do I want a society that values all people? Do I want a society that values money, and power? Do I think that charity will help empower people? Do I think that I can make a difference?

It is not for me or anyone to judge your answers. I think that if this is an issue that is important to you these are questions that might give interesting food for thought.

I will answer these questions. I do want a society that values everyone. Conversely, I do want to lead a comfortable life where I am able to help others to become empowered. I think my answer to that question may surprise people. I do think that this is a continuum and not a black and white issue. I also think that charity can be used to empower people. We need to be careful to who we give money to. I also do think I can make a difference. This is why I am posting this on the thread.

I want a life that is better for all also. Problem is who is taking the help? And once they get that help are they going to raise themselves up and help the next guy? It really is a choice for humanity to consider. Look at tv and all the images of the lifestyle we are supposed to live. What is the path to personal freedom? I was taught to be a christian growing up. As I got older I became uninterested in my christian teachings when I saw my own fellow Christians screw each other over what? Money! I am not disagreeing with you or anyone, I think all your points are valid. I am with ya. I just see the endless pursuit of money to be a waste of my life and I have chosen not to chase a dollar. But even in my little town now people are coming here with money and buying and building huge houses. These same people make fun of the people who inhabited this place. They call us idabillies never to our faces no they hide behind keyboards and talk in their little groups. They have taken over the local government and let the developers do as they please to my town. Can we stop them? We have not so far. Will we stop them? I highly doubt it. It is growth. Along with growth we need personal growth. Which I think humans are not developing in themselves. If they did the world would be a better place.

 

[Moxie]

So, I have a lot of complex thoughts to all of this.

I do not believe a system has been developed yet that allows equality between people. It seems to me that flawed humans come up with flawed plans and systems.

I know American poverty very well. I also know that racism and sexism still exist, even though people frenetically deny that they do. They do.

One of my issues. isn't just the poor who are not able to get the resources they need. There are many charities that help people in these situations. Not enough, obviously, because of the massive numbers, but some.

My issue is about those that do 'what they are supposed to do.' They pull themselves up by their bootstraps. They work whatever jobs they can find so as not to have to depend on welfare or other government aid or charitable programs. There is no help out there for these people. The choice becomes either to somehow do it better, when you're not given the opportunities to do so, or quit trying at all, so at least there is some help for you.

Charities need to exist because of the inequalities in castes. And people, even in America, continuously stick people in the same roles. Once a janitor or a secretary, always a janitor or secretary for example.

Charities are unfortunately band-aids, but there is no better option out there currently. I believe passionately that everyone should be treated equally, but the problem is, that there is another person out there who is exactly the antithesis of me, who believes passionately that they should get whatever they can from someone else.

As others have said, education is really the only gift we can give to oppressed peoples in any country. But it can't be 'preaching' education, it has to be impartial. And it's not that providing people with education will fix poverty - all it will do is to educate the brightest among them to reach as high as they can to bring benefit back to their communities. (Which, of course, not all will do.)

Although I believe we should cry out against injustice and cruelty and the horrible lives others have to suffer in other parts of the world, I think it's as important to help improve the community you are in right now. One of my pet peeves is when someone adopts a child from another country with a holier than thou attitude - selfless missionary who is helping to save the world. There are people here, in this very country, who will never have a loving family to support them, because they are black, or hispanic, or too old, or too disabled (even a simple learning disability or ADD makes an American child unadoptable!), or because they have siblings they want to be adopted with, etc, and people ignore them because they don't see the need of those right here, right under their noses. (Did you know it only costs $25 to adopt one of these children?) People are suffering HERE too.

Charity begins at home.

 

[anica]

Then that's not an economic issue thats a political issue that Africa has not had an already developed society, that is social, its the whites wo hurt the africans economically yes but its not their fault that africa did not had an established society, we need to aid them in developing such awareness. The amount of time it takes from one to recover from an atomic bomb is centuries, specially since such thing has never been experienced before. This has to do mainly with the peoples way of looking at things then.

I think it's presumptuous to think that "developing" nations need to develop carbon copies of the US, or even democracies. Other forms of societies may work better for different countries and it's not up to us to decide what's best for them.

 

[gloomy-optimist]

Okay, let's break this down a little:

Charity to make yourself feel better about being in a better position than fellow man is not good. Doing good doesn't mean just doing whatever you can to make yourself feel like a better human being; you have to legitimately think about the consequences of the actions you are taking.

For instance, take welfare. Yes, people want to help other people in need. However, when you get programs that simply give money away to those that need it, there is no incentive for these people to do anything to create better lifestyles for themselves. It has happened in the American welfare system where people will actually have more children to milk more money out of the system.
That's bad. It means well, but that in and of itself does not cut it.

Charity is best when it's done only when necessary and combined with real education on how to better the other person's lifestyle. Charity should not be meant to keep another person afloat -- the goal should be to someday allow the person to live and flourish on their own. Impersonal charity often does little to really remedy this.

Now, as for economics -- as long as there is money, there will be a lack thereof. That's a fact of life. And as long as there is society that has specialization in careers, there will be a need for some sort of currency. No one should fool themselves in thinking that having things is the root of evil -- even without money, even if we went to bartering, those who are good at what they do and have opportunities and know how to work things will ALWAYS have more than those who don't. Poverty is nothing new, and it's nothing that's going to change.

In other words, the notion that money is evil should be erased from this conversation. That's not the problem; that's the scapegoat. You can't get around things with that argument. Furthermore, having things and having money is not a sin. Defining people as "rich" and "poor" puts people into two extremes and polarizes them -- it's not that simple. Sometimes the rich people are the bad guys; sometimes the poor people are just lazy. But fact of the matter is, people have a right to want to have the best for themselves and their families, and I can respect that.

However, the real question lies about the best government. Yes, capitalism definitely puts more weight on wealth than, say, socialism. But you can also say that capitalism creates the drive and ambition to excel and innovate, whereas socialism might promote a more stagnant lifestyle. The arguments for both depend on what the individual prioritizes, but neither are inherently bad. They just have their own sets of pros and cons.

So here's what it comes down to: charity should be done with the mindset of enabling someone, as opposed to "saving" them. Tough love usually helps the individual that needs it, though it is harder for the one giving the aid.
Poverty is going to happen. Get used to it.
The desire for wealth is not inherently bad. People want the best for themselves. However, when it becomes a selfish and destructive obsession, the problems begin.
Each government has its ups and downs. None are really obviously "better" than the other. And each has its problems -- but how it deals with the problems that comes with the government is what separates a bad set-up from a good one. And the real kicker? A lot of that comes down to the people of that government.

In my opinion, the government doesn't matter quite as much as the integrity of the people when it comes to things like this. We have the ability to change this, if we were really willing to come together and take on the problem.

But that's just my two cents.

 

[54192&#cmy]

It comes down to humanity. And humanity is selfish.... That is my point all along. We will never solve this problem it's impossible I am afraid...

 

[gloomy-optimist]

It comes down to humanity. And humanity is selfish.... That is my point all along. We will never solve this problem it's impossible I am afraid...

Yeah, but even despite that, I've never really lost faith in humanity. The problem may not be solved, but there are always people willing to help, and that's a good sign. And really, it's not horrible that people want to look out for their best interests; you can't blame them for that. You can only hope that they'll find it in themselves to find a higher calling to better humanity...

 

[myst]

I am not asking anyone to feel guilty because of race, I will continue to reiterate this. However, from a personal level there are issues I deal with being a descendant of slaves and colonized Africans. It is part of who I am, and I did not make the choice of course. For me to say that it has nothing to do with me would serve no justice to those who struggled and died so that I am able to converse with you freely today. I cannot take this for granted.

We're all glad they did.

in all fairness, atomic bombs and depletion and manipulation of resources are two vastly different methods of destruction. I don't think it's fair to compare the two, and I really think the Western world fails to see their the refusal to acknowledge present-day colonialization is part of what continues this tragedy.
Posted via Mobile Device

Yes. I sure didn't learn anything about that when I was in school. I don't remember learning anything about Africa at all until college, and very little then either.

 

[myst]

It comes down to humanity. And humanity is selfish.... That is my point all along. We will never solve this problem it's impossible I am afraid...

I don't worry about completely solving it... but no reason not to try to figure out what is possible... ignoring problems can make them worse

 

[bamf]

Let me clear up some misconceptions people might have about my post
*****************************************************
I don't think money is evil, or that capitalism is evil, or that rich people are evil. What I'm saying is that the system the world works with is flawed; it oppresses people and creates poverty. Of course, these systems are run by people, and therefore it is our fault (humanity's) that there is such widespread poverty in the world. It's not the system's 'fault'. The system can't be at fault, it's not able to have fault. We however, control the system we use, and that is why we are at fault. We ALL are at fault in some way. We live in and contribute to an economic system that creates poverty, directly or indirectly, and because of this we are at fault. As long as we partake in any economics, we will always be at fault. That isn't to say that we intentionally hurt people, but we need to wake up and take some responsibility. I doubt that a single person reading this has only services and goods that were obtained fairly/humanly by the producing company. Buying fair trade products, protesting child-labor made products, and encouraging mirco-loans are all good steps towards change. As long as we are affluent though, we have to realize that we are supporting a system that oppresses people. If you have food, shelter, and clothing, it's more than likely that you're better off than the over 1 billion people in this world living in poverty.

I'm not here to tell people to stop giving to charity, but I'm asking you to step out from preconceived notions that charity is a good thing, and really inspect what charity alone does. I think that food and shelter are important things, and they allow the poor to stay alive for the day, but in the end (outside of that), how much good is it doing them? Yes, we give them what they need, but many times we don't give them the opportunity to acquire what they need, on their own, and if we do they still have to compete in a system that is balanced heavily against their success. They become dependent on our support. People can always preach about how "America is the land of opportunity", but rags-to-riches is immensely difficult to come by. Congrats to all of you who are going to brag about doing it themselves, or how your family/ancestors did it. I'd argue that you/them are some of the fortunate few who are able to do such a thing.

Sure, we can give the poor all of the chances to succeed; we can give them food, give them shelter, give them an education, but those are only band-aids and not fixes. Notice how we have to give...it's because they don't have means of acquiring such things on their own. The fortunate have to give such things to those who have no access to them. We have to lift them up to our level, because we participate in systems that would give them no chance otherwise. Sure, we all might be equals in the fact that we are human beings, but we sure as hell aren't given equal beginnings. Is that our fault? Probably not, but we can at least work at creating a system that doesn’t keep people poor, poor.

Think about it, in our system, how does one acquire necessities to survival? By money. That's not saying that money is evil, but I find it backwards that the only way to survive on earth is if you have money. 1 billion people (if not more) don't have the luxury of knowing that they'll eat tomorrow, that their kids will be clothed, or that they will escape the rain. If you think that that's all fair and dandy, well then ignore everything I have to say, because I won't be changing your mind.

There is something wrong with the system that if the only way the poor can survive, is if they are given the opportunity to. That's why charity alone doesn't work. We can give, give, and give, but it's ignoring the problem. The problem is that people have an unfair advantage/disadvantage at survival. Not our fault, but we are guilty if we stand by and don’t try to make a fairer system.

Now, all of you who want to toot your horns and say life isn't fair, congrats. We all know life isn't fair, but with the advancements of man-kind, we at least have the opportunity to change something as basic as food and shelter for a large part of the billion people who don't have access to it. So if anyone wants to say that life isn't fair, that there will always be poor, that we can't change anything, well then go rain on your own parade. No shit we won't change anything with attitudes like that. What this world needs is hope. You can go and say things like I'm too young to know what the real world is like, or that you've lived and seen a lot more than me, well I say too bad for you. Maybe I'm just young and naive, but I still have hope, and it's because of people who have hope that changes are made. You're free to be 'realistic' all you want, but excuse me while I'm out there dreaming. Maybe in 50 years you can tell me 'told you so', but I hope I never become so disillusioned that I give up on the good of humanity. Of course there will always be poverty, of course goods will always be disproportionally distributed, but we can at least take our ingenuity and resources and level the playing field, if only by a little.


TL;DR
Giving to charity is only a band-aid if we ignore the problems our system creates. We can give, give, and give, but it won't make a big enough difference in the end. If we really want to help the impoverished, we need to invest time and effort in creating a more fair system where those without money can still acquire food and shelter (without hand outs), and so that they can use what little money they might gain on other things to create more wealth. There's something wrong (in my opinion) when the way to make money is with money, and the poor have to use their money on necessities to survive.

You can call me young and naive, disillusioned and idealistic, but change only comes from those with hope. What the world needs is hope if we're going to have any chance at making the world a better place.

Finally (and importantly), I'm not telling people to stop giving to charity, nor am I advocating that money/capitalism/rich people are evil. We just need to realize that we live in a system that oppresses people, and if you're okay with such a thing, then don't bother pretending to give a hoot-and-holler about the poor.