Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Wave of mutilation.
Y'know, it's really swell that people all over (celebrities too!) are opening their hearts and wallets to the victims of the South Asian tsunami of '04. I mean, we're talkin' billions of dollars in aid (some of which might actually even be paid!)
But, in a world where, each month, more people will die of malaria (165,000 or more) and AIDS (240,000) than died in the tsunamis, and where even this latest disaster's victims will fade from memory as soon as the camera crews go home, the current outpouring rings a little hollow. Just think: how many lives would be saved if a fraction of the big money currently being allocated to tsunami relief could be directed to developing good health and education programs in the world's poorest countries? But I guess we only care about those brown folks when they're on camera.
But, in a world where, each month, more people will die of malaria (165,000 or more) and AIDS (240,000) than died in the tsunamis, and where even this latest disaster's victims will fade from memory as soon as the camera crews go home, the current outpouring rings a little hollow. Just think: how many lives would be saved if a fraction of the big money currently being allocated to tsunami relief could be directed to developing good health and education programs in the world's poorest countries? But I guess we only care about those brown folks when they're on camera.
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