Canadian Poverty

[Bagotricks]

If there wasn't a third world, there wouldn't be a first world. While I agree it is genarallty better to support local, in this case I feel it is our duty to make up for the exploitation. It's the least we can do.

Right, but if your statement rings true ( which I believe it does ) it is profitable and in our best interests as a first world country to keep the 3rd world right where it is. Cheap labor. Cheap resources. Expendable governments that can be cheaply bought and provide military cover/support/logistics for empire building and maintenance.

Capitalism has no morals, just profits.

However I disagree with the statement " Lets solve our problems first here "

That's what they told Chris Columbus. They say we should solve problems on earth before sending rockets into space - but life on earth has a finite number to it. One day the earth will be inside the Sun, but we will be too busy talking about tax policy to notice until its too late.

[WhatThe]

How many of these kids do we see here in Canada ?
For those that think aid doesn't help consider this- in 1990 aprox twenty million children died yearly in Africa, it's now down to eight million.

[_Hello_]

How many of these kids do we see here in Canada ?
For those that think aid doesn't help consider this- in 1990 aprox twenty million children died yearly in Africa, it's now down to eight million.

Sad but true. Question is, is Canada putting money and supplies into something that WILL NEVER CHANGE??? When Canada can at least put money and supplies towards our own Canadians which can make a difference for the better, before Canadian children get to this point. Canada can nip this in the butt before it get worse like the picture you've shown. Where as no matter how much money and supplies Canada sends to the most poverty strucken places such as Africa it will never BE ENOUGH to stop the 20 million children who die yearly.

[JLives]

However I disagree with the statement " Lets solve our problems first here "

That's what they told Chris Columbus. They say we should solve problems on earth before sending rockets into space - but life on earth has a finite number to it. One day the earth will be inside the Sun, but we will be too busy talking about tax policy to notice until its too late.

I mean the environmental impact of the moving of resources from place to place as the reason. It is more desirable to source locally. That would be under generally good circumstances though. However, they have no local source so we need to step in and help.

[steven lloyd]

Agree. It is like feeeding your neighbours children while yours starve.

no, it's more like feeding badly malnourished children while yours go without smarties.

[steven lloyd]

I also believe that old adage "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".

Actually, I think the adage goes "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, ...
... teach a man to fish and he’ll spend the day sitting in a boat drinking beer".

[Corneliousrooster]

The first world caused this problem in the first place and is now perpetuating it by trying to "help" by sustaining a population that would have almost zero prospect of sustaining itself without intervention.

Africa (and pretty much EVERY starving country I can think of) was doing just fine before first world interests got involved. And in the 40 years of unicef and all the other "helpers" in my lifetime, we have perpetuated misery far beyond its natural course.

Shipping food 1/2 way around the world as some sort of solution is complete madness (but whatever helps you sleep at night I guess..... )

[steven lloyd]

There has to be some recognition that a problem exists, and that we are somehow either a part of that problem or a part of the solution – or both. In North America we throw away enough food every year to feed a third world nation. They’re starving and we’re throwing food away !!! There’s got to be something we can do about that.

[I Think]

It is tough to know just how to help low income areas, watched a religious group distribute shoes in a small Mexican town, it virtually put the local shoe maker out of business.
Met a Doctor who ran aid financed clinics in Africa, he said if you give things to people in an African village, the village head man takes it, for himself.

Micro finance seems to be one of the better ways to stimulate economies.

Buckminster Fuller said the following;
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

[WhatThe]

The first world caused this problem in the first place and is now perpetuating it by trying to "help" by sustaining a population that would have almost zero prospect of sustaining itself without intervention.

Africa (and pretty much EVERY starving country I can think of) was doing just fine before first world interests got involved. And in the 40 years of unicef and all the other "helpers" in my lifetime, we have perpetuated misery far beyond its natural course.

Shipping food 1/2 way around the world as some sort of solution is complete madness (but whatever helps you sleep at night I guess..... )

The "first world" didn't exist back then. Most of Africa has only emancipated in the last 50 years from imperial and colonial rule. Since then it's been nothing but powerstruggles and civil war to fill the vacuum of power. We've left them in used heap and now it's not our problem?

[Corneliousrooster]

The "first world" didn't exist back then. Most of Africa has only emancipated in the last 50 years from imperial and colonial rule. Since then it's been nothing but powerstruggles and civil war to fill the vacuum of power. We've left them in used heap and now it's not our problem?

Didn't exist back when? It has certainly been around since BEFORE the efforts to correct the problems.

"We've left them in used heap and now it's not our problem?" ?????
Who is "We"??? Canada as a nation certainly did not colonize any 3rd world nations i am aware of????

Perhaps rather than sending tons of food to a desert we would be more productive to unify and demand reparations from the countries that did the colonizing??? Perhaps "they" should deal with "their" problems. Certainly was not caused by me or any generations that have touched upon my lifespan - and certainly was not caused by my country (I am not speaking for private interests of our countries capitalists as I am SURE that several Canadian companies have done their fair share to exploit the resources of the 3rd world)

The worlds population approaches 7 BILLION - i fail to see the logic ( i see the emotional response!!!) in sending tons of food and money to attempt to support large populations of malnurished in areas that are not capable of supporting that volume of life. If is expensive, highly inefficient which means so much more could be done with so much less if it was simply targeted towards an attainable goal rather than being lobbed at the largest famine in the world (which in turn makes its accomplishments barely noticeable).

yes - famine is sad. its especially sad while looking at it from such a perspective of gluttony.

Look at every major natural disaster that the worlds attention came to in the last 25 years. Every place that was 3rd world dive is..........still a 3rd world dive, regardless of the BILLIONS that was donated. Empathy is a big business and there are plenty of bleeding hearts more than willing to separate their brain from their heart to create the illusion that they are actually doing something meaningful.

[WhatThe]

Tens of thousands of people dying daily from lack of food,water, medicine, basic sanitation and conflict is not sad, it's a *bleep* disgrace. a shame and black mark carried by all.

Are you honestly trying to tell me that spending a few days with the children like pictured above, holding their hand or even turning your back as they die, Even though $30 of supplies would save one child, it wouldn't make one bit of difference? Is that what youre going to tell that child in his death bed?

That you wouldn't come away from that experience changed?

We can think of us as a bunch of countries where these issues are someone else's problem or you can see us all as neighbours, would you let your next door neighbor starve?

[Captain Awesome]

So what do you say about the Canadian commercials where the lady has to choose between shelter or a can of food? I think there are some families who can't afford to shop at either of the places you suggested. The food shelters have been over flowing with new people.

What do I say about a commercial? It's beautifully done TV spot made by professionals, with professionals actors with a simple goal in mind - to get you to donate money for their cause. It's hardly an indicator of how things are in Canada. I don't see Canada being a poverty stricken country.

When was the last time you heard of somebody die of hunger in Canada? Never happens. In other countries people die of hunger every day.

[grammafreddy]

There has to be some recognition that a problem exists, and that we are somehow either a part of that problem or a part of the solution – or both. In North America we throw away enough food every year to feed a third world nation. They’re starving and we’re throwing food away !!! There’s got to be something we can do about that.

Well, I spose we could send them our leftovers ... except their corrupt governments would just hijack them for themselves ... which is pretty much what they do now anyway.

[grammafreddy]

It occurs to me that maybe they should quit making babies. At some point in time, some of these people need to assume some responsibility for the lives they create. So maybe they don't have access to birth control? Bull. If their kids are dying, they can stop making them. I am not obligated to feed their starving children because some guy can't keep it in his pants.

If I feel the need to "help" someone, I hand it to them personally or do something for them that makes a definite and positive improvement to their daily life.

All that Haitian aid money the Canadian government collected "for the Red Cross" has yet to show up in Haiti and those people, for all your generosity, are just as hungry, just as homeless, and even sicker than when the earthquake rocked their world. Three world governments make sure of that - Canada, USA and France. It suits them and their hunger for Haitian oil reserves to keep the people poor. They can control them better that way. Hell, they even hand-picked the Haitian president after they had control issues with the old one the people chose.

The dictators and armies that rule these third world countries steal any aid you send them and next to nothing gets through to the people you are so determined to help. Religious organizations brainwash the people and taunt them with food and shoe boxes full of trinkets to convert them to their own brand of cult. For them, its not really about helping, it's about converting them and gaining religious power over them. You're not helping the people, you're feeding dictators and armies and religious cults who work against the people.

And before you slam me about religions, I will remind you that those people already have a religion - it just doesn't happen to be yours or one that you find acceptable.