This made me cry

[Total U2 Nut]

I just get so fucking angry. What a world of completely self absorbed wankers - I read this in a thread on the Muse board entitled I really hate this "let's help Africa" baloney

Now, I know that life in Africa is fucking shit, yet I really can't bring myself to care. Perhaps it's the fact it's thousands of miles away, perhaps it's the fact it's none of our fucking business. All I know is that the bleeding hearts brigade is really getting on my tits.



The fact of the matter is, is that why are we sending billions of dollors/euro's/pounds/whatever into the black hole that is Africa, when those billions could be used to sort out the problems we have in our own countries? Now, I dunno what it's like over in other countries, but in Britain, our public services our shit. However, our government see's fit to send billions of pounds to sort out poverty in Africa. Gee, that's wonderful Tony, you're such a caring guy by helping starving kids on another continent. Oh shit, wait, we have problems over here as well, don't we. The NHS, the Police Service, public transport etc etc. How about we sort that out first eh?



And another thing, I fucking HATE these damned celebrities who go around telling people that I should be charitable, help the starving ickle African kiddies. Fuck you! The only reason you're doing this is because it's a good little publicity stunt and you wanna promote a film/album etc. That or your last album was shit and you wanna look good regardless (hello Bono!) This is completely forgetting the hypocrisy of people, like Bono, who have enough money to probably rival the GNP of several African countries. If you really wanna help, how about you donate a shit load of money to causes like Unicef or the Red Cross, seeing as how you've got enough money as it is.



Perhaps I'm a heartless cunt to some people. All I can say is that perhaps I am, but people, let's get our priorities straight, please!

I'm just gobsmacked that someone can think like this, it really makes my blood boil. And then someone replied with;

i completely agree!well we should still send some food or something!

What the fuck. How can people be so heartless? I never cry especially over stupid shit on the internet, but this made me want to go and smash their fucking head in.

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

In spanish there´s this saying that says "Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente" which translates to "Eyes that don´t see, heart that doesn´t feel".

It´s mostly about how lovers don´t hurt their partners with things they don´t find about but for some reason it´s the first thing that came to my mind when I read the first paragraph of the quoted rant.

 

[Total U2 Nut]

That's true but what got up my nose most were some people agreed So I replied saying;

You label Africa a "black hole", and really, we helped it become what it is. We leant them all this money, which of course in hindsight was a stupid thing to do - even at the time I can't imagine world leaders seeing Africa really being able to pay all the money back, especially with crippling amounts of interest. Yes, countries have their own problems, but in comparison, these are small and insubstantial - not to have the facilities to educate children is a REAL problem - not to have access to clean water, a REAL problem - children not being able to get a 10p vaccine, resulting in death BY MOSQUITO BITE - a REAL problem.

Disease, starvation and poverty are still dominating Africa today, even with all this "help" we've been giving - this should be our number one priority, 5,500 Africans die ever day of AIDs and you say we need to sort out our priorities. YOU need to sort out YOUR priorities.

And your comment about Bono, that really gets on my fucking tits. He has been working with various campaigns for over 20 years, fighting this cause, and you say it's a publicity stunt? I am truely inspired by what he has done, and yes, he has money, but it has been well established that pumping money into Africa didn't work once - it will not work again. Corrupt democracies will squander it away, the aid needs to go to the people who need it most. Not their governments. Bono or any other celebritiy for that matter, donating all their money to Red Cross or Water Aid, or any one of the charities that help Africa would be beneficial, there's no denying it, BUT, what is more beneficial is them highlighting this issue to our governments, hell, even to us - the G8 can do a fuck load more than one person giving away their wealth. Watch this video and tell me you truely think that his heart it not in it, that this is all some 20 year long publicity stunt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6P6v4bNxJQ

You said you might come across as a "heartless cunt" to some people, and you're right. What you said shocked me.

It's really got under my skin

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Well honestly I've seen similar things posted here from time to time. People will think what they think-try as you might you are never going to be able to change what people think, they can only do that themselves.

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

I had a very heated discussion with my aunt last Christmas Eve about Africa. She believes that we shouldn't bother helping other countries when there are so many problems in America. She's never been outside of the U.S. and I'm sure never will be, and she's just got this shockingly closed-minded view of the world.

I tried talking to her about the One Campaign and about how what seem like very small things can make a huge difference. Finally, though, I gave up. I was getting very angry, and I knew Christmas Eve dinner wasn't the place to have an argument. I also knew I was wasting my time, because I wasn't going to change her mind.

I get teased sometimes for my commitment to the One Campaign, but I don't let it get to me. We are citizens of America (or England, or Canada, or wherever people here are from), but we're also citizens of the world, and if one of my friends commenting that I'm wearing my "I love Bono" band is going to give me a chance to talk a little about that, then I'll do it.

 

[forbonou2]

So...'there really isn't all that much charity in the world, if you think about it'! ...Boy George,dec. 1985! Total...you would think there were people,oh so tired of this after all this time..and yet..still could care less!! And, then to say that Bono does this just for publicity...she really has No clue! But she and so many others Will see..it can be done and then shame of those that did nothing!

 

[Total U2 Nut]

Thanks for replying, I was just gobsmacked that someone could genuinely feel like that (naive, I know) - and it pisses me off to no end when people jump on the "omgz bone-o teh hypocrite, why doesn't he give all his money to africa is he cares so much" bandwagon. I try to explain but it gets tiresome, especially when all you have to do is mention him and people immeadiately go "what a cunt!"

 

[JCOSTER]

You would be surprised at how people feel. I did a bunch of stuff with my kids school with Africa. It was all my volunteering, money and time spent. Do you know that parents complained because there is more than enough causes in America to help.

My shout back was then if thats what you think....pick a charity and go with it which means your time, your money etc.

Sometimes people are disgusting.

 

[annie_vox]

I had a conversation like that with a friend f mine a while ago... He wasn't so heartless as the one who wrote that but he was like "We need money to our contry, why give it away?" When people know how to talk and ar not cold towards afica I like to have this conversations, but when they are empty minded and don't know what they're talking about I just chose not to wast any time with them...
As for Bono, I think it's cool to critisise him nowadays... Sometimes I think a lot of people think it's cool not to like U2. Anyway it's their loss...

 

[evillaurd]

In spanish there´s this saying that says "Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente" which translates to "Eyes that don´t see, heart that doesn´t feel".

It´s mostly about how lovers don´t hurt their partners with things they don´t find about but for some reason it´s the first thing that came to my mind when I read the first paragraph of the quoted rant.

We have the similar phrase - "Out of sight, out of mind" and it suits that person's attitude very well. We all have our share of U2/Bono-haters. He gets publicity for the work he does, and the public tends to side more with people holding picket signs and throwing stones at authority figures rather than someone who talks with them and gets things done.

The thing is, they fail to see beyond the celebrity endorsement to the real problem, and also fail to see that the only reason the celebrities are still at it is because nothing/very little is being done.

And y'know, that phrase, "We have our own problems in this country" comes up all too often in arguements against helping Africa or our other neighbours. I just can't get my head around the short-sightedness of such thoughts myself. I mean, yes, the UK has problems, but really, when is that ever going to change? Even if the government solves the problems which we are faced with today, new ones will come to take their place. So what then? Is it just always going to be a case of, "Look, I'm a bit busy with my own problems at the moment, I'll get back to you"? We can't do that. As much as we'd like to numb ourselves to the part of us that tells us that we have to do something about it, we can't let that happen. I know that as well as anyone, because I've tried to just forget about it and live a normal life where I only have to worry about my own problems. It doesn't work. Looking the other way isn't going to make the problem disappear. Distancing yourself from the problem isn't going to make it disappear either.

It all sounds like a way to make money, I'll admit. Taking a step back, really the end product of our making our voices heard by the G8 is the government taking our money and sending it to Africa. But what's more important - because there were 3 issues that the G8 were pressured to address - the most important is to make trade fair. You can hand a cheque over to a government in Africa very easily. You can get rid of a debt owed by an African country - a bit harder, but only for the person who's writing off a healthy sum of money. Fair trade is harder than simple money donation or elimination, and requires more work than just writing out a cheque to Oxfam, because to do so we have to actually see Africans as equal to ourselves, and their businesses deserving of the rights our multi-nationals have, and that means a change in perception, which is a lot more difficult than a change in one's bank balance. However, our governments don't seem too keen to look further into this, and until the issue is properly dealt with, we're going to be seeing a hell of a lot more of Bono and Geldof wearing suits and walking down the corridors of power. So those who are speaking against it either will have to change their attitude or just keep quiet, because it's their 'Laissez-faires' stance on the matter that's actually keeping the whole thing from making real progress.

But of course, you all know this, because I'm preaching to the converted!

 

[Total U2 Nut]

That was really well put Somehow I can never put across what I want to say that well ... but it's not like they'll take notice anyway. It's this mentality of "oh the NHS is going to the dogs, we should concentrate on that - Africa can wait, they shouldn't have borrowed so much money, let them stew in it" that makes me sick - in comparison our problems are trivial and minimal, at least we have a health service

 

[Lila64]

 

[redhotswami]

I've met others that say the same thing about how we should be taking care of our problems here in America. Well when I asked them, guess how many of those people actually said they volunteer to help solve "our own problems"?



I think people need to shut up and start getting their hands dirty instead of polluting the world with their dirty mouths.

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

Why do you care what other people do with their charity? If this person is going to support the Boys and Girls club, a shelter for women and children, habitat for humanity, a soup kitchen in their area are they less of a person for not contributing to an African charity?

 

[JCOSTER]

The real shame of it is that the person who wrote the article thought Bonos speech at the NAACP awards was a publicity stunt rather than inspirational.

For the most part, the people that complain the most are the people that do nothing the most.

 

[kimby]

Why do you care what other people do with their charity? If this person is going to support the Boys and Girls club, a shelter for women and children, habitat for humanity, a soup kitchen in their area are they less of a person for not contributing to an African charity?

Methinks you missed the point...the complainers often aren't doing anything.

(except bitching)

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

No, I did not miss the point. Re-read some of the posts. They are not all about people complaining about Africa and then not helping any cause. Some of them call contributing to a local cause "short sighted" and "trivial." Everyone is entitled to give to their own cause. Why is there judgement attached to which cause a person chooses to contribute to?

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

Why do you care what other people do with their charity? If this person is going to support the Boys and Girls club, a shelter for women and children, habitat for humanity, a soup kitchen in their area are they less of a person for not contributing to an African charity?

Because the vast majority of people do nothing, but have no problem sitting back and complaining about what others do. No, not everybody can afford to donate money to charities, but most people can find at least a little time to donate, but they don't want to be bothered.

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

But I'm talking about people who do donate locally. There seems to be a some sort of stigma attached to it here.

 

[No spoken words]

Agreed on Bonoismymuse's last post, but, that still does not explain why people who restrict their donations, be it done via money or time, to domestic contributions are deemed short sighted. I've traveled abroad, I have an open mind, but, frankly, if someone feels like they only want to help with/donate to causes in their home country, well, at least they're doing something and so I have trouble casting aspersions on them because my global view is not shared.

 

[butter7]

I'm sure the person who write the article that Total U2 Nut quoted is a no-brainer.

Who came to Africa, devide the land, broke the original social structure, robbed the people, chained them, sold them, slaved them?

 

[Total U2 Nut]

But I'm talking about people who do donate locally. There seems to be a some sort of stigma attached to it here.

I have nothing against people who chose to donate to local causes or help out with projects which are closer to home, but this person is doing nothing, I think prehaps it was the way it was worded that bugged me most - it was nonchalant and using phrases like "help the starving ickle African kiddies" really got up my nose.

Other people who posted in the thread have better and more valid points to make - but I'll stick by saying that problems in developing countries put our own issues into perspective He was complaining about the transport and police service(!) which generally run smoothly and are small and inconsequential in comparison to what people living in Africa have to deal with on a daily basis.

 

[Galeongirl]

these morons that say these kind of things.... just ask them one question....
how much have they read about this topic that is NOT from gossip shit and internet? how much REAL research have they done to base their opinions on????




none, yea, I'd figured that...

 

[butter7]

I think these people actually brought up a very interesting topic....

This might be the real reason why the politicians not deliever the promises.

 

[evillaurd]

I guess some people misunderstood my 'short-sightedness' statement. I was referring not to people who volunteer locally to help sort our own problems - I know many people who do so personally and I really am in awe of what they do. I was referring to those who sit back, do nothing and say that the government should only sort out its own problems and leave other problems to everyone else.

They see only the problems that affect them personally. The NHS? Maybe their grandmother was on a waiting list for months for an operation. Public transport? Maybe their train has a habit of being late in the mornings. People dying because they can't get access to drugs that hundreds of people here can get by going to their local pharmacy? "Oh, doesn't affect me, it's all the way across the water so therefore we shouldn't be helping out." That's the kind of mentality I was addressing in my previous post. It's not the ones who work towards solving these problems, for they should be applauded, but those who just make a habit of complaining without doing anything about it who are short-sighted.

Of course we should try to improve our own situation. But does that mean abandoning a continent in a state of disaster, something to which the UK contributed? No. At least I don't think so.

 

[LJT]

^I agree...people also need to realise that more money in our own services does not actually fix anything. The NHS suffers from awful management not a lack of money, same with most public services in the UK, but even when you think about it, the transport system here isn't that bad, compared with someone dying through lack of food.

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

I'm certainly not criticizing people who choose to give of their time and money locally. We donate to causes that are important to us, and for many those causes are close to home. That gives way to the larger question of how do we make people care about Africa, but this isn't the thread to debate that. The people I was talking about above are the ones who could do something but choose to just complain instead.

My aunt I mentioned in my first post in this thread, for example, is a homemaker and her husband is retired. They have nothing but time on their hands now, and they do little if anything to help the community, yet she's always quick to complain. She's not the only person I know like that. It makes me sad to see so many people with attitudes like that.

 

[BluRmGrl]

I was just having a similar conversation with a few neighbors last night. One neighbor was a bit put off by a recent news story he'd read about money being collected for some African cause (he didn't elaborate & the focus of the conversation drifted, so I didn't get any further details.) It bothered him, he said, that all this effort was put into sending money overseas when we have so many issues here in the States that need addressing.

My answer to him was, yes - there are issues here in the states that need attention & action. But the things going on in Darfur, Somalia, etc. are a level of living Hell that, but for the Grace of God, we will never know. Why shouldn't we - whose problems mostly pale in comparison - send help to those nations? Why shouldn't people care deeply and want to try & make a difference?

I can't quote much Scripture & I'm certainly not a model of Christianity, but I seem to recall a lesson from the Bible that went something along the lines of the treatment applied to the lesser of your brothers being the treatment you apply to Christ. I don't believe that just because these human beings are far, far away from where I live that it makes them any less deserving or any less important than the folks who are geographically close to me. People are people are people & I believe we're here to take care of each other - not turn a blind eye because someone's agony & misery are easy to ignore.

 

[TheQuiet1]

but I'll stick by saying that problems in developing countries put our own issues into perspective He was complaining about the transport and police service(!) which generally run smoothly and are small and inconsequential in comparison to what people living in Africa have to deal with on a daily basis.

I don't understand his argument either. It's not exactly as if Africa politically overshadows the UK's problems is it? I mean when is the NHS's problems ever out of the news?

 

[AchtungGirl219]

I agree with all of you... I'm so sorry he made you cry Total U2 Nut (awesome, awesome response, by the way!)... it upsets me too... it amazes me that seeing other people help others can irritate people so much... he should really try working with some refugee kids from Sudan and listen to their experiences, and then compare those experiences with his public transport problems.

Its incredibly dififcult sometimes, but it really makes you want to make a difference... somehow... and whilst we can't fix the problems in Darfur, at least we can actively do something to help so many others...

Anyway, I could go on and on about the ignorance of this guy's argument, but it's no use trying to change the minds of people who feel this way... to quote one of Bono's favourite quotes, "don't fight the darkness with the light, just make the light shine brighter" and do something for this world, whether that be for a friend, your local community or for Africa.

http://www. ripple.org/