NationStates Jolt Archive

Surrounding the last G8 there was a whole mess of crap surrounding the issue of global poverty and perhaps the largest pressure group was 'Make Poverty History'. However, even after the summit the group has certainly not disappeared from the public eye. So what do you think of them?

Surrounding the last G8 there was a whole mess of crap surrounding the issue of global poverty and perhaps the largest pressure group was 'Make Poverty History'. However, even after the summit the group has certainly not disappeared from the public eye. So what do you think of them?
I think they're idealists without reason, and champions of exasperating hopelessness. Poverty is a result of evil and despair, and will in all probability continue to exist wherever life continues to exist. I vastly prefer them to some other charitable organizations I can think of however, due largely in part to the fact that donating money to them is not something I'll wind up in jail for if I decide to pass it up. Private charity kicks ass.

I wish them luck, but at the same time I urge that they do the best they can to keep both feet planted firmly in reality. They're not going to "end poverty" any more than we can "end war" or "end stupidity."

Wars against concepts never work.

Some debts should be cancelled Haiti is the prime example. The Haitians were colonized and had a revolution kicking the French out. But now Haiti is paying the French? It doesn't make sense! So I think they have good ideaas, but it's gonna take a lot to get anything off the ground especially at a time like this when two important nations like the U.S. and Britian are pre-occupied.

I don't really happen to buy into this nonsense that a country is poor because it is runnign a debt; shit, the United States probably has the largest debt in the world and we also happen to be richer than everyone else. These conditions aren't always caused by outside forces, but rather from the actions and habits of their leader or government in general.

If, for example, a large corporation contracts a large amount of sweatshop labor from another country, the real culrpit here is the slimy son of a bitch sitting in the Prime Minister's office, since he's the one who allows it to take place. You can't blame a corporation for wanting cheaper labor; they will continue to seek it wherever it can be found.

Poverty has many causes, the entirety of which cannot be encapsulated in one or probably even ten posts. This is hardly the case in every instance, but I would tend to beleive this is a fairly accurate generalization.

Poverty is inevitable, and I hardly think cancelling debts will do anything except prop up corrupt regimes and governments using anti growth policies.

If we cancel debts, I move that we no longer loan them money. Obviously a bad investment.

I think the whole movement is silly. They have a point when they hold Western governments accountable for unfair trade practices, but I really don't want a modern white man's burden in handing out billions to a continent that I frankly don't care about.

Stupid are some of these relief foundations...they dont give the money to themselfs so they can help people on the ground....nooooo they give it to the corrupt goverments in charge of these people and then a couple of million dollars go missing!

i also do believe we should help these people.....but WE also have to help are own poor and homless....i know that it is worse over there but we have to help our own as well.

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