[f_r_E_a_K]

Note: I'm not trying to start a flame war here. I am NOT against helping impoverished people through donation of money and the spreading of knowledge.

Frequently, I see various classmates asking their fellow schoolmates to sign a petition for the governor to be more aware and active with the starving citizens of a certain country that isn't as well off as the US (I live in the US, but this applies to all Western and non-third world countries as well), or to join an organization for the awareness of the starving citizens of a certain country.

I don't know how I should react whenever I see (or am asked to sign/join) these events -- should I think with my heart instead of my brain, like an overwhelming amount of people who do these, and partake in these activities to help the starving or impoverished peoples? There are SO many people who just sign the petition/donate money to the cause without actually KNOWING what they're doing, and how exactly it will affect those in need. I disapprove when naive people absorb the emotional stories and photographs of people in poverty and try to be a "Good Samaritan" and sign the petition/donate money.

I see it as the bandwagon effect (for better or for worse) -- if I don't sign that petition or donate money, that automatically means that I'm a cold-hearted, selfish and cruel person who doesn't CARE about others in need. I am aware of the troubling conditions in other countries whose citizens have little if no access to education, sufficient food/water and shelter. I do not feel that as a human, I can forget about these other humans in need from my conscience. However, it seems to me that the only things one can do from a non-third world country is to either donate money or spread the word by telling other people about these causes. I don't feel as if many of the people who are generous enough to donate actually know the significance of what their doing; instead, they would completely forget about the cause in itself after a few days. Many people aren't committed enough to stick with the cause and donate just to stay with the bandwagon.

It's kinda like, how much will that Causes application on Facebook (hopefully you know what I'm talking about here) help if you don't do any research on the problem itself? How much will signing that petition and sending it to the governor/any government official help if you blindly sign the paper without any outside knowledge?

Do you all feel the same way too?

[Phaze5ive]

I get what you're trying to say. I don't donate to these charities either. I'd rather just give a hobo a couple of dollars now and then or support my local firemen/policemen. But if you're going to contribute to these organizations, you just have to pick one that you know will make the most of your dollar.

Wait until you see where our recyclable electronics end up. It's pretty disgusting and criminal. People think that by recycling their electronics they'd make a difference, but sometimes it doesn't end up that way. Same thing with going "green".

[princesspoppy]

I would be pleased if everyone did research and understood causes more. I would be even more pleased if everyone directly helped people, like build houses, teach orphans math and English, and whatnot. But all of that requires time. I'm not saying everyone is a busybody, but if they cannot give their time, then their money or signature is not a bad thing.

[Shikabane Hime]

See the thing is, dying societies are the least of our worries. We (or at least I) don't feel the need to bother myself with understanding their situation completely, cause I have my own crap to deal with (studies, work, family, bills, etc).

So when someone comes and makes this whole speech about dying children, I'd tend to simply assume he's done his homework. It's the same as going on sparknotes and reading all the summaries+analysis before writing your thesis.

In any case,

if I don't sign that petition or donate money, that automatically means that I'm a cold-hearted, selfish and cruel person who doesn't CARE about others in need.

Well I guess I'll have to live with being cold-hearted, selfish, and cruel who doesn't care about others in need lol.