Charities

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 11 Apr 2006 01:09

As some of you know, I work for an environmental charity (www.wilderness.org.au) and I was thinking today about which charities I support and which I don't. Specifically I'm very much opposed to charities that help people in Western countries over come medical problems - ie. cancer research, guide dog associations etc. And also to animal welfare groups. I would be happy to give money to cancer research when 40,000 people dieing of easily preventable diseases every day wasn't a reality - but as it is - I'd prefer to give money to a charity that will give 100 people clean water (with my money) - then to pay some scientists to help make people born in a wealthy country live longer. I also think giving money to those kinds of charities is usually a fairly selfish thing - people give money to them because they have some kind of personal experience - their mother died of cancer or whatever. While that's sad - I don't think it's an actual problem for our society and I don't think curing cancer does a great deal to improve our society - people dieing in our society isn't actually a problem.

Anz · Post by **Anz** » 11 Apr 2006 01:54

Or if you don't have any money (like me), you ca save the rainforests for free:
The Rainforest Site

Anz · Post by **Anz** » 11 Apr 2006 01:56

sorry I fucked the link, here it is:
The Rainforest Site

(damn I hate this discussion forum for not being able to edit posts...)

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 11 Apr 2006 08:23

As some of you know, I work for an environmental charity

Hahaha. Nice lead in slash shameless self-promotion.

Whatever, charity dollars are better than government dollars.

jon · Post by **jon** » 11 Apr 2006 09:12

Jeremy wrote:Specifically I'm very much opposed to charities that help people in Western countries over come medical problems - ie. cancer research, guide dog associations etc. ... I also think giving money to those kinds of charities is usually a fairly selfish thing ... I don't think curing cancer does a great deal to improve our society - people dieing in our society isn't actually a problem.

Wow.
You're opposed to charities that help Western people with medical issues such as helping the blind? Can you just not support them? Why do you have to oppose people that are trying to help other people?
So you had your way you would take funding to provide guide dogs to blind children if it meant water for african children. Do you not see that these two things cannot possibly be compared and its not as black and white as your post makes it seem.

How is giving money to charity selfish? How can you generalize the types of people that donate to charities? Everyone does it out of self serving reasons, that is bullshit.
Millions of people die from cancer, if it is cured this WOULD be benefical to society. Lots of great people that contribute or could contribute to this world were taken from it by cancer at a young age.
People dying isnt a problem? I don't even know how to respond to that.

IMHO people can do whatever they want with their money. If people choose to donate their money for a morally good cause why should they be critized because that money could have gone to a better charity? Who gets to decide which group of people is more deserving? Honestly your post is offensive, I was really surprised. If there was no user name attached to the post I would swear it was a troll posting.

jon · Post by **jon** » 11 Apr 2006 09:15

Jeremy wrote:.... when 40,000 people dieing of easily preventable diseases every day wasn't a reality ... people dieing in our society isn't actually a problem.

who cares about those people

dieing isnt even a problem

jon · Post by **jon** » 11 Apr 2006 10:50

bah my posts are too negative, please ignore me, sorry

Slowsis · Post by **Slowsis** » 11 Apr 2006 13:59

Jeremy wrote: Specifically I'm very much opposed to charities that help people in Western countries over come medical problems - ie. cancer research, guide dog associations etc.

My dad is blind. He would not have been able to afford a guide dog if they made him pay for it. Do you understand what that means for someone?

People can do whatever they want with their money, and if it happens to be donating to people in need in their own country, then why not? What will you say when your favorite uncle (or any family member) gets diagnosed with cancer? Perspective is everything.

jon · Post by **jon** » 11 Apr 2006 14:18

On a related note I am watching the CBC news and they just said that the disease that affects the most number of canadians is cancer and about 1/4 of the canadian population will die from it.

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 11 Apr 2006 14:58

Cancer is really a whole different issue for me as fair as charity stuff is concerned. Cancer really isn't a disease, it's more just the human condition. What cancer is is what we'll all die from eventually anyways, so I think that's really a seperate issue if we're discussing giving money to certain sicknesses.

HighDemonslayer · Post by **HighDemonslayer** » 11 Apr 2006 15:28

Specifically I'm very much opposed to charities that help people in primitive countries over come survival problems problems - ie. subsistance, clean drinking water.
And also to animal welfare groups.
I would be happy to give money to tsunami victims when 400,000 people go hungry in America every day wasn't a reality - but as it is - I'd prefer to give money to a charity that will give 100 Americans subsidized housing (with my money) - then to pay some scientists to help make thousands of primitives born in a poor country live longer.
(.....) Selfish people donate to charity(........)
While that's sad - I don't think it's an actual problem for our society and I don't think helping poor foreigners does a great deal to improve our society - poor foreigners dieing in our society isn't actually a problem.

You like that?? I had to put that out there , for comparison, before I lampooned Jeremy's post, because he may have been satirizing the whole thing. Especially with him working for a charity.

-n

Slowsis · Post by **Slowsis** » 11 Apr 2006 15:34

That is a very realist perspective on the issue. I actually would rather donate local. Sending people in the third world money isn't going to help them. Petitioning for change in the way our governments oppress them might. So donate to a human rights group, and maybe actually make a difference.

HighDemonslayer · Post by **HighDemonslayer** » 11 Apr 2006 15:55

I remember last week I read a blurb about the Red Cross losing millions and millions of hurricane relief dollars.

So I went back into the archives to find where I posted that charities were crooked grifters, but the Red Cross ,for example, was a charity that might not spend all the money on prostitutes.

Here was my quote, refering to some else's contribution to the the Red Cross(I think they were upset of me characterizing charities as thieves.)

I said: (in the Katrina thread)
----------------

OK, so you know the money went to Red Cross, that's probably a safe bet. (unless anyone can comment on rampant corruption there also.)

------------

Hahah ,I guess I was wrong about them on that one.

Whomever had donated to them , may have had their charity dollars diverted, to pay for a lap-dance, and a bottle of Johnny Walker Black.

p.s. I found another good quote from that thread...for next post.

-n

[/quote]

Iron Clad Ben · Post by **Iron Clad Ben** » 11 Apr 2006 16:09

To piggy back on to what Anz said, you can donate to these sites for free by clicking on their button, once per day. I have 'em loaded in a bookmark folder in Firefox, I just hit "open in tabs" and bam I can click thru all of them in about 10 seconds

http://www.thehungersite.com
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
http://www.theliteracysite.com
http://www.therainforestsite.com
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com
http://www.thechildhealthsite.com

It's the lazy poor person's way to make a small difference in the world

HighDemonslayer · Post by **HighDemonslayer** » 11 Apr 2006 16:13

Do a search for "Selenium IDE".

It is an extension for Firefox.

It lets you record your browsing tasks, and save the macros/scripts for later.

You can probably do all your autosurf tasks, and alot more.

-n

shreddaily · Post by **shreddaily** » 11 Apr 2006 18:57

I don't have much to add, other than I played guitar in church for free once.

I am however dieing to here Jeremy's well thought out, self richiouse response!

Anz · Post by **Anz** » 12 Apr 2006 06:51

That's more philospohy: do you give money for charities because it makes you feel better? Is it even possible to give money away for unselfish reasons?

carl winslow · Post by **carl winslow** » 19 Apr 2006 22:43

No responce from Jeremy yet...?

modified

Charities

Charities

Re: Charities

Re: Charities

Re: Charities