I may not be popular for saying this but...

shroomfox

degsy wrote:

Oh yes,of course go read a BOOK!I knew there was something i'd been neglecting to do all these years.Do you think reading Stiglitz makes you intelligent?First year BESS reading "Roaring 90's-seeds of destruction"Joseph Stiglitz.."The mcDonaldisdation of Society"George Ritzer.More Stiglitz?"Re-thinking the east-asian miracle".Bull**** crappy children's econimics books,everybody's so left wing these days it makes me sick.You wanna go read a book,let me reccomend "dog eat dog" by edward Bunker.Poxy Students.

I'm not a lefty. And I'm not a student. Poverty isn't a left/right issue, it's a problem that both sides aim to address in different ways.

Seriously, go read a book instead of looking up their titles on Amazon and acting like you have a clue about economics. There's a good lad.

edanto

Aporia, your reply didn't really support what you were saying about corruption being the biggest problem. I asked you to support that, because while it's an undeniable blight, it's far from the biggest problem, in my experience in Africa.

Vegeta, your link to the news story about poor Congolese street children is sad - there's been war in the Congo for ages, massive problems with HIV, poverty, colonial hangover etc etc so it's not that surprising there are so many homeless children. But it doesn't back up your statement that the continent, as a whole, has "backward values".

You said that Africa has been getting aid for 20 years and there has been no improvement - in fact they've paid far more in INTEREST ALONE to the US controlled World Bank than they've gotten in aid from all sources. I say that it's our Western bankers and politicians that have "backward values", putting profit before lives.

Could you elaborate a bit on the social changes that you think are needed?

I'm asking because I think you are clueless about why there is poverty in places like Africa and I think the social ills you described are a result of that poverty, not the cause of it. Of course those things are holding Africa back, but your suggestion to cut them off and only send 'knowledge' would be a total disaster. Technology will help, but the problem needs a more holistic solution.

Vegeta wrote:

I refuse to pity a continent with such backward values

I don't think they deserve to be judged by someone as blinkered as you.

edanto

And for all those that said we should look after our own first - have a look at this link from another AH thread. http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/eco_gdp_percap

We have the 4th highest GDP in the world. For fucks sake, wake up - we're incredibly rich here whether you feel it or not.

drdre

yes i care as when i go hme to pakistan i see people that dont even have water, food,shelter,cloths.

but you guys wont understand that until you see it in real life ,face to face.

its really sad to see this.

some people mught be laughing right now but if it happened to you would you not want help or would you want to die.we are all just selfish people in the 1st world we should help these people.even 1 euro a week is alot over there.

HelterSkelter

Degsy wrote:

And pay 800 euro of that into the admin's pocket?Go ahead.

Your talking out of your hole buddy. GOAL's admin costs are 5% http://www.goal.ie/about/

edanto

*old thread, fair enough, but this seems like a good place to put this link*

So, wanna know how rich you are compared to everyone else in the world?

http://www.globalrichlist.com/

TerrorFirmer

rubadub wrote:

I care, but do nothing about it.
I think eating animals is wrong, and do it, because I can and I like it and there are so many other things I would like to do but am not allowed to so it is one vice I will grab while I can.

I always think it odd watching these emergency rescue programs in the US where they spend literally tens of thousands of dollars getting rescue teams to save a dog, while it could have saved thousands of lives instead. Fk'd up but lots of things are that we do not really question enough and just take it for granted or go along with it "cause thats the ways its always been".

Good post.

To be honest, most of us don't genuinely care, even if we think we do. When we see it on tv, we feel bad for those people - but thats just the point, isn't it? It wouldn't even cross half our minds until we actually see something about it on the television or some other form of media!

Everything we buy could save lifes. Everytime we buy makeup, movies, comptuers, sweets, we are buying things that vastly exceed our actual necessities in life - and yet there are millions out there starving to death without even the most basic of needs while half of us are getting fat and lazy from too much food and indulgence in the non necessities in life.

Its sad but its true, and just the way it is...

edit: Sorry, did not realise this was an old thread....

tallus

I donate by direct debit every month, I know I could be doing more, but it's better than doing nothing at all.

Degsy

tallus wrote:

I donate by direct debit every month, I know I could be doing more, but it's better than doing nothing at all.

if it makes you happy then by all means do it,however if i was to set up a direct debit for every deserving charity vying for my money i wouldnt have brass razooo left for myself,and THATS the reason i go to work every day,not to throw money at a problem i didnt create.

tallus

fair comment degsy, but just because you didn't create a problem doesn't mean you can't do something to help someone else out.

Degsy

tallus wrote:

fair comment degsy, but just because you didn't create a problem doesn't mean you can't do something to help someone else out.

Yeah,but where does it end?I mean we pay taxes so unemployed people can stay in bed all day,asylum seekers can have thier rent payed while they work in pub toilets making 3000 a night,heroin addicts can have free methadone and medical card treatment and every other way to missapropriate your wages.TBH when the mortage and the ESB and the rest ofthe bills are payed i dont have a lot of money left over to give away to hard-luck cases in other countries.

stovelid

note to Degsy.

Its called Irony..(no thats not what your mother does to your shirts in the morning). You see, The OP was not really talking about Cicken Dipper trees or Kebab bushes in the coporeal sense.

He's using them as a general metaphor for first world - specifcally Irish - wealth. and I guess, a nice little secondary "grows on trees" allusion.

Is that clear mate?

Judging by your previous posts, I would hazard a guess that it's not.

Please keep up, you are letting yourself - and everybody here - down.

Degsy wrote:

What in the name of all thats holy are you babbling about??Chicken dipper trees???Kebab bushes??.

mang87

Them ads, god of almighty, them oxfam ads

"Aisha has to walk 16 miles in the scorching heat to get water from the well, so she can keep her family alive"

Here, look, you don't exactly live in low income housing, it's a ****ing mud hut, build it closer to the well!

Degsy

stovelid wrote:

note to Degsy.

Its called Irony..(no thats not what your mother does to your shirts in the morning). You see, The OP was not really talking about Cicken Dipper trees or Kebab bushes in the coporeal sense.

He's using them as a general metaphor for first world - specifcally Irish - wealth. and I guess, a nice little secondary "grows on trees" allusion.

Is that clear mate?

Judging by your previous posts, I would hazard a guess that it's not.

Please keep up, you are letting yourself - and everybody here - down.

The OP may well have been emplying "irony",badly worded though it may have been,you seem to be emplying a term known as "gibberish".

Degsy

mang87 wrote:

Them ads, god of almighty, them oxfam ads

"Aisha has to walk 16 miles in the scorching heat to get water from the well, so she can keep her family alive"

Here, look, you don't exactly live in low income housing, it's a ****ing mud hut, build it closer to the well!

Or dig a well nearer to her mud hut.Or lay a pipeline from the well to her mud hut.Or travel at night thus avoiding the scorching heat.Thats like putting an ad on TV in africa.."Poor Degsy has to walk two miles to the pub so that he can get drunk..when he gets there he finds the heartless publicans have put the price of the pint up yet again,he is forced to walk another two hundred yards to a cheaper pub,his meagre wages clenched in his hand..please give a little it would help a lot".

mang87

Jaysus I forgot about pubs.... I'll go start the first misionary pub in africa! Genius!

stovelid

What is "gibberish"? ah yes..

Degsy wrote:

The OP may well have been emplying "irony",badly worded though it may have been,you seem to be emplying a term known as "gibberish".

Cake Fiend

This thread shouldn't have been posted on After Hours, it's a serious topic and should be in Humanities to reduce the moron-count. IMO this is far too important a discussion to have ruined by idiots who are only replying to posts criticising them in order to have the last (trivial) word (hopefully you're not so dumb as to not know who you are).

Terry

Sico wrote:

This thread shouldn't have been posted on After Hours, it's a serious topic and should be in Humanities to reduce the moron-count. IMO this is far too important a discussion to have ruined by idiots who are only replying to posts criticising them in order to have the last (trivial) word (hopefully you're not so dumb as to not know who you are).

bit late for that. although i do see your point and perhaps a thread should be started in humanities.

i used to donate to two different charities every month. i cancelled the direct debit after finding out that on 5 to 15% actually goes where it is supposed to.

also, I'm the 789,050,453 richest person on earth.
from the rich list posted above.

althoguh it would probably be higher if it took my property into account.

TerrorFirmer

You are in the top 9.42% richest people in the world.

Considering I am on fairly crap pay, thats a horrible fact for the rest of the world.

mountainyman

Degsy wrote:

...asylum seekers can have thier rent payed while they work in pub toilets making 3000 a night...

Is that true?
MM

Degsy

stovelid wrote:

What is "gibberish"? ah yes..

"Thick boarders"?What a wonderfull wordsmith you are.Wear that womanly crown with pride,you have devastated me with your superior intellect.

Terry

considering that i'm currently living on permanent disability allowance (€165.80 pw), i'm still doing better than most people across the water.

http://www.channel4.com/4money/funnymoney/richometer/results.jsp

You are in the 40.54% richest people in the UK.

There are 23,432,931 people richer than you.

There are 34,367,069 people poorer than you.


moan about this country all you want, but even the poorest of us are doing better than those in britain.

Degsy

mountainyman wrote:

Is that true?
MM

A relative works in aib in grafton street,apparantly these guys come in on monday mornings with ruksacks full of change to convert into high denimonation notes,she reckons most of them have about 8 grand to change after the weekend.AND i'm willing to bet they dont pay a penny in tax.

stovelid

Always wondered about this, how much of the money went directly to source

julep wrote:

i cancelled the direct debit after finding out that on 5 to 15% actually goes where it is supposed to.

stovelid

Ach come on mate. Don't fret. Few night classes and a kinder disposition, we'd have you up to remedial level in no time.

Degsy wrote:

you have devastated me with your superior intellect.

stovelid

I would say you could easily make a 1-300 a night if you were doing it in the jacks of a big club..especially somewhere that people get really wasted.

mountainyman wrote:

Is that true?
MM

Degsy

stovelid wrote:

I would say you could easily make a 1-300 a night if you were doing it in the jacks of a big club..especially somewhere that people get really wasted.

You could make 100 quid an hour begging on grafton street if you approcahed it the right way,its nothing.Take a place like break for the border,it holds,what?A thousand people?The guys are in the toilets from 8 till close at about 3am.The toilets will have been visited by every bloke who goes into the place and in many cases once every hour or so depending on how they're drinking.The plate that the guy has for his "tips" allways has a two euro coin on it just so you think thats the minimum tariff.I've seen blokes in there Big Noting themselves full of booze putting a tenner on his plate.And almost everybody will give him something,by thier very nature they're pretty hard to ignore.The main thing keeping this scam afloat is teh fact that peopel dont want to be thought of as racist for not paying the guy..could you imagine a white person being payed?

mountainyman

stovelid wrote:

I would say you could easily make a 1-300 a night if you were doing it in the jacks of a big club..especially somewhere that people get really wasted.

Sorry misread it I thought you meant 3 grand.

edanto

stovelid wrote:

Always wondered about this, how much of the money went directly to source

For any big reputable charity, the accounts will be on the web and you can check how much gets spent on Administration. A bit of effort and you can make sure that most (95%) of what you donate goes to where it's needed.

Degsy, is your logic that just because there are wasters on the dole that could work or people working in the toilets that earn tax-free shrapnel then the rest of us shouldn't help out poorer countries?? That's idiotic, it doesn't follow and it sure as hell makes you sound greedy.

If people abusing our systems really grinds your gears, then go do something about it - but the point is that at least we HAVE those systems. If you get sick and can't work in Africa there ain't no government handouts. Either your family support you or you die. What do you know about Africa, really? Anything?

Incidentally, where are you on the global rich list? (don't forget to include any money mammykins and papa give you)