The Campus Voice

Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Jamie Halstead [Click to enlarge]

It always amazes me how it takes a catastrophic and an immense death toll for the masses to care about their fellow man. Where exactly were the millions of dollars in charitable donations when Haitians were forced to live in intolerable conditions? Why does it often take tragedy for the world to support one another?

Of course some do care but it appears many simply don't care. Many could care less about those in poverty. They would rather not think about the millions enslaved in third world countries. They would rather not live in the reality that millions die every year due to poverty and a large amount prefer the Matrix of ignorance while watching American Idol and eating their Cheetos believing that giving $5 per year to Green Peace is actually making a difference. The scary part is that it seems that a majority of individuals follow that selfish logic.

The media now suddenly cares about the impoverished in Haiti. CNN and FOX news now suddenly have a crying shoulder for the children born into that hell of a place. It sickens me to observe the hypocrisy that we, the affluent, have towards those without and how we will give them a helping hand one day, and then the cold shoulder the next.

The fact that we, the people, tolerate any human on this earth to live in trash is horrible.

Of course to be fair I must admit my hypocrisy as well. I will admit that it took me this tragedy to be passionate about helping those in Haiti, but I have always been passionate about putting an end to poverty. The problem is that there aren't many voices out there who want to change things. Perhaps this tragedy will draw a light on the poor living conditions that millions live in daily. Perhaps we will never forget the images of death and destruction of this tragedy.

Haiti is the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere. That didn't just happen over night.

Rapid corporate globalization and economic policies, not in the interest of the Haitian people, were forced down their throats in the falsified spirit of "free trade". Haiti, once a farming country, now has been reduced to a country dependent on international aid when, in fact, international trade policies are what caused such poverty. How ironic?

We, as fellow humans, must help those suffering globally.

This generation and future generations are at stake!

Can you live with yourself knowing you did nothing to stop the current and future pain and suffering of millions?

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