Can Philanthropy Create Poverty? (ProteanView)

Poverty is relevant and relative. It's about perception... within reason, anyhow. Disparity causes poverty to 'dawn on' us.

Our tunnel vision forces us to see charity on an individual basis. By broadening that scope, we *might* find that our help does more damage than good on a society at large.

Not everyone defines hardship the way we define it. Not everyone wants to be like the West.

If I'd never tasted chocolate & you hand a piece to me, I will take it, like it and be happy... but it's not good for me.
Philanthropy is often used by capitalist cultures in the way a drug dealer gives someone free drugs to get them hooked. ~MarmaladeINFP

proteanview

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[LLCraver]

The ? that isn't being addressed is why we have a system which needs philanthropy & charity in the 1st place? - a system that allows charity is a system that already exist as inequality - if a person isn't asking that ?, they aren't REALLY interested in an actual change, but only feeling 'good' - charity is shortsighted, not taking All into consideration or the potential outflows which as you mention, creates even wider gaps of inequality.

The solution is an Equal Money System - do the research.

[chromelemon]

Proteanview, I think you are rather smart and thought provoking. I understand where you are coming from, but I disagree with your arguement because it rests upon the assumption that people don't "know" they are poor. Unless these said people live in some area with little to no outside contact, they would probably picked up upon the fact of inequalities eventually. Im not trying to troll, but I think you should consider that point.

[catdanc]

As always you come up with some of the most thought provoking and relevant discussions. On the subject of philanthropy as you discussed it, I have to take a few exceptions. First, in almost every country no matter how impoverished there is already a system of haves and have-nots. It most often revolves around what we would see as fundamental issues of existence. Food clothing shelter etc. I am out of space so I guess I will be forced to make one of these videos to finish my thought...

[synchronium24]

@uwmbigb i know i'm being a nitpicky asshole here, but Ernest Hemingway bettered himself and understood life around him aided by, or perhaps even due to, *drum roll* "getting wasted everynight."

[blackpopeHU]

A few points, charity is about providing very very basic necessities, with the hope that once the most basic needs are meant, members of a community and can better provide for themselves and eventually help others. But the idea that poor people don't know they're poor, verges on the absurd, even it they didn't, there exist a group of the extreme poor who lack clean water, health, food, and shelter. These are so poor cannot possibly better themselves or have even a basic quality of life.

[seeking911]

People on here think that poor people don't get it. They do get it. There so many, I mean, SOOOOO many able bodied young people using welfare. A lot of them don't have children, and live with family members. It just that a lot of them can't find jobs, don't know how to get them, and lack work experience. The behavior is widely accepted, and they don't feel a need to get a job, or to even look for one. I think anybody that is able bodied and using welfare should also go through workforce programs

[eggory]

I've heard the idea that poor people are often poor by no fault of their own, but by preaching "equallity" to such an extreme as this, what you're really saying is each individual, with a few special exceptions I assume, actually has exactly the same merit, and that any unequal reward is cruel punishment. In the case of charity, which kids in Africa get a new house and which don't could be much more arbitrary, but even then, feeling that you're poor should only be a motivation to become richer.

[walidb123]

i don't remember how i stumbled on your videos but they're incredibly engaging and always bring up points which can spread out into other pools of thought for me to think about, even if i'm not always on the same page. thank you for your sound logic and enlightening views.

[Topgeneral3070]

God your videos are a breath of fresh air.

[Vamavid]

LOL. What you said is so true.

I didn't think much of peeing and pooping until last week when I saw a program on the History Channel where they showed this Toto toilet that puts the seat down, washes the user's, plays music and flushes itself. I've been wanting to buy it since.

[airforcemax]

Charity is the legal and best method for image conscious businesses to attempt to disguise cheap practices of employing people with low was and especially then newest strategy to hire part-time instead of full-time thus increasing net profit for very few. Look for Open Secrets and WikiLeaks. Thank you Proteanview.

[EthanNin0]

Exactly, even feeding starving people. Raising the carrying capacity of a nation doesn't save people from starvation, it merely saves everyone from starvation in one of their generations, which may even result in MORE starving when their children can't be fed. Their civilizations are based on having many children so that at least a few will survive the life's trials. Interfering with other cultures on a generational and evolutionary scale only when absolutely necessary is true philanthropy.