Time to get back to helping those who are less fortunate. Today is Blog Action Day (in addition to my birthday) and the aim is to bring light to issues of global significance, but of somewhat complexity. While last year’s issue was the environment, this year we’re focusing on poverty.
From the Blog Action Day website:
Global issues like poverty are extremely complex. There is no simple, clear answer. By asking thousands of different people to give their viewpoints and opinions, Blog Action Day creates an extraordinary lens through which to view these issues. Each blogger brings their own perspective and ideas. Each blogger posts relating to their own blog topic. And each blogger engages their audience differently.
While the people over at Techcrunch have encouraged their readers to help by participating in micro loans to third-world countries, something we support and have supported awhile back with Kiva, I can’t help but think that this issue hits home as well.
It always amazes that progressive bloggers, college-educated kids, and products of suburbia are more than willing to think of creative ways to project the caring and compassionate American through telethons and American Express member projects, but scoff at the same time of efforts within our own doors. Community organizing and helping the less fortunate in poor and urban neighborhoods has been demonized as supporting welfare queens and lazy minorities, but creating a Google map mashup with micro-blogging websites to support starving kids in another continent is giving back.
Is it that the media has tuned our societies ear so far outward that we don’t even have compassion for our own people? Is it the matter-of-fact attitude that ‘American is the land of opportunity’ and anyone living here should be able to make it? Or is the fact that we just like living in a dream world, believing that everyone in the U.S. is well-off and anyone not realizing the American dream obviously did something wrong?
I know blogging is a privilege, just like tooting my horn during a virtual call of blog action. I encourage you, YBP, to not forget those who do not have that privilege, especially within your state, within your country.
Remember to treat your countrymen with respect and dignity. Volunteer when you can. Give you can. Help the meek and less fortunate, and continue to pray that we all have compassion for our fellow man, whether they live 20 miles in the city or 2000 miles in another country.
kouji haiku
i love kiva.
am currently unable to make a donation though, so i put up its banner on my blog (as well as that of freerice and goodsearch).
saw this post via the front page of blog action day. it's great that you're participating.
October 15, 2008 at 9:29 am
becoming minimalist
thanks for using your blog and taking the time to raise awareness for the reality of poverty. good for you.
i hope it encourages your readers to donate to a charity of their choosing.
October 15, 2008 at 10:18 am
Cap
Great points Fredric. I was browsing some of the blog entry on Blog Action Day related stuff, and I share the same sentiment that at times people seem to lose perspective, and only participate on “grander” things.
I was a bit hesitant to write something for Blog Action Day, but decided to simply just point to a few sites where people can make some tangible differences instead of simply just discussing the matter of poverty (the amount of “we can solve this!” cheerleading on some blog can be quite annoying). Still, raising awareness is one of the point of the event, and I suppose some awareness is always better than just plain apathy.
October 16, 2008 at 1:09 am
The Urban Scientist
This is a great post Frederic. I feel the same way. Though American poor is better off than developing nation poor, it is no reason to pretend like poverty and hunger and desperation does not exist in this so-called land of plenty…plenty of hardship to go around.
Keep up the great work.
October 16, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Dan Bassill
Thanks for your post. I encourage you to look at the maps at http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com and the interactive map at http://www.horizonmapping.net/projects/tmc/tmc_...
These show all of the high poverty zones in Chicago along with locations of poorly performing schools. These are neighborhoods where volunteers, donors and business partners can connect in non-school tutor/mentor programs operating in some of these areas.
If events like Blog action day focus attention on maps like this it can provide paths for people who want to make a difference to connect with places where their help is needed now, and will be needed for many years to come.
October 17, 2008 at 3:50 pm
peyton
http://atlah.org/broadcast/ndnr10-17-08.html
October 24, 2008 at 1:25 am