niger

[Cloud No.9]

niger is in a pretty poor state right now. 3 million people are starving. a third of it's poplation. and why? a locut plague then a drought. so they have a famine right now? is this new news? no. the un were told in october it was going to happen. but noone bothered. ignored it. so 3 weeks after the g8. billions of people watched live 8. a quarter of a million people marched in edinburgh. when we were promised we could make a difference. things could change. they would change. we would end starvation and poverty, 3 weeks after that yet again we watch africans starve on our tv.

why?

[Rye]

You can't end starvation. Simple as that. People made a difference though, even if it's not a lot. You can't destroy starvation, and you certainly can't dimish in it what, a month?

[edczxcvbnm]

Because our problems are more important than theirs.

[Cloud No.9]

but the thing is....... we knew this was happening. it wasn't sudden. but the world stood back and did nothing yet again. it was happy to sit back and do nothing again and con us all into thinking that a difference had been made.

and ed what problems are these?

[gokufusionss1]

because people like you annoy people like me with constantly going on about poverty and we eventualy stop caring.

[Cloud No.9]

your right. i should stop going on about it. because you don't need to worry. 3 million people starving is nothing to worry about. a preventable crisis ignored by the world's richest countries isn't a problem. this isn't a disaster. this isn't you. it doesn't touch on your life? so why should you care? why would this make a difference to you? why in the grand scheme of things would 3 million people make an impact on you? why should you bother? because there are more important things in your life? because you are above all this? your life is harder than living in the 2nd poorest country on this earth? you've experienced famine on this scale before and it's a piece of cake? because it's not on your door step? or because the only thing you care about is your own life and not anyone else?

and people like me? people like me bang on about this because you are not filled with apathy. because we care. because people like you exist. because your view is the reason this was ignored by the world in october. why people are starving right now. just shut up and it will all go away? no. not until people like you stand up and take notice. not until people like you decide that enough is enough. not until people like you refuse to be filled with greed and apathy will people like me stop banging on about 3 million people starving. when people like you stop being a mere side step away from taking part in this genocide. when people like you stop acting like this is nothing and are morally close to builing auschwitz. when people like yiou stop turning a blind eye and end this suffering and death instead of perpetuating it. then people like me will stop trying to open your eyes to this. then people like me will stop trying to make you see that you are part of this and it needs to stop.

"All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." stop doing nothing.

[edczxcvbnm]

What do we need to worry about??? For one london had terrorist bombings so clean up and more security are need as well as investigations so that equals tons of money.

I am not satified with the USA's medical plan or medical anything in general. High insurance, drug prices and everything. Not to mention social security, getting off of foriegn oil and the war in Iraq.

Sorry but Africa takes a back seat. Also nothing will change over there. Throwing money at the situation is not the solution. They just have a smurfed up society in general. Bad dictor rules country. Gets over thrown by someone who in turn acts the same way. Repeat. It has been going on like that forever and because of this they have not been able to work together to do anything. I am sick of helping them. There are countries such as South Africa that try to make strides to help everyone and make the country better overall but far to many of them are as I described above.

[-TIDUS-]

I agree with you Cloud No. 9, you are clearly a very caring person,and we could do something to stop it. But I learned to realize that some people don' t really care what happens in other countries until it starts to affect them, wouldn't you agree. I'm sure if plague and famine crossed to North America and Africa was rich they'd realize what was going on.

[Madame Adequate]

but the thing is....... we knew this was happening. it wasn't sudden. but the world stood back and did nothing yet again. it was happy to sit back and do nothing again and con us all into thinking that a difference had been made.

and ed what problems are these?

You expect the UN to make a difference? They can't even call Darfur a genocide and you think they can bring an entire country with economic disaster, cultural paucity, political difficulties, and famine and drought, out of that situation in three weeks?

Sorry, but everyone cares about themselves first. The US and UK and Australia are worrying about terrorism, the price of oil, the war in Iraq, and potential economic issues. Europe is also working on the EU, and faces similar problems to the above nations. China and India are getting themselves up out of the very kinds of poverty here, they're worrying about all the many attendant issues, and they're largely doing it themselves.

I sympathise with the African people. But they have to help themselves. The major thing I believe we outside of Africa should do is to remove trade barriers and phase out subsidaries and the like for domestic producers in various countries.

[Cloud No.9]

ed. it would take 10 9-11 attacks daily to match starvation in this world. if i had to choose between a daily attack like that and to end that death toll. i know who's side i would be on.

oh and boo hoo the yanks pay alot of health insurance. diddums for them i'm crying my eyes out here for them. i really am. i'm really sorry for going on about africa folks if i realised that america had such huge problems as that i would have never brought this entire disaster up. you do have far more important things to be concerned with. drug prices are what i should be caring about.

[Cz]

It's not much to ask for well-off people like ourselves to give a bit of money that might save someone's life. It's surprising just how much of a difference one person can make if they want to, and while a single person can't solve world hunger, there's a good chance that they could save a person's life. A miniscule contribution in global terms, but a huge one on an individual level. Solving the major economic and social issues is up to the governments, but that doesn't mean we can't play a role too.

I'm not asking anyone to donate money, just consider that the act of giving aid to Africa isn't as pointless as some suggest.

[Rye]

ed. it would take 10 9-11 attacks daily to match starvation in this world. if i had to choose between a daily attack like that and to end that death toll. i know who's side i would be on.

oh and boo hoo the yanks pay alot of health insurance. diddums for them i'm crying my eyes out here for them. i really am. i'm really sorry for going on about africa folks if i realised that america had such huge problems as that i would have never brought this entire disaster up. you do have far more important things to be concerned with. drug prices are what i should be carrying about.

You know what, your anti American/Western attitude is really bugging me. Just because WE'RE not striken with poverty doesn't mean we're bad greedy people.

And we weren't alway so rich. We had the Great Depression. It wasn't to the scale of the poverty in Africa, but did we get donations from everywhere? No. We helped ourselves, though it was hard. I'm not saying screw Africa, I'm saying that they have to take a step to help theirselves, like Mr. MILF said. And maybe some Americans/Western people would be more happy to help if some people weren't like "YEAH YOU GO EAT YOUR DINNER WHILE EVERYONE STARVES, YOU BAD BAD PEOPLE."

[Cloud No.9]

sorry this wasn't meant to be a general afria thread. it was about the world turning a blind eye to niger.

[Madame Adequate]

I'm not asking anyone to donate money, just consider that the act of giving aid to Africa isn't as pointless as some suggest.

But it is. The only thing this achieves is to create more poverty, and to lock Africa into an endless cycle of taking aid and funding dictatorships with it.

Cloud No.9, I'm with Rye here. You seem unable to get your head around the fact that people care about their own nations first. If Africa was rich and Europe poor, I wouldn't expect help. Hope for it, maybe. Expect it, no.

[Cloud No.9]

so tell me what should 3 million peple from niger do without food today? oh that's their fault they had a locust plague. and their fault they had a drought after that. it's their fault this was ignored. it's their fault they will starve tonight.

and yes the great depression. what america did there...... withdrew german loans. so the people starved and looked for a strong leader. go america! look out for yourself screw the repurcusions! and america topok out massive massive loans during the depression. and some war or other sorted out the economy.

and i don't say people who eat are bad. i say that people like ed there who think that his drug prices are more important than the niger crisis are.

and why do we need to care bout our nations first? out of selfishness? a lack of caring about others? the "it doesn't affect me so why should i care" attitude?

and milf if i was dying of starvation i would actually want some food.

maybe the western world needs a famine. one on the scale of africa. so when our woman and children are dying. when people can't feed themselves they suddenly think "yeah this is kinda bad"