Sending money to the poor abroad, page 1

Originally posted by full997
I live in England and i was watching the T.V. about half an hour ago when an advertisement for a charity assking for money to help people in other countries came on.
It made me think why when in our own countries there are millions of people both adults and children living in poverty and dying daily, why are we asked to send our money to help other countries when we can't even help the poor and dying in our own backyards.

Are foreign governments allowing section of their societies descend into poverty so they can get money from charities comming into their country?
Are these charities really sending all the money to help others?
Why are we not advertising on foreign T.V. for money to help our own poor and dying?

Maybe there is a conspiracy here, maybe not, thats why i have put this in the Skunk Works.
It just seems that everytime ads come on the T.V. some charity or other wants us to give away our money (even during a credit crunch) when so many are dying in our own country.

[edit on 28-10-2008 by full997]

I don't think there's a genuine conspiracy behind it, but it does raise some interesting questions.

Firstly, there's poverty and there's poverty. My own political views are probably further 'left' than most on this site and I'm very conscious of the fact that there is genuine issues regarding 'wealth gaps' between various demographics. I personally find the idea that idea that there's anyone in this country that is unintentionally homeless horrific for example. I find poverty amongst the elderly incredibly distressing.

However, the request for aid and donations in these campaigns are often about a level of poverty that most people in this country couldn't really comprehend.

I've worked in social marketing in the past and my own experience has shown me that a lot of the people concerned in a lot of these organisations are genuinely well-meaning, but are also best described as 'comfortable', if you catch my drift. To them, that few quid a week for this charity and a few quid a week for that charity really is nothing to them and so they have no problem in asking for it. Whilst they don't (rightfully) assume that everyone can spare money every week a lot of their target audience can. A lot of awareness campaigns - and specifically the request for donations - involve an element of 'middle-class guilt'.

Class dynamics in this country are pretty weird. Sometimes, circumstances that would perhaps garner sympathy and even help abroad, can create resentment at home. Often, there's a cynicism and suspicion place on the working-class by the middle class. The motives behind a homeless beggar in the street in England will be scrutinised in ways a homeless beggar in Africa won't, and yet, it's very possible that both are victims of circumstances they have had no control in.