I mean seriously. I think there is something profoundly hilarious about the way people look when eating. And Or
Woops! I think those were the wrong photos. I would fix them, by the pizza delivery guy is leaning on my doorbell. Extra large box of onion rings and a large Hawaiian deep dish pizza. Yum!
Negative rep...serious matters such as starvation in less fortunate 3rd world countries are no joking matter. You, sir, have infant humor.
Ah but see, there lies the point. How much time and money have you donated to the cause of famine? How quickly did you go back to your regular life and forget about it? Absurdism contains humour, yes, but it can also weave juxtaposition to illustrate a point. I'm unsurprised that in the S&P section, virtually nobody had the kind of critical insight to demarcate the issue. Originally this thread was indeed going to be about how people look stupid when they eat; how our visages contort and jumble when we masticate, and I was working to work it into a thesis on absurdist humour and the law of eirisan escalation as a path to divination. Instead, I while acquiring my photo stock, I realized there is a more poignant and pressing issue of undue human suffering that all of you, and myself, regularly ignore, even after brief interludes of cognizance. So I ask you first -- do you think you know an accurate measure of the personal suffering in Somalia? Do you think the issue in Somalia is linked to consumption patterns exhibited in western nations (including you)? Do you think this famine in Somalia is an isolated event, or a peak in an on-going geo-political issue? Did you know that there are about a billion MORE people who do not receive sufficient food on a regular basis? How about we all shut the fuck up, and just open our wallets. It's a tangible and definite move you can make to reduce profound human suffering.
Ah but see, there lies the point. How much time and money have you donated to the cause of famine? How quickly did you go back to your regular life and forget about it? Absurdism contains humour, yes, but it can also weave juxtaposition to illustrate a point. I'm unsurprised that in the S&P section, virtually nobody had the kind of critical insight to demarcate the issue. Originally this thread was indeed going to be about how people look stupid when they eat; how our visages contort and jumble when we masticate, and I was working to work it into a thesis on absurdist humour and the law of eirisan escalation as a path to divination. Instead, I while acquiring my photo stock, I realized there is a more poignant and pressing issue of undue human suffering that all of you, and myself, regularly ignore, even after brief interludes of cognizance. So I ask you first -- do you think you know an accurate measure of the personal suffering in Somalia? Do you think the issue in Somalia is linked to consumption patterns exhibited in western nations (including you)? Do you think this famine in Somalia is an isolated event, or a peak in an on-going geo-political issue? Did you know that there are about a billion MORE people who do not receive sufficient food on a regular basis? How about we all shut the fuck up, and just open our wallets. It's a tangible and definite move you can make to reduce profound human suffering. I hear so much talk about positive energy and all these little self-reflective ideas, but none of it means fucking anything if we don't take action in our material world. Effect good for others, don't just hope for it.
I don't think the answer is to try and save the people who are alive now. If every single person on this planet wanted to give up some luxuries we could probably fix a lot of lives... It might sound selfish though, but why should we? Are we going to save everything? Make everything's life amazing? Are we going to africa to stop all the hyenas from murdering baby lions? Are we going to make sure a killer whale never drowns a baby whale ever again? Should we prevent baboons from kidnapping puppies and raising them as their pet dogs? I mean shit, where do we draw the line in saving the world? When did it become a crime to want your own life to be even better than it is? Frankly when I see those "Donate 10 cents a week" commercials it makes me very disappointed. Enabling a shitty life is really better? No, but it certainly helps the self-righteous with their mission. If you're going to pretend to give a shit about some third world country, and you own a bunch of super nice shit you better believe I think you're an asshole if you give 10 cents a week.
Well, where do you put your value in humanity as a collective? Do you put it on comfort and decadence, the ability that the collective has to satisfy you? I think human life is valuable, I think that the cost of human suffering is atrocious. Anybody who has experienced first-hand the personal suffering, multiplied by thousands and millions is an arduous and excruciating thing, especially when preventable. I think it's the first priority of our species, before we talk about energy production, or climatological impacts, of economic recoveries. It's feeding people, and making sure our peers can actually live their lives. Think of all the wasted human potential that we have lost to poverty and overbearing social circumstance. We can do a hell of a lot, for not very much. You don't have to give up a whole lot of luxuries to ensure that most of our population has access to safe drinking water and food. It's largely inexpensive and viable within our current means of production. The issues are first-world consumption patterns and near-total apathy. How do you qualify a human life? I'm interested to know. Oh agreed! Totally agreed. For the organizations, it's a way of maximizing their contributions. Marketing applies even to charities. It's a sad reality that these places will receive more financial support if they get 100 people donating 10 cents a week than attempting to get 10 people to donate $1 every week. How fucked up is that?
Well, firstly I view humans as another species of animal on this planet. We've evolved beyond our needs. Unfortunately as it is in life some of the groups succeeded more than others. The combination of this natural occurrence with the rapid development of humanity... Well I think it's clear some boosted far ahead of others. So far that we can afford to give up our luxuries in order to help others survive. I agree that it's absolutely horrible when people starve to death. When they die of dehydration, or aids, etc... any of the terrible ways people are dying every minute in these places. It wouldn't take much to help them, I agree there as well. If everyone contributed even half of their excess a lot of people could be helped. "I think it's the first priority of our species, before we talk about energy production, or climatological impacts, of economic recoveries. It's feeding people, and making sure our peers can actually live their lives. Think of all the wasted human potential that we have lost to poverty and overbearing social circumstance." I disagree with this however. I think this would have been the solution before the modern society we have today came about. I think if we could have predicted how horrible humanity would have become in greed we could have fixed it. I don't think we can simply do that now though. I don't know the answer, but I don't think saving the world is possible right now. I don't consider any human life to be worth anything. I'm the culmination of history. I didn't create me, I don't deserve life, but I have it. I was fortunate to be born in middle-class white America. I'm not worth more or any better than a starving African baby. I was given a different path on the tree of life, I'm thankful, but I don't feel any more important. See, and that's why I think we have a problem. People don't really want to help if they're giving 10 cents a day. If you get all emotional for 10 minutes, then go make some frozen waffles while chirping lego my ego you're joking yourself. Unfortunately that's enough to make people feel good about themselves. I would love to help out... but me helping right now would just enable poverty. I can't give 10 cents a day. I can't give everything I have to the betterment of mankind, because it would only scratch the surface of it's problems. I feel like humanity will continue to suffer until we have a breakdown. I don't think there is anything any of us can do until the planet gets a reset of some kind and humanity if forced to start over, assuming we survive.
To me, you just sound like you are trying to sound smart after acting incredibly stupid. I don't know an accurate measure of the personal suffering in Somalia, but do you? Judging by the fact that you are on an on-line forum posting pictures of dying children leads me to believe that you really don't know anything about it. So don't sit on your high horse and call the rest of us ignorant and pass off some poignant juxtaposition big worded bullshit to make it sound clever.
Bob Marley & The Wailers 'High Tide Or Low Tide' (Save The Children's East Africa Appeal) - YouTube you can donate here: www.imgonnabeyourfriend.org or here: Official Site - Save the Children Sam Spade, this was a good thread to make. Throw it in peoples faces because they wont look by themselves.