> I think it's probably more condescending, and certainly more harmful, to assume that extreme poverty bestows upon the global poor some mystical ability to mak

> I think it's probably more condescending, and certainly more harmful, to assume that extreme poverty bestows upon the global poor some mystical ability to make optimal spending decisions that for some reason doesn't apply to comparatively wealthy people in developed countries entitled to access heavily-funded collective healthcare and social insurance systems. That's not what I said. Fundamentally, I'm saying that personal choice in itself is a value, a value which is being overlooked by most aid programs. Low income males spend a disproportionate amount of their money on cigarettes, but that is different from a statement that low income people will spend aid money on cigarettes.