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Hmmmm, seems like the independent can't really make up its mind on this one: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/america-new-zealand-and-canada-to

by blhack 9y ago

Hmmmm, seems like the independent can't really make up its mind on this one: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/america-new-zealand-and-canada-top-list-of-world-s-most-generous-nations-a6849221.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/america-ne... >America has been named as the world’s most generous nation in the world, where its citizens give the most to charity, according to a new report. IMHO independent.co.uk is in the same tier as huffington post, buzzfeed, daily mail etc. clickbait farms. This story is no different. America is consistently rated as the most charitable country in the world. Just because people don't support whatever specific form of wealth redistribution this study was looking at, it doesn't mean that suddenly we're all greedy jerks.

faitswulff 9y ago
The headlines aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.
deleted 9y ago
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pmoriarty 9y ago
America is first in absolute dollar amounts given, but not percentage-wise. Also, when people and institutions give to charity, there is sometimes a political or even financial incentive to do so. For instance, some charities (like the Peace Corps) have been accused of spying for their governments, and others like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have been accused of being used to funnel money to large corporations. In both cases, the underlying motivation for donations could be more about helping the people giving the money than about helping others in need. Without such motives, it's possible that not nearly as much money would be given. In the experiment the article is about, however, such political and financial incentives didn't exist. It was purely about giving money to others without any conceivable benefit to oneself. Thus, it could be a better gauge of an actual urge to help others motive without any recompense than charitable giving in the real world is.
boomboomsubban 9y ago
They are covering two different pieces of news, which show different results. And their headline even included "study suggests," to try and not sensationalize the article. Do you want them to only report on the items that support their position? Though, if you look at the "most charitable" report, I can't find where they found the countries ranked by GDP. Additionally, the report does show that the USA has the second most total people donating, but only ~43% of the population donating. So both could be true.

by blhack 9y ago

faitswulff 9y ago

The headlines aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

pmoriarty 9y ago

America is first in absolute dollar amounts given, but not percentage-wise. Also, when people and institutions give to charity, there is sometimes a political or even financial incentive to do so. For instance, some charities (like the Peace Corps) have been accused of spying for their governments, and others like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have been accused of being used to funnel money to large corporations. In both cases, the underlying motivation for donations could be more about helping the people giving the money than about helping others in need. Without such motives, it's possible that not nearly as much money would be given. In the experiment the article is about, however, such political and financial incentives didn't exist. It was purely about giving money to others without any conceivable benefit to oneself. Thus, it could be a better gauge of an actual urge to help others motive without any recompense than charitable giving in the real world is.

boomboomsubban 9y ago

They are covering two different pieces of news, which show different results. And their headline even included "study suggests," to try and not sensationalize the article. Do you want them to only report on the items that support their position? Though, if you look at the "most charitable" report, I can't find where they found the countries ranked by GDP. Additionally, the report does show that the USA has the second most total people donating, but only ~43% of the population donating. So both could be true.