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True. But sometimes the opposite occurs: charity replaces justice, band-aid solutions replace systematic change. Having satisfied one's psychological need to fe
by wildermuthn 13y ago
True. But sometimes the opposite occurs: charity replaces justice, band-aid solutions replace systematic change. Having satisfied one's psychological need to feel like a do-gooder, the urgent desire for real change evaporates.
- tptacek 13y agoBearing in mind that you're an abstraction to me and not a real person, so there's a limit to how personally you should be able to take this comment (I don't even know you by reputation on HN): (a) Have you recently given to something like Watsi and (b) were you already trying to involve yourself in real social change for the rural poor? Or are you like the rest of us, mostly concerned with "first world" problems and in no meaningful way already engaged with the problem? If it's the latter: better that we should get you to cough up some bandaids.
- wildermuthn 13y agoa) a homeless person lives in my spare bedroom b) . . . rural poverty isn't something I focus on, no . . . but as regards systematic health care reform . . . I do not own health insurance, but belong to a health-sharing plan, somewhat analogous to using a credit union instead of a bank . . . not necessarily a solution to world-wide health coverage (or rural poverty), but perhaps a step in right direction. Band-aids and system solutions ought to go together, and I'm open to learning more about how to do both better.