Grumpy the first.
I’m feeling a need to vent. So for the next little bit I’ll probably be grump-tastic in all of my posts. Feel free to ignore, or read and try to figure out what actually goes on in my mind.
The earthquake in Haiti. Of course I’d be grumpy at whatever powers to be decided that was a great place to flatten. Those people definitely did not deserve it, and deserve all the help more affluent nations can offer. That includes help from government levels and from individual levels.
Yet I saw people who were disgusted, outraged and overall mad at the general outpouring of support for the Haiti people.
One person was claiming that sending money to organizations was useless, that they can’t use money, they need food and clothing.
And I agree, to an extent. Food and clothing was much needed in Haiti after the quake. But to say “Don’t send money, it’s useless!” just sounded absurd to me.
Without money, collected piles of food and clothes sitting in Canadian warehouses all across the country are not helping the Haiti people. Money would probably have been used for transportation of these goods to airports, and then transportation to Haiti so they can be distributed. Not to mention the medical supplies and medical staff that were also much needed, that the average citizen would not be able to donate.
Then there were the people upset that Canadians were more than willing to open up their wallets for another nation, but were under the impression that help was not provided here “at home” first.
And I agree, to an extent. I always would prefer to help locally. I would help a Canadian organization over an American one, and I would help an organization based in Toronto more readily than one based in Vancouver. And yes, there are men, women, children and even animals all across Canada that need assistance of some kind, and it’s a tragedy that anyone in a rich a country as Canada would ever need help or assistance.
But at the same time… this tragedy is of an exponential magnitude. In where 100% of the Haiti people are unable to help themselves, or help each other, it should be commended that people of other countries are willing to help, not berated for not helping their local brothers and sisters enough.
I guess the whole blog entry boils down to… it’s my money and I’ll donate it wherever the hell I want.
