I definitely think we should cut international aid and concentrate on solving problems at home. It's really dispiriting that things like child neglect/abuse and animal cruelty now seem to occupy a lower priority in the modern moral consciousness compared to what's being written in the Daily Mail, ignorance or the causing of offence.
Such as the burning of a work of fiction, for example. I don't know how people can get so fucking outraged about such a thing when there's so much real hurt and suffering going on. But oh no, let's ignore that and all piss shit over the burning of ink and paper.
Wake me up if that Pastor starts burning people, then I'll care.
Charities like Barnardos feel their ads have to be more aggressive nowadays because their causes have fallen by the wayside in favour of relieving poverty abroad or whatever happens to be the current most popular charitable cause. People consume themselves with guilt about things which ought to be much, much lower down the list of our society's responsibilities. I mean yes, it's all very sad, but there could be a vulnerable person suffering or living in fear right next door to you and would you even know, because you don't even look your neighbours in the eye.
My point is, I think society ought to reevaluate its priorities a bit.
I've been indifferent towards Oxfam and its cause ever since my former store manager spoke of "stealing customers from the British Heart Foundation down the road" at a staff meeting. I'd gradually gained the impression that far from being humble and considerate, Oxfam workers are quite aggressive and snobbish. The implication that foreign poverty is more worthwhile than someone close to you suffering from a heart condition, to the point where you'd wish to 'steal customers' and therefore money, from another charity, was the final straw.
Small wonder then that other, not-so-popular charities are having to aggressively compete for attention against the kind of rabid self-righteousness demonstrated by Oxfam.
Ronnie Rowlands wrote:Great Scott you two have given remarkably sedate responses to what strikes me as quite an ignorant, sweeping and racist comment. I don't like you at all, Chie.
Nice of you to admit you were wrong and apologise to me, by the way.