January 01, 2005
Tsunami
Forgive me for ignoring the monumental devastation of the tsunami for such a long time. I was out at the ranch chopping wood and riding my bike (just kidding about the wood).
Some thoughts and questions.
As I write, the death toll for the tsunami has reached 125,000, approximately equal to the number of Iraqi citizens that we have killed. It took us a year, rather than a day, but the numbers are comparable, as is the devastation of property and intrastructure. And that's a drop in bucket when we consider that the death toll in the Sudan is nearing two million. What captures our attention, and more importantly our empathy? What makes one population worthy of assistance and not another? There were many Muslims affected by the tsunami. Do people realize this? If they did, would Muslim victims be treated differently, demonized? What shocks us? How does the media control our attention? How long can we sustain focus on this event. When will we erase it from our consciousness, and forget the long term consequences of this disaster for the poorest?
Did Norwegian United Nations official Jan Englund's remark about the stinginess of wealthy countries manage to shame W. into increasing his tsunami aid contribution from $15 million to $35 million, then tenfold, to $350 million. What or who convinced our decisive, determined President to flip flop? Bad PR? Why did it work this time? Perhaps Halliburton is negotiating a contract for reconstruction in Indonesia as we speak.
When W. was still at his $15 million dollar aid figure, (mind you, the inauguration party costs are estimated at between $30 and $40 million) The Boston Globe published a graphic (which I wish I could copy), which displayed the contributions per capita in various countries to aid victims of the tsunami. Sweden lead all nations with a contribution of $8.40 per capita, Denmark $2.86, Norway $1.80, Spain $1.69, Britain $1.57. The U.S. was nineteenth with a per capita contribution of 12 cents. This chart should have punctured our delusion of generosity.
Aid to tsunami victims is an example of our tax dollars at work. Although I haven't listened to Rush Limbaugh, I don't think he has the nerve to complain about wasting money on poor people in this context. Why not? Personally, I am happy to pay taxes for an endeavor of this sort. In fact, I would be thrilled if most of my tax dollars went to the assistance of the disenfranchised people of this world (and to those who live right next to me in this country) -- and not just in times of emergency, but on long term projects like education, family planning, public health and sanitation. Here's a little film from Ben, of Ben and Jerry's, that illustrates graphically just how our tax dollars are allocated.
I do not, in any way, mean to minimize the devastation and suffering of the tsunami victims, only to point out that there is much suffering in this world, and even in this wealthy country. As a prosperous nation we have the means to alleviate much more of it than we do. Instead we are allocating our resources to the rich and to the war, and feeling morally superior as we do it.
Photo note: Gaia is angry, and she's trying to get our attention. In reality, this is a mural on the side of a building in Montreal.
Posted by Dakota at January 1, 2005 12:03 PM