Charity is a lot more than simply “donating your money”. What you’re doing, Deutscher, is the quintessence of charity.
Charity is a vague term associated with selflessness, it simply means giving to those who do not have. Although charity can mean a multitude of things, and you can be charitable through multiple means, the majority of people who “donate” do so by wither writing a check to an organization and mailing it, paying for a relief effort via phone, dropping money in a box at the local store or dropping off old clothes at a collection center. Not all people who donate are as thoughtful as the members of this forum when choosing their medium, most simply give to something in order to clear their conscience or “feel good” whilst putting zero to no thought into it.
This leads to the abuse and corruption that Bolteh was speaking of, leading people such as himself to stay away. The Biggest Blow to the reputations of charities probably occurred when the weight knight known as the Red Cross was discovered to be infested with dozens of corrupt officials abusing their positions.
Personally, I participate in local food drives and have done around 40+ hours of community service in the past four years. I however, do not trust these major organizations to be responsible because there is such room for mass corruption.
I place myself ideologically somewhere between Thomas Hobbes and Niccolò Machiavelli, I believe the only way to help people is to present them with little choice but to accept my help. I plan on doing this by economically strong arming them into dealing with my company/companies. Playing by the rules of my competition, I will control the market. Once the corrupt have been removed from power (were still speaking about economics, not politics) then I can begin to mandate through my company the changes that will help people. Reducing the cost of their living means having slightly unsatisfied shareholders. This is something that the industry giants (oil, medicine, insurance) are unwilling to do, but if all goes according to plan, I or rather my company will control the energy trade. I'm keeping my mouth shut about the details, but I know exactly what I have to do to get this going. It involves a lot of risk, and a lot of money to get started, but once my energy trade gets off the ground, it will quickly be adopted as the new standard, hopefully accounting for 40-70% of the world's energy production by 2030. Not to mention the political ramifications of freeing western powers from the will of corrupt petroleum exporters. Being in that sort of position as a man who isn't doing it for the money, will grant me the power to truly make an impact.
You guys will probably read this and laugh at it as a far fetched fantasy, but I've been inspired by some pretty successful people, and followed their careers start to finish. Knowing the science as well as the means to get started before I even get to college is a definite plus.
I wouldn't consider myself "charitable" because I'm not offering my help, I'm playing by the rules of the corrupt and shoving it down thee throats of the needy.Look, when I’m talking about charity, I’m talking about an organization or a group of people that wish to help/support a certain cause by “recruiting” people to aid or send in money. The organized collecting of support for a specific cause, if you want to call it that.
I’m not talking about helping a kid with his homework, I’m not talking about volunteering to help clean the animal cages at the zoo, I’m not talking about helping someone who just got into a car crash or anything similar. I’m talking about some people that imagine they can change a dire situation by accumulating funds and materials.
Yes, individuals helping individuals in a specific time of need may make the world a slightly less horrid place because, you know, you actually help people. Charity, in my book, does not help anybody (see my previous posts for that), it offers you the illusion that you’re helping “the cause”, while all you do is make the organizers wealthier while youn waste your time and effort on a hopeless cause.
When I’m talking about charity, I’m talking about the actual organized helping of others, the kind of of charity that makes people go “hoho I donated $50,000 to charity”. When you help an old lady that got stuck in a phone booth, will you go home and say “hoho, I supported charity today”? No you will not. I draw a line between “charity” and “helping”, charity = helping, but helping != charity.
Yes, I help people and I like being helped as well, but I don’t consider those acts of charity.
By definition, charity is helping people in need. If you’re purely talking about giving money, yes, you’re right. The charity ‘business’ is corrupt, and is not the best solution, but it is the only solution if you want to help people in far-away situations, like Haiti for example. Not all donations go towards helping those in need, but a certain amount does, and that’s what matters, the money that does get through to purchase supplies.
I don’t know why I’m arguing with you, you’re as ignorant as a rodent and as stubborn as a mule. Look at yourself, you’re telling us that trying to help is wrong, and we should all just say “fuck the needy”. You really have some questionable morals.
I say “fuck the greedy”. Therefore, fuck charity.
Those that need my help will get my help, those that just want my help can fuck off.
Yeah, well, that’s just like, your opinion man.
There’s more then jusy one organization, Bolteh. What you’re sayingn would only be true if there was just one organization. But the truth is: There’s hundreds of 'em. More then enough to stop most of the major problems on the planet.
You’ve been flooding a pointless cause with time.
in the UK we have a big fund raiser called comic relief, we raise tens of millions of pounds, and each year they show us excatly where our money has gone and how it has helped, be it here in the UK with childern who for example are full time carers to there parents despite being very young and with our money they are given days out with other young carers, and then in Africa they show you for example schools or facilitys they’ve built.
Is it pointless donating to this chairty, despite its good work and the proof it provides? Or are they lieing to the British public, rolling in all the money they raise whilst sipping champagne? I somehow seriously doubt it
As I said before donating to chairty is like anything you invest in with money, you first have to research and make sure your donation, in this case, will be well spent, and this can be decided by facts like if the chairty has helped someone close to you or you’ve seen the good work they’ve done. Just because the ocean has a spec of dirt, doesnt make all the water dirty
What about the NSPCC in the UK bolteh?
Helps abused children (sexually, mentally and physically abused) should a small child have his shit kicked in or be raped by an abusive parent every night of the week because you think charity is corrupt? Someone who has no ability to protect themselves any other way? God knows the Social Services have fucked up enough times to make this charity worthwhile. It’s a pity it hadn’t found the likes of baby P or Victoria Climbié sooner.
I also know someone who runs a charity in his spare time from work. It’s a child heart foundation called Heartbeat. The man does a lot of work to raise a lot of money, for absolutely no pay. I have seen first hand the work they’ve done, buying equipment, paying for the development of new equipment, paying for nurses. No corruption just help. Maybe you should see charity in action some time, actually help out instead of sitting on your ass at a computer whining.
Except, that’s not charity. That’s fundraising.
Except, that’s exactly what you did.
Helping those in need wherein you have do direct benefit is charity. Charity = Helping. Helping = Charity.
So, you’re for charity and you’re against corrupt fundraising. Try not to confuse the two.
Why would I care? Not like my money or my effort will “unabuse” them.
Great, a charity that presumably isn’t a scam. Fun for them and the kids they work with, but I still don’t see what business I have with it.
Well OK, I guess I can slim it down to being against corrupt fundraising, pointless charity and charity I don’t believe in.
So how about donating for research?
(Maybe just I’ll finally get an answer 8D )
Well, I could get myself to support certain research, but I see no reason to.
If it’s actual important/groundbreaking/needed research, they’ll get funding from sponsors or governments or whatever, something that doesn’t require charity.
So you have no problem seeing your tax money spent on charity.
I don’t care about my tax money, since it’s not my money anymore. It’s the government’s money, and they can do with it whatever they want to do with it, just as I do with the money I earn, the company I work for has no business in knowing/caring what I spend it on.
It may not “unabuse” them, but it may stop further abuse!
If you want to believe that…
if it helps one kid dude, thats more than enough
You’re offically the biggest dickweed I’ve ever seen on the internet. Congraculations.