Vultures! F#%KING Vultures!

[SwanTiger]

Ok everyone know that now, was exposed many years ago. but what about the hundreds of calls you get each year soliciting funds for every conceivable charity. I know a guy which runs one of these call centres, they charge the charity up to 70% of the funds collected. You think you are donating $20.00 or whatever to save kiddies or cancer research etc etc and in reality you are donating $5.00 or $6.00 bucks with the rest going to... who? someone you never heard of. I guessed they missed that part in the pitch.

I got a job in such an organisation and did not realise how "fucked" it was until I left. After a week and once I had a grasp of what they were doing I told them where to shuve the job.

The organisation I worked for had 5 employee's and was turning over between $25,000 and $50,000 a week.

About 10% of that reaches the charities and then gets taxed by their administration costs.

The amazing thing is the amount of people who get suckered into it and its quite disgusting. People who have donated money over the last 5 - 10 years are put into a database with preferences. How much they usually donate and what causes they prefer to support.

Then the organisation works out what compaigns they will work on in a year, usually 3 or 4. Then each time they compagin new numbers, e-mail addresses, websites and names are created and they ring all the same people again with a new "cause".

You'd think the government would have a law against this.

[sAsLEX]

So to clarify - you're saying that because he can't save them all - he shouldn't bother trying to save one?

If you save one they then create a few more problems a few years later. Do you then go back and save those kids?

[ManDownUnder]

If you save one they then create a few more problems a few years later. Do you then go back and save those kids?

What if you save one and they turn out to discover the cure for AIDS, or cancer, or pestilence or...

Let's play a game - name the refugee... I'll start...Einstein

MDU
(PS - that was a long winded way of saying "Yes - it's called being humane and helping one of or own")

[Ixion]

What is really scarey is that I find myself agreeing with The Dover.

In the abstract I am not a sentimental person. Thousands die in misery every day, I can't save them all. I don't lose sleep over it. Human life is cheap, and disposable (oddly, animal life is often more valuable)

But I could never walk past or away from a fellow being (or an animal for that matter) that was obviously suffering without trying to help if I could. It's just something to do with the difference between the abstract and the concrete.

In this case, suffering child, starving. At least two, probably three solutions. UN camp one kilometre away. Even if I had no vehicle, I can carry such a small bairn 1 km. Or, there's a vulture. Dunno what roast vulture tastes like, but it's protein. And I'd imagine that the photographer'd have had some food on him.

Yes, it only makes a difference to one life. Can't do anything about the whole village. And that life only for one day. Can't do much about tomorrow. But, that's still one life for one day. Better than nothing.

Sometimes it's better to just get stuck in and do what you can. And hope that somehow or other others will also do something and the totality will work out.

I wouldn't condemn or pass judgement on the photograher.Judge not , etc. But, I couldn't have done it.

(Incidentally, telling people in such societies not to breed is often shortsighted. It is the children who are the only hope for old age. Breed enough, and some may survive to care for you when you are too old to support yourself. No children, you die as soon as you can't get your own food and shelter)

[Macktheknife]

Perhaps the aim of his photography was to provoke emotions in viewers in the rest of the world in order to get them to be aware of the situation these people are in. By the look of it he did a pretty good job.

I am sure that was the aim of his photograph, however, once the photo was taken why not help the girl to the UN camp that was only 1 km away. Sure no-one can save them all but, it has to be worth it just to save one little girl from being eaten by a vulture. Bear in mind that these carrion birds will start eating before you die, you lie there in agony without the strength to defend yourself while the bird will tear out the eyes, ears and throat, because they are the softest bits, before starting on the rest.
By this time the victim usually dies of blood loss, pain or both.
I admit I was going too far to say I would kill him myself and I retract that with my apologies. BUT I cannot understand how anyone can just leave a child to die like that. It is alien and utterly abhorrent.

[XP@]

You don't get it, he was helping them all, a photo that powerful is raising awareness for the 3rd world years after it was taken! This thread is proof of that.

If you are going to help one which one do you help? the one on the left, the one on the right or one of the thousands knocking on deaths door. At first you want to help, you pick up a weak infant of 5 or 6 who looks like a 2 year old. he has no real hope there are not enough drugs or food getting through the corrupted supply lines. The parents, if still alive and not too sick from AIDS, have given up helping themselves because the food will come... tomorrow maybee.

Eventually you become numb, you try and block out the sight, the smell and sounds, but you can't really ever do it. Years later you still feel sick when you think about your experiences in one of these hell holes.

Until you have been to one of the worlds deepest pits of dispair do not make judgement of this man or his work.

I am going to puke now.

[The_Dover]

I am going to puke now.

What's on at Puke today?

The point most are trying to make is that it is inhuman to not do what you can in situations like this.

Would the photograph have had any less impact had the girl been saved?

Not to most human beings.

[Lias]

If we encouraged the kaffirs to keep up their wars (sudan, somailia, ehtiopa vs eritrea) then we wouldnt have to worry about them starving or overpopulating the planet. They could shoot and machete each other to death, much quicker and cleaner than starving.

[Sniper]

If we encouraged the kaffirs to keep up their wars (sudan, somailia, ehtiopa vs eritrea) then we wouldnt have to worry about them starving or overpopulating the planet. They could shoot and machete each other to death, much quicker and cleaner than starving.

Thats very true, its when it expands to the white man it becomes a problem. See, all these people that said apartheid was bad ect....... strange what happened when you let them control a country.

[sAsLEX]

Let's play a game - name the refugee... I'll start...Einstein

Einstein renounced German citizenship in 1896 and was to be stateless for a number of years. He did not even apply for Swiss citizenship until 1899, citizenship being granted in 1901.

yip I can see how you can draw parrallels here.

So you suggest we fill Switzerland with these people?

[ManDownUnder]

yip I can see how you can draw parrallels here.

So you suggest we fill Switzerland with these people?

You forget to mention he had both Swiss and American Citizenship, and my point is that who knows what the future holds - saving a single life today may save 1,000s later

Refugee #2 - The Dalai Lama... God only knows how much devastation he's wrecked around the world

c'mon - play along... just google "Refugees" and "Famous" - you're bound to find a list there somewhere

[ManDownUnder]

You don't get it, he was helping them all, a photo that powerful is raising awareness for the 3rd world years after it was taken! This thread is proof of that.

If you are going to help one which one do you help? the one on the left, the one on the right or one of the thousands knocking on deaths door. At first you want to help, you pick up a weak infant of 5 or 6 who looks like a 2 year old. he has no real hope there are not enough drugs or food getting through the corrupted supply lines. The parents, if still alive and not too sick from AIDS, have given up helping themselves because the food will come... tomorrow maybee.

Eventually you become numb, you try and block out the sight, the smell and sounds, but you can't really ever do it. Years later you still feel sick when you think about your experiences in one of these hell holes.

Until you have been to one of the worlds deepest pits of dispair do not make judgement of this man or his work.

I am going to puke now.

It's easy - you start with one

[Sniper]

Nelson Mandela!!!!

Do I win??

[terbang]

If we encouraged the kaffirs to keep up their wars (sudan, somailia, ehtiopa vs eritrea) then we wouldnt have to worry about them starving or overpopulating the planet. They could shoot and machete each other to death, much quicker and cleaner than starving.

Says he to the whole world with the NZ flag as his avitar..
Real easy to sit behind a computer screen, with your beer belly hanging over your belt (yup seen yer picture) and type such diatribe based on what..? For what reason..? When you have been to, seen, smelled, puked and witnessed such apalling poverty then maybe you can have such strong opinions. Until then..

[MidnightMike]

If you wanna solve poverty you've gotta solve it's cause, and that's the corrupt african governments.

Dont forget all of the dickheads are having kids even though they cant even feed themselves, thats the main problem.