Activism
When Kony 2012 was the topic of the week in March, one of The Punch Team said something cynical about the campaign at a party. Yeah, nice sentiment. Unlikely to spur an arrest in the African wilderness in the next week, though.
Silence descended across the conversation. “Oh yeah. Well… I bought the action pack.” (Jerk.)
That Puncher wasn’t alone in their cyncism. Plenty of commentators carped that the campaign to bring African warlord Joseph Kony to justice within the year wouldn’t achieve results. But if there was one thing that drew out the critics of the campaign (other than the campaign’s chief running around San Francisco naked) - it was the ginormous merchandise-a-thon that accompanied it.
Continue reading "Cynicism killed Kony. The campaign, that is" »
A good mate of mine is a humble bloke who goes about doing good works without fanfare.
He once worked in the Aboriginal studies department of a top Australian university. While he’s someone who rarely has a bad word to say about anyone, he had some choice ones about his (all white) former colleagues when we recently had a chat about the hypocrisy of eco-yuppies.
He reckons the people he worked with were some of the most pompous, self-satisfied bunch of wankers he’d ever come across. It was as if working in an area that was perceived to be ideologically correct gave them a free pass to behave however they wanted.
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Hassnae says:
Hi, Carrie,I have read your blog and was wondering, since you have acescs to the colors, what Sansibel Sunset mixed with Santa Fe Tan would look like, or Santa Fe Tan with Socorro Clay. The reason being because although I did most of my living room with Borrego Tan Loma,… Read more »
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Futurelgend says:
Thanks Carrie great article. Some really valid points you made here. By the way when did you last help out at the local soup kitchen? Read more »
It was disturbing to read recently that 122 humanitarian workers lost their lives in strife torn countries last year, but even more disturbing to read the reason why.
Aid workers are now often seen in some of the most desperate and violent places in the world to be covert activists, even spies, working against the thugs, dictators and/or clerics who run the hellholes where aid workers try to go about their business.
That makes them targets.
Continue reading "How did aid organisations turn into political activists?" »
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Erin says:
Do we ever analyse why this great Aid PR machine exists? Is it because our concept of giving is so based on if somebody deserves it and is a ‘worthy’ recipient that Aid must be packaged up by PR people for any of us to take notice? Read more »
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Barry says:
I too ceased my World Vision “sponsorship” donations last year after a compulsory increase to the donation amount. I became skeptical of its distribution, especially when I learned my money could have aided 2 communities with another aid organisation who don’t espouse and propagate the myth that you have a… Read more »
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