You make a decent point...
But it's all come across as a little sanctimonious, and what's it got to do with being a tightwad? Back in the 80's, when Ethiopia was all the rage, the classic come back to "finish your dinner, there are people starving in the world" was, "well send it to them then", my tight, old parents never once forked out for the stamps.
(babydad, Fri 24 Oct 2008, 8:32, 1 reply)

sorry
but i have been researching world hunger for my class, and it really shocked me, we all need reminding. it's not sanctimonius at all. yeah it might be a cliche to "preach about the kids", but what isn't a cliche these days? making oh so irreverant comments on the internet, where nobody can see you?

my point is not having a go at people for not finishing their dinners. it wouldn't change anything. tightness implies that people care about money so much that they are unwilling to lose any. and this is exactly the role of the corporations and the large countries of the developed world. they could very easily end poverty, but they won't becasue it would mean losing money.
(ewe, Fri 24 Oct 2008, 13:09, closed)

So Ewe...
Are you typing these posts out on your own computer? If so, I bet you'd be able to get a least a few hundred for it on Ebay. Even if it's a creaky old ancient thing, I'm sure you'd get at least a tenner for it, right?

If all that's true, Ewe, why aren't you selling your computer to help those people in poverty? If half the world is living off less than a dollar a day, well, that's 50p a day. You could support one of them for a long time by selling your computer. And I imagine your internet connection costs quite a bit a month too.

So if you care so much about the poverty, how about you do something about it before nagging the rest of us, eh?
(Musuko, Fri 24 Oct 2008, 14:33, closed)

actually no it's not my computer
it belongs to a youth group that I'm working with (for free), I'm teaching english and also stuff about globalization and world trade.

and once again you miss the point.

1. i'm not Nagging YOU. MY POINT IS ABOUT GOVERNMENTS AND CORPORATIONS. not your everyday joe b3ta reader.

2. Selling my computer? Yeah sure it might help a few people, very short term. after the charity has taken admin fees. How about sell everything and live homeless? and then I can finally dare to say something about global inequality.

does it make you feel like a rebel to be so contrarian about everything?
(ewe, Fri 24 Oct 2008, 17:57, closed)

Well
you're clearly a very good and virtuous person and that much better than most of the people who regularly post here.

But you really have misunderstood this website if you thought for a second that your original post was going to achieve anything other than replies in the style posted so far.

How many governments and corporations do you think are reading B3ta and going "shit, we really are bastards aren't we, lets stop right now".

So while your post may be both entirely correct and demonstrate quite a laudable attitude to the problems that many people in the world face, posting it here and then spending your time arguing against the amusing responses over whether you can "die of poverty" or not seems really daft.

Also, I wouldn't bother getting involved in an argument with musuko over anything, he's demonstrated on several occasions that he's a pillock.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 24 Oct 2008, 18:40, closed)

yes
but b3ta is mostly user generated content. i am a user.

don't worry i have a lot of free time (i can only stand so much burmese music) and i find it quite entertaining to respond to the idiots.
(ewe, Sat 25 Oct 2008, 11:57, closed)

@geordie
Thanks. You're quite a charmer yourself, I've noticed.
(Musuko, Mon 27 Oct 2008, 16:04, closed)

Which implies that
Hm, you're poor, which makes you more empathic to the 3rd world problems. It's not because you're good at heart for more than 5 minutes, but because your own misery associates you with the other poor.

I was there, not eating for 2 days in a row sometimes, while having a lot of fun in it, actually. But there were a lot of depressing times, also.

Things changed. I'm well of now, which made me realize that, while you have some cash to spare, you can't care about every poor living in the world. Life for some people sucks, that's a fact.

So every now and then I help some people: buy them beer, give them work, nothing much. It's more a reward on merit to those who need it.

But charity to people 10000 miles away is a lost cause and I deeply hate the arrogance of trying to make somebody feel guilty for some poor chap dying in Botswana.
(randomset, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 0:00, closed)

George Dawes What Are The Scores
If you said:

- "Gosh I'm starving" and someone replied 'You're not starving, there's children in Africa dying of hunger', then award yourself by kicking their sanctimonious cunt right in! Yay!

- "Fuck that noise, I'm off to the pub" - congratulations, you also win.

Have grown up to seriously dislike and loathe in equal portions domestic attempts to make me feel concerned for starving hordes while trying to vilify me with some misplaced sense of guilt. I have food, thanks, and I do because I work for it and am lucky enough to live somewhere where I don't have to kill someone to get it. I don't need a guilt trip every time I put a spoon or fork to my gob, so take your ill-aimed charity shot, stick it up your arse, and fuck off while doing so.
(mymilkshakebringsallthemongstotheyard poison hearts, poison minds - joining hate, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 22:32, closed)

I bet
if the poverty-stricken people started acquiring money they wouldn't be so keen to surrender it either.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 24 Oct 2008, 14:53, closed)

i sponsored a zimbabwean girl for 6 years
but, due to having very little money myself, i had to stop. before you say "oh, surely you can afford £15 a month" no, i can't. the only reason i haven't had to get rid of my phone and internet is that, due to having a bypass, my weekly shopping now costs approximately £6 so, as long as there are no unexpected bills, i can just about manage.
i'm disabled, i literally can't work. yes, i feel sorry for people starving in africa but, frankly, i come first.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 25 Oct 2008, 0:37, closed)

Fuck off and tell Amnesty, or something
this isn't funny, or relevent. Furthermore, to those of us who have left school, it's not exactly news.
( Happy Phantom has been to Hastings, Brighton, and Eastbourne too, Sat 25 Oct 2008, 13:15, closed)

kill yourself
please.
(ewe, Sun 26 Oct 2008, 3:43, closed)

Any preference as to how?
I could try starving myself to death, but I'm concerned that it might make you bleat on like a pious sixth-former some more...
( Happy Phantom has been to Hastings, Brighton, and Eastbourne too, Sun 26 Oct 2008, 11:50, closed)