Generosity Lives

[RocketRed]

The Haitian crisis is a tragedy and whenever such things happen, there's always a concern about how to rebuild. But it's always great to see people pitching in.
Case in point: the current total of American donations to Haitian relief is $18.9 million. And numbers are expected to climb to $200 million.
When a lot of people say that people are more cynical and uncaring these days, I love to see something like this. Regardless of what organization did what, who's the biggest, who gave most, our country came together to contribute a pretty sizable chunk of money to a country in need.

Generosity and compassion are virtues that I hope our country never forgets. This, to me, is proof of a moral people.

 

[Penumbra]

The Haitian crisis is a tragedy and whenever such things happen, there's always a concern about how to rebuild. But it's always great to see people pitching in.
Case in point: the current total of American donations to Haitian relief is $18.9 million. And numbers are expected to climb to $200 million.
When a lot of people say that people are more cynical and uncaring these days, I love to see something like this. Regardless of what organization did what, who's the biggest, who gave most, our country came together to contribute a pretty sizable chunk of money to a country in need.

Generosity and compassion are virtues that I hope our country never forgets. This, to me, is proof of a moral people.

Maybe I'm just pessimistic, but I look at it the other way. I mean, I'm glad that people have given what they have, but I find the numbers rather disappointing.

There are 300 million Americans, and what, some thing like 120 million working Americans, give or take? $18.9 million is less than 20 cents per working American, and even $200 million is less than $2 per working American.

I spend more on that for lunch everyday.

-Lyn

 

[Mystman]

The Haitian crisis is a tragedy and whenever such things happen, there's always a concern about how to rebuild. But it's always great to see people pitching in.
Case in point: the current total of American donations to Haitian relief is $18.9 million. And numbers are expected to climb to $200 million.
When a lot of people say that people are more cynical and uncaring these days, I love to see something like this. Regardless of what organization did what, who's the biggest, who gave most, our country came together to contribute a pretty sizable chunk of money to a country in need.

Generosity and compassion are virtues that I hope our country never forgets. This, to me, is proof of a moral people.

Ah, this is just a perfect example of what I posted in the "largest disaster relief organisations"-thread.

Giving <1 dollar per person isn't being generous. It's buying of your guilt.

Here we have a tradition that at the end of the year all the people bringing around free newspapers/advertisements/etc ring the bell and give you a card with "merry christmas!". You're then supposed to give them some money. I personally don't see why, but I still give them a euro, because it feels a bit shameful to just close the door again without giving anything.

This Haiti level of generosity is the same.

 

[SithDoughnut]

I don't think Haiti cares where the money is coming from, as long as they're getting it. I doubt they've set quotas, more likely they're just happy with however much they can get.

 

[RocketRed]

I don't think Haiti cares where the money is coming from, as long as they're getting it. I doubt they've set quotas, more likely they're just happy with however much they can get.

I agree. I understand both Penumbra's and Mystman's points. For whatever reason the money was given or how much per person on average was given, people gave. And it amounted to a sizable sum that can help rebuild. It's true that the amount is just about on par with contributions to the Hurricane Katrina disaster and I think that's notable that we'd contribute as much money to a foreign disaster.
Anyone could always give more money, but that we were able to gather that much is something to feel good about, I think. It's certainly nothing to snub.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

Maybe I'm just pessimistic, but I look at it the other way. I mean, I'm glad that people have given what they have, but I find the numbers rather disappointing.

There are 300 million Americans, and what, some thing like 120 million working Americans, give or take? $18.9 million is less than 20 cents per working American, and even $200 million is less than $2 per working American.

I spend more on that for lunch everyday.

-Lyn

That assumes every working American has donated the same amount. I daresay a much smaller number of Americans actually donated.

 

[Penumbra]

That assumes every working American has donated the same amount. I daresay a much smaller number of Americans actually donated.

No that's not what I meant, but you are correct.

Of course most Americans didn't go out and donate 20 cents. Instead, a much smaller number donated $10, $100, $1000, and so forth.

My point is, the overall average is quite low. I mean, like others have said, I'm happy that people raised millions, but I wouldn't call it a great example of generosity. Whether 10% have donated a reasonable amount, or 100% have donated a trifling amount, the overall effect is the same. I'm not expecting that everyone go out and give tons of money, and people can only give what their means allow, but I think it could have been more impressive.

-Lyn

 

[Letalis]

It's true that a lot of the "generosity" displayed is nothing more than fad popularity, but does it really matter? The end result is the same: good is being done in Haiti. Don't expect much from the general populace, whether American or otherwise.

ETA: I should add I donated nothing and don't really have any plans to donate anything.

 

[plindboe]

The Haitian crisis is a tragedy and whenever such things happen, there's always a concern about how to rebuild. But it's always great to see people pitching in.
Case in point: the current total of American donations to Haitian relief is $18.9 million. And numbers are expected to climb to $200 million.
When a lot of people say that people are more cynical and uncaring these days, I love to see something like this. Regardless of what organization did what, who's the biggest, who gave most, our country came together to contribute a pretty sizable chunk of money to a country in need.

Generosity and compassion are virtues that I hope our country never forgets. This, to me, is proof of a moral people.

Actually I'm surprised by how little that is, compared to the donations in my country. We're only 5.5 million people in Denmark (which is nothing compared to the more than 300 million people in the US), but in a recent TV event a total of $24.4 million was donated by the danish people. Alot of other charities have received huge sums after the earthquake, so I wonder what the total is up to now.

Not bad for a country that consists of 80% atheists, eh?

Peter

 

[RocketRed]

I do want to say that I'm not trying to say that the US is the most generous country ever or that other places (such as Denmark) didn't contribute an impressive sum as well or that people couldn't have donated more.

I was initially aiming for a worldwide count of total donations from across the globe, but I couldn't find one at the time. That was the only number I could find.

I do agree that on average, per-citizen, it's not that much. But I still its admirable that we managed to put together what I found to be a sizable sum of money. And that we've given about as much to a foreign disaster that we gave to a domestic one.
Perhaps I was too rosy in the wording in my thread-opener. My point wasn't to say that it's the pinnacle of generosity (though that is pretty much what it accidentally suggests). Just that I thought it was great that people donated money to another member of the global community. I really wish I had found a global number for the amount of donations to make this point a little better.
Mostly, I thought it was really sad that the only three threads we've had about Haiti have been to decry some loon's reaction to it here in the states (mine), to suggest the military was trying to occupy Haiti and that the earthquake was a fake (?) and that Planned Parenthood was going down there to push abortions on people. Especially since I contributed to it, it felt gross that the only talk we'd have of the Haiti crisis would be to engage in mud-slinging and claim that this charity was better than that one and so on. I wanted to try to point out that regardless of all that rot, the world at large was helping one of its neighbors in need.

I think that this thread has been a misfire in that regard.

 

[plindboe]

I do want to say that I'm not trying to say that the US is the most generous country ever or that other places (such as Denmark) didn't contribute an impressive sum as well or that people couldn't have donated more.

I was initially aiming for a worldwide count of total donations from across the globe, but I couldn't find one at the time. That was the only number I could find.

I do agree that on average, per-citizen, it's not that much. But I still its admirable that we managed to put together what I found to be a sizable sum of money. And that we've given about as much to a foreign disaster that we gave to a domestic one.
Perhaps I was too rosy in the wording in my thread-opener. My point wasn't to say that it's the pinnacle of generosity (though that is pretty much what it accidentally suggests). Just that I thought it was great that people donated money to another member of the global community. I really wish I had found a global number for the amount of donations to make this point a little better.
Mostly, I thought it was really sad that the only three threads we've had about Haiti have been to decry some loon's reaction to it here in the states (mine), to suggest the military was trying to occupy Haiti and that the earthquake was a fake (?) (Spidergains) and that Planned Parenthood was going down there to push abortions on people (also Spidergains). Especially since I contributed to it, it felt gross that the only talk we'd have of the Haiti crisis would be to engage in mud-slinging and claim that this charity was better than that one and so on. I wanted to try to point out that regardless of all that rot, the world at large was helping one of its neighbors in need.

I think that this thread has been a misfire in that regard.

You're right, I do agree with you. My post wasn't meant as a criticism of you not including other countries, or as a criticism of the donations in the US. I was simply expressing some surprise of the numbers.

All donations help, and it shouldn't be a competition about who donates more. Having a thread like this, focusing on the positive, and how we're all willing to chip in to make the world a better place, is only something I can support.

Besides, the OP link says that $189.9 has been donated now. That's pretty impressive.

Peter

 

[Beanieboy]

The Haitian crisis is a tragedy and whenever such things happen, there's always a concern about how to rebuild. But it's always great to see people pitching in.
Case in point: the current total of American donations to Haitian relief is $18.9 million. And numbers are expected to climb to $200 million.
When a lot of people say that people are more cynical and uncaring these days, I love to see something like this. Regardless of what organization did what, who's the biggest, who gave most, our country came together to contribute a pretty sizable chunk of money to a country in need.

Generosity and compassion are virtues that I hope our country never forgets. This, to me, is proof of a moral people.

I agree. It is a perceptual shift of the world. We are starting to not see ourselves as only supportive of our nation's own people, but starting to envision a Global Neighborhood, and helping anyone on the planet who has suffered a great tragedy like this.