08-10-2014, 04:05 PM
(08-10-2014, 02:32 PM)carlcockatoo Wrote: So far all I know that we can do is:This is all good stuff. Even though I cannot afford to be a member of a civil rights movement in South America, there has to be effort and sacrifices made in a small way.
1. The basics: Stand up to bad shit when we see it, try to get the people around us to re-evaluate their positions, etc. This is what I'm already doing but I think we can do more.
2. Donate money and needed items. Another obvious one that I admittedly have done enough of. I can't reasonably do a lot though, and too many people think that putting a dollar in a donation jar justifies having fucked attitudes towards the poor. I have the idea of donating every thing I get over the national average towards charity, but I don't expect to make that much. >_> If I'm ever really rich I'll start my own organisations because I have ideas that I think can make modern philanthropy way more effective. This isn't really 'activism' but still.
3. Write politicians/businesses/police/etc: I consider doing this all the time, but with the big issues it feels like there's already 300 other people doing it and I'd be wasting effort by doing it. I should no longer let this be an excuse.
4. Similarly, try to get articles published on the issues that people will actually read (i.e. not 'Tumblr activism'). I write my thoughts on issues down all the time but I never do anything with them because I'm not sure how to do it correctly. Furthermore, conducting real research involves being directly faced with the issues. I'm willing to do that but I don't know how you go about it.
5. Full on protest and shit: I'm not about to just start aimlessly waiving signs around but I'm more than willing to join a meaningful protest next time there's one in my city.
6. Join activists organisations: There are a few based in my city that deal with local issues. The only thing holding me back is I know my parents will disown me if I ever get involved in this stuff.
7. Just tackle issues head on: This is what I'd really like to do but I don't know how. For example, I want to reduce crime in my city. How can I just fight criminal organisations (especially when there's spill over from the Mexican drug war >_>)? Join the police? I'm not happy about police brutality either. Etc. etc. I don't really know what I can do. If I was rich I could do something to create jobs so people don't turn to crime, provide people safe places to go, etc. But even if I'm a stupid rich kid I don't have the personal funds to do any of that.
Discuss.
I guess that's a good segway to something else somewhat related. Sometimes making even small sacrifices leads to it's own can of worms.
One of the most common sacrifices that people make is through the donation of money, to give a charity the resources needed to further their cause. But the vast majority of charities keep almost all the money to themselves. Only a fraction of a percent of what is donated actually goes towards the cause. The cause is merely a weapon against people's sense of morality to encourage them to give them money.
Which is why I think to help resolve that problem is to enforce a law that makes it mandatory that a minimum percentage of what is donated goes towards the cause that the charity advertises. Something like 50%. It obviously cannot be 100% because the charity does need some money to maintain itself as a business.
I think that if that law was passed, a lot of charities would go bankrupt, but it would probably be unlikely that those 'charities' would've donated anything that meaningful anyway, as the percentage that is donated to the cause is so tiny. I do think that in the long term, the benefits probably would outweigh the loss of these 'charities'.
Then again, that would only solve ONE of the problems that charity systems have. It doesn't solve anything regarding the corrupt politicians keeping the donated money to themselves, rather than to invest it in the people. Which is probably an even greater and perhaps completely unsolvable problem.
But all of these things need to be addressed somehow because charity movements don't require people to be civil rights activists in South America to make a difference. At least not in theory.
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