@Mod:
“Response moderated (Unhelpful)”
I beg to differ! The question I asked was genuine, relevant and important, and is all too easily forgotten in situations like these.
@SpatzieLover
Indeed. If you insist on helping Japan, then by all means.
I’m not giving anyone flak for wanting to help out, or even for wanting to help out Japan in particular. I’m not questioning if it’s the right thing to do – just if it’s the best thing you can do.
It’s amazing how many people these days see a disaster on TV and immediately reach for their purse. It’s true for Japan today and it was true for New Orleans a while ago; people give so generously that there’s actually a surplus of relief money. That sort of thing restores one’s faith in humanity as a race of good people. Humankind is getting its act together.
The TV directs our attention to suffering, and the relief efforts get funded.
But the TV doesn’t show everything. There are also people suffering who aren’t on TV, because they’ve been suffering for a long time and it’s not news any more. Or it’s too far away and too frequent to report every time.
The charities know about these things, though. And they do what they can to help. But if people only want to give money to the exciting TV problems, and explicitly demand that their money only be used for that, then a lot of people don’t get the help they need, and not because there’s no money for it.
By all means, do your fund raiser, but I suggest you leave it up to the charity how best to use your money. If that’s Japan, let it go to Japan. If someone else needs it more, let it go to them.