Any time you think you have it bad..

[rforsythe]

If at some point you think having to cut back on Starbucks this week, or even getting down to your college roots and snacking on Ramen is a major hurdle in life, I recommend you read this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7771184.stm

It isn't technically hell in the metaphysical sense, but it sounds pretty damn close!

Sorta puts things in perspective.

[DavidofColorado]

No offense to you Ralph, but times are hard for a lot of people here and I am not going to feel guilty because I don't feel bad for them. I am a few dollars away from homelessness as it is.

Liberal/Yuppie guilt doesn't work on me.

[rforsythe]

Why would this get locked? It's my thread.

[Devaclis]

This is not to be synacle at all, but with a population that size, why is nobody doing ANYTHING about it? Really? Not 1 person there knows how to fix a burst pipe? Clean out a toilet, fix a broken pump, get a wagon and cary the trash to a safe location? Is this a country 100% reliant on others to take care of them? don't think of me as heartless, I am not. I am really concerned for these people. What is it EXACTLY that is preventing them from NOT simmering in a pot of their own stew?

I hope things get better there for all of them. What a horrible way to live/die.

[dallas]

It seems the areas that don't suffer from hunger as much have the highest percentage of people infected with cholera.

[Nick_Ninja]

It is that way because nobody gives a shit about Africa.

[rforsythe]

The way I understand it, and granted I have limited knowledge of the situation, is that people are so desperate that basic aspects of survival are almost more than they can handle. Fixing a pipe requires materials. Carrying trash requires energy you need food to have.

I think their government is so corrupt that it has resulted in total economic collapse, and this is the result. Basic services shut down, and famine and health crisis end up happening. People are so focused on trying to stay alive (and failing at it en masse) that the other things which help a populace thrive have been abandoned.

[Nick_Ninja]

Mugabe is a total dick. The guy needs to be capped and fed to the fishes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/643737.stm

[rforsythe]

Anyway, whether you give a shit about Africa or not, the point of this thread was to consider how it could be the next time you get that "my life is so hard" feeling. This isn't some "help the starving kids" crusade, just a philosophical tangent on a Wednesday morning.

[MetaLord 9]

The point here was not to solve Africa's problems, analyze their situation, or feel guilty for a comparatively opulant life. Ralph's just trying to provide some perspective here. Times are tough. The economy sucks. People are getting laid off left & right. But we're not dying of cholera, dysentary, or hunger. A bit of perspective can make a tough situation more manageable and that's really all that this thread is about.

[Devaclis]

Watching "The Long Way Down" gave me a bit of a different perspective on Africa. I DO think that a LOT of countries are trying hard to help out. The people who live there seem to be very willing to accept the help and try to make their lives better. The tribal disputes and military death grips on unarmed people is ridiculous.

If they do not take action to quell or stop these disputes and military action, they will live like this forever.

[rforsythe]

The point here was not to solve Africa's problems, analyze their situation, or feel guilty for a comparatively opulant life. Ralph's just trying to provide some perspective here. Times are tough. The economy sucks. People are getting laid off left & right. But we're not dying of cholera, dysentary, or hunger. A bit of perspective can make a tough situation more manageable and that's really all that this thread is about.

[Big-J]

The point here was not to solve Africa's problems, analyze their situation, or feel guilty for a comparatively opulant life. Ralph's just trying to provide some perspective here. Times are tough. The economy sucks. People are getting laid off left & right. But we're not dying of cholera, dysentary, or hunger. A bit of perspective can make a tough situation more manageable and that's really all that this thread is about.

[rforsythe]

If they do not take action to quell or stop these disputes and military action, they will live like this forever.

Or at least until they all die from it!

[mtnairlover]

Anyway, whether you give a shit about Africa or not, the point of this thread was to consider how it could be the next time you get that "my life is so hard" feeling. This isn't some "help the starving kids" crusade, just a philosophical tangent on a Wednesday morning.

And a good tangent it is.

I'll have my moments of feeling like "this shit sucks ass...why the fuck doesn't (a particular person) give a fuck about his own children...you'd think that since he's a parent, he'd give a flying fuck..." and on and on. But, then I finish my whining and moaning and move on, cuz honestly...things could be a lot worse.

So, thanks for the reminder.

[Devaclis]

My life sucks so bad I wish everyone had to endure it.

Great friends

Awesome family

Nice job and home

More toys than I will ever deserve.

I woke up alive this morning, so I have that goin' for me.

Yeah, why don't all you people try living with all that crap for a week? Yeah, it sucks.

[~Barn~]

<snip...>people are so desperate that basic aspects of survival are almost more than they can handle. Fixing a pipe requires materials. Carrying trash requires energy you need food to have.

... Basic services shut down, and famine and health crisis end up happening.

...People are so focused on trying to stay alive...

Well put, Ralph. Thank you for spelling it out for the Cliffs Notes set.

[Big-J]

I am a few dollars away from homelessness as it is.

Im not surprised, you are retarded.

[Nick_Ninja]

I applaud Ralph for bringing this to our collective attention. In these difficult times, and with the upcoming holiday season that is upon us, I encourage all of you to seek out the charity of your choice and give them something. Time, money, monetary items. It might make you feel better and will most definitely make them feel better that you did. My $0.02.

[DavidofColorado]

Anyway, whether you give a shit about Africa or not, the point of this thread was to consider how it could be the next time you get that "my life is so hard" feeling. This isn't some "help the starving kids" crusade, just a philosophical tangent on a Wednesday morning.

Right on Rforsythe. I just can't remember the last time I thought things were going great? I like am sick of noodles myself. I have tried every recipe that I know of to make them more palatable and its not good enough anymore.

I will remember this the next time I am on a roll and I will remember to stay humble.

[mtnairlover]

I applaud Ralph for bringing this to our collective attention. In these difficult times, and with the upcoming holiday season that is upon us, I encourage all of you to seek out the charity of your choice and give them something. Time, money, monetary items. It might make you feel better and will most definitely make them feel better that you did. My $0.02.

I'm not saying this cuz I need anyone's pity or sympathy, but this season is extremely hard for me and my kids since my ex has decided to stop with child support. I'm upside down each month with monthly bills without it.

Anyhoo...my point? This morning my 11-year-old told me about the canned food drive at her school, so I opened up the cupboard and put a few cans in a bag for her. It's the feeling you get knowing that you are still capable of doing something to make a difference even if your world seems like shit at the moment...cuz, ultimately it still doesn't compare to what others may be going through.

[Mother Goose]

Right on Rforsythe. I just can't remember the last time I thought things were going great? I like am sick of noodles myself. I have tried every recipe that I know of to make them more palatable and its not good enough anymore.

I will remember this the next time I am on a roll and I will remember to stay humble.

Come over this weekend, I'll make dinner for you and yours.

[DavidofColorado]

Im not surprised, you are retarded.

I guess I could go to your level and sling insults e.g. Kiss my ass, lick my sack. But I think that I will refrain and just not say anything that would ruin this very heartwarming thread that Ralph started with petty bickering.

[Ghost]

No offense to you Ralph, but times are hard for a lot of people here and I am not going to feel guilty because I don't feel bad for them. I am a few dollars away from homelessness as it is.

The illusion between 'Middle Class', 'Poor' and 'Homeless' is thinner than most people think.

Of course, it's too scary for most of those same people to think that they could lose everything and become poor or homeless, so it's natural to go hug your Escalade and use it to reassure yourself that you are, in fact, rich and you're nothing like those (filthy) poor people. It's not a criticism, per se, it's an observation of American life and the power of denial and greed.


-=-
However, all of that merely reinforces my opinion: Fuck Africa, Save America First.

I honestly am far less affected by their plight than I am at our domestic mess. I can't believe that we allow our own citizens to live in conditions just like those in Africa--we're not some poor country with a collapsed socio-economic system, we're not in a continually ongoing civil war, we're not in Mugabe's country, were here, in the USA, and yet we have starving people, people without proper medical care, and people on the streets.

And, before I ever helped anyone overseas, I think we ought to turn our attention to those fellow Americans who need our help:

Salvation Army Turns Away Families Needing Food
DENVER (CBS4) ― The Salvation Army says this is one of the toughest years when it comes to donations. In the past two months, it has had to turn away about 360 families needing food because there hasn't been any.

Donations are always tight around Christmas, but the Salvation Army says it has always had a little something to give. The food boxes it has been able to give away have been downsized, only lasting the families a couple of days rather than several like they used to.

"I need food, even help with getting around because I don't drive," Denver resident Ramona Martinez said. "There are places that give out tokens for the bus, but even those are getting scarce, so I find myself doing a lot of walking."

Also, people who are educated and who had good jobs have been showing up in need of help; people who have never used the Salvation Army before. Most have lost their jobs and haven't been able to find new ones.

Donations are also down 30 percent this year.

"I believe it is the economy, the news, people are holding back, waiting to find out," Major Neal Hogan with the Salvation Army said. "Some have been directly affected, other people are wondering how it's going to effect them. So there's this little side step of uncertainty."

The Salvation Army has teamed up with King Soopers for the month of December. Those who wish to donate can make cash donations by the bell ringers or food donations in the big barrels at the stores.

"People are trying to figure out how much they can help. We've had people step up and say, 'Now don't worry, we want to help, but we don't know how much just yet,'" Hogan said. "They're having to look at their portfolios and their finances before they can make decisions."


http://cbs4denver.com/local/salvation.army.donations.2.882930.html

So, if you have the means, and you're feeling generous and/or can put off that $7 Starbucks, why not help someone over here (possibly right in Denver)first?