Live 8 - G8 Summit

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Private_Maestro

Private_Maestro

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I hope that the Live 8 concerts help force the G8 leaders to make poverty history forever!

What is everyones opinions on tonights events in the lead up to the summit at Gleneagles, Scotland ?
 
I personally promise to eat a delicious cheeseburger to protest poverty.

Seriously, the concept is flawed: enjoy yourself in the hopes that doing so will convince someone else that they should solve the worlds problems? The responsibility-free world of the 21st century is amazing.
 
I like how it's the G8's responsibility to save all these African countries from the stupidity of their own governments. I'd sure love to hear what the tax-paying inhabitants of G8 countries think about that.
 
Giving aide to Africa is well intentioned, but it will only aggrevate the problem. They will want more aide and it will cause their population to grow even more. I think the best solution is that we teach them how to help themselves. Poverty is not just an African problem. Poverty in Africa is not as bad as compared to India or Bolivia. Also, corruption is very rampant in those nations.
 
Thats true. Most of the aid we send is just intercepted and spent/eaten by the local militia/rebels/warlords/wildlife anyway.
 
Wow. Just....Wow. The very idea that these ridiculous concerts cause the leaders of the world's businesses to do anything other that snicker into their sleeves is utterly idiotic. Good God. You better face up to the fact that there WILL ALWAYS BE POVERTY! Basic human nature is greed and desire for power - that very nature REQUIRES that people be kept down for others to rule/profit. I'm not saying it's right, but I'm saying that all people suffer from these faults - some control them better is all.
Man, this is nothing more than a meaningless bleeding-heart circle-jerk. It's designed to make people "feel" better. It does absolutely nothing.
Want to make a real difference? Quit your job and go to Africa and help them. That's the only sure way to make any sort of difference.
Wait, what's that? You CAN'T quit your job? Don't really care, do you? Anything less is just a bullshit exercise in making you feel like a real hero.
Just remember - any aid money that goes to Africa has to go through the already corrupt governments that are the root of the problem. G8 and Live 8 isn't going to solve shit, no matter what they decide.
 
Howard Day said:
Wow. Just....Wow. The very idea that these ridiculous concerts cause the leaders of the world's businesses to do anything other that snicker into their sleeves is utterly idiotic. Good God. You better face up to the fact that there WILL ALWAYS BE POVERTY! Basic human nature is greed and desire for power - that very nature REQUIRES that people be kept down for others to rule/profit. I'm not saying it's right, but I'm saying that all people suffer from these faults - some control them better is all.
Man, this is nothing more than a meaningless bleeding-heart circle-jerk. It's designed to make people "feel" better. It does absolutely nothing.
Want to make a real difference? Quit your job and go to Africa and help them. That's the only sure way to make any sort of difference.
Wait, what's that? You CAN'T quit your job? Don't really care, do you? Anything less is just a bullshit exercise in making you feel like a real hero.
Just remember - any aid money that goes to Africa has to go through the already corrupt governments that are the root of the problem. G8 and Live 8 isn't going to solve shit, no matter what they decide.
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Everytime aide ends up in the wrong hand. Peace Corp. in America does send people to poor nations. However, those people in poor nations want more and more, which does no good for them.
 
Beg to differ with you naysayers. You have two options: give up, or do something. We have an opportunity here to influence the 8 most powerful people on earth. You can either do nothing, or bring to bear the weight of public opinion on your leaders. Write to your congressman, representative, president or elected official. Of course poverty will not magically stop. Nobody said it would. But doing nothing when a child dies every 3 seconds is pointless. Do what you can, write to your representative, and sign the petition on www.one.org.
 
I beg to differ with the bleeding heart liberals. When poverty is erased from the United States, I'll consider doing something for Africa. For now, I'll work to keep Americans employed.
 
An opportunity to influence the 8 most powerful people on earth HOW? Through the magic of music and song? How dumb are these people?

If you're looking for viable ways to help, choose a good aid organization (researched throughly) and send your money there. Go there yourself. Help them. Going to a concert serves no purpose but to make you feel better about yourself. Whoopee. It means nothing.
Ending poverty is a foolish enterprise. Poverty in and of itself is not a bad thing. Rich people tend to have far more problems than the poor people I know.
When people say that they want to end poverty, they need to understand what that means. Poverty is always in comparison to wealth. as long as we've got wealthy people, then we'll have poor people. "Eliminating poverty forever" - complete and utter bullshiat.
 
To all the naysayers, I issue this challenge to you. If you don't believe in aid to Africa, that's fine. I challenge you to think what it is you will accomplish in your lifetime that will make the world a better place. It doesn't have to be Africa, and it doesn't have to involve contributing money. I agree there's plenty of poverty in our own countries to be dealt with. But if you honestly don't know what it is you're going to do to leave the world in a better state, and are content to being selfish, that's fine, just don't criticize those who are attempting to be part of the solution rather than the problem.

It's easy to sit in your comfortable home, sitting at your computer, with plenty of food, being critical. I haven't heard one critic here propose a solution, I've only heard complaints, with no evidence to support them. So I'm willing to listen. What do you suggest we do? If all you can do is complain, and can't contribute to the solution in some way, I feel sorry for you.
 
Ridgerunner said:
I beg to differ with the bleeding heart liberals. When poverty is erased from the United States, I'll consider doing something for Africa. For now, I'll work to keep Americans employed.
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By doing what?
 
I just don't understand, how does getting a lot of rich/famous musicians together to play music help Africa? Couldn't these musicians take some of their huge amounts of money and aide Africa directly?
 
Again the concert itself is not the point. The point is to influence the G8 leaders (do you know who they are?) to expand debt cancellation. Cancel 100% of debt owed by the world’s poorest countries. Each year these countries spend more on debt repayment than on meeting the needs of their people. Debt cancellation makes a difference. With their freed resources, Mozambique introduced free life-saving
immunizations for children; Tanzania abolished primary school fees, leading to a 66% increase in attendance, and in Uganda, debt relief gave 2.2 million people access to clean water. And yes, many of the artists and businessmen involved are already huge humanitarians.

This is not a liberal or conservative issue. For example, conservative Pat Robertson supports this, as well as businessman Bill Gates.
 
There's lots of things someone interested in helping Africa could do, from donating money themselves to serving with an organization like the Peace Corps -- and there's a million inbetween steps. If you believe in a cause -- and I don't personally have any interest in Africa, though I certainly do give money and spend time lobbying for causes I do support -- then put yourself out for it. Listening to a concert and thinking you're being socially conscious is idiotic.

I'd also like not to pay my bills each month; maybe they could debt-cancellate me? Then everyone wins (aside from those who risked their money on me in the first place -- but they're evil politicians and not U2 at all, so who cares?)
 
Bandit LOAF said:
There's lots of things someone interested in helping Africa could do, from donating money themselves to serving with an organization like the Peace Corps -- and there's a million inbetween steps. If you believe in a cause -- and I don't personally have any interest in Africa, though I certainly do give money and spend time lobbying for causes I do support -- then put yourself out for it. Listening to a concert and thinking you're being socially conscious is idiotic.

I'd also like not to pay my bills each month; maybe they could debt-cancellate me? Then everyone wins (aside from those who risked their money on me in the first place -- but they're evil politicians and not U2 at all, so who cares?)
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Sure, that would be a great idea, if you think you're worse off than the women who have no choice for a job except serving as a prostitute 7 times in one night, then I'd support your debt relief as well. Agree that just listening to music does not accomplish anything. Likewise, neither does sitting on your behind complaining. However, contributing to causes you do care about is commendable.

So here's another challenge. Starting today, if you guys make charitable tax-deductible contributions to any legitimate charity you like, and let me know, I'll match everyone's contribution. Up to a total of 100 dollars total contributed by me to a charity of my choice. Anybody care to put some money where their mouth is?
 
In my opinion, the biggest travesty in Africa is in Sudan. Africa is not the only place impoverished and in fact there are places having it really bad, like South Asia and Latin America.
 
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