Is capitalism a special form of slavery?

[Robert_Sock]

Why is the UN not acting to relieve these children? Don’t we give them money for such emergencies???
I heard one leader in an African country came to the UN to petition for funds to counteract global warming. Said if his country wasn’t affected by global warming now it soon would be and he wanted billions…

Does the UN have billions to counter global warming? Wouldn’t that money be better spent on hungry children around the world??? I don’t get it…

It’s s great mystery to me. Nobody other than Pope Francis seems to care. Even people on this forum pretend that the problem is not theirs. Somebody get beheaded by radical Islam, most EVERYBODY gets upset and insists that it come to an end. Not so with severe malnourishment where millions die every year! As one person tried to convince me, it’s their culture that’s the problem… as if the malnourished somehow want to be that way based on culture!

 

[Theo520]

What do you mean it’s a cultural issue issue. Do you mean it’s their problem, not ours? If so, you sweep the problem under the rug. It’s everyone’s problem, and we are all responsible.

I was very clear I supported aid that would address the actual problem.

Yes, it is primarily a cultural issue since they have the food resources ‘in-country’ but they are not being provided to the pregnant and newborns. Males should prioritized their wife and baby over eating the best food themselves. Just giving them free basic foodstocks won’t change how it is distributed.

You seem to imply that such issues in other countries are ‘our problem’, which I interpret as ‘our responsibility’. I think we have a moral obligation to help other countries in the world, but that doesn’t mean we are responsible for their problems.

 

[Robert_Sock]

I was very clear I supported aid that would address the actual problem.

Yes, it is primarily a cultural issue since they have the food resources ‘in-country’ but they are not being provided to the pregnant and newborns. Males should prioritized their wife and baby over eating the best food themselves. Just giving them free basic foodstocks won’t change how it is distributed.

You seem to imply that such issues in other countries are ‘our problem’, which I interpret as ‘our responsibility’. I think we have a moral obligation to help other countries in the world, but that doesn’t mean we are responsible for their problems.

Did you know that it’s a crime in America to drive past an accident when someone is hurt and in need of help? How much more are we morally obligated to help those who are malnourished and in need of food?

 

[Theo520]

Did you know that it’s a crime in America to drive past an accident when someone is hurt and in need of help? How much more are we morally obligated to help those who are malnourished and in need of food?

How do you propose we help them? Remember, their malnourished are eating too many cereals (the women and children, not the men).

So what’s your plan to make them eat their vegetables, and more meat/tofu?

 

[mikekle]

It’s s great mystery to me. Nobody other than Pope Francis seems to care. Even people on this forum pretend that the problem is not theirs. Somebody get beheaded by radical Islam, most EVERYBODY gets upset and insists that it come to an end. Not so with severe malnourishment where millions die every year! As one person tried to convince me, it’s their culture that’s the problem… as if the malnourished somehow want to be that way based on culture!

Also notice how many people are screaming for the ISIS guy doing the beheadings, to be killed in very violent ways…yet when someone suggests violence to stop other atrocities, its taboo and wrong all the sudden, I have never understood this.

The problem with starving people, is most people are used to it, they grew up seeing all those commercials, its common knowledge there are entire villages with starving people, yet no one really does anything about it…the amount of food thrown away in the US alone would be enough to feed majority of these villages.

 

[Robert_Sock]

How do you propose we help them? Remember, their malnourished are eating too many cereals (the women and children, not the men).

So what’s your plan to make them eat their vegetables, and more meat/tofu?

So you conveniently sweep the real problem under the rug by the ridiculous argument that the malnourishment is their refusal to eat healthy foods!!! Talk about blaming the victim! If you really believe that they are refusing to eat healthy foods, please let me know your source.

 

[Theo520]

So you conveniently sweep the real problem under the rug by the ridiculous argument that the malnourishment is their refusal to eat healthy foods!!! Talk about blaming the victim! If you really believe that they are refusing to eat healthy foods, please let me know your source.

I asked you what we should do and you ignored me, you are deflecting from addressing the underlying root cause here. That is also why you loaded a highly emotional picture but no supporting facts.

You were content to believe the lie that many thousands are dying daily from starvation, until I challenged you with the truth.

As the below indicates, it’s a complicated issue that isn’t resolved just by shipping more food to their ports.

Kenyan economist James Shikwati says in an interview with Der Spiegel: “aid to Africa does more harm than good”. According to him, the food aid increases corruption as local politicians have the opportunity to steal some of the aid to bribe voters or to sell the aid in the black markets killing the local agriculture. He claims that the WFP people as an organisation “are in the absurd situation of, on the one hand, being dedicated to the fight against hunger while, on the other hand, being faced with unemployment were hunger actually eliminated”. He suggests that WFP answers too easily to the calls of the corrupted governments, and supplies too much of food aid leading to reduction of the production of local farmers as “no one can compete with the UN’s World Food Program”.

 

[CHRISTINE77]

It is definitely a form of slavery. We are chained to our desks and work like robots for rich people disguised as corporations . Also they exploit Mexicans to do all the unskilled labor in this country, because Americans, who have known better wages, don’t want to work for these capitalist slave drivers. And look at what you end up with. A lousy social security payment when we grow old, horrible mandatory medical care, and with this we are supposed to be satisfied.

 

[Robert_Sock]

Theo520;13808433**:

I asked you what we should do and you ignored me

, you are deflecting from addressing the underlying root cause here. That is also why you loaded a highly emotional picture but no supporting facts.

You were content to believe the lie that many thousands are dying daily from starvation, until I challenged you with the truth.

As the below indicates, it’s a complicated issue that isn’t resolved just by shipping more food to their ports.

So sorry about ignoring your key question. What we can do as individuals is limited, but spreading the word, donating what you can to Catholic charities and deep prayer. Deep prayer, done with deep sincerity, can work wonders.

 

[philipl]

When you see all the poverty in Third-World countries while the elite grow fat, it’s hard to deny. It is us, the Western World, that takes resources from the poor countries, and pay next to nothing to the workers. Having 9,500 children dying each day of starvation, with few lifting a finger to help, is nothing less than barbaric on the part of capitalists. Child laborers are common, with nobody caring enough to stop this awful crime.

It’s very easy to deny because very point you make is wrong. These people you speak of have lived in poverty for centuries and I dont mean the last 3 or 4, but the last 40+ centuries.

youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_A

Here is a brilliant man that easily shows how just all you points are wrong.

 

[Robert_Sock]

It’s very easy to deny because very point you make is wrong. These people you speak of have lived in poverty for centuries and I dont mean the last 3 or 4, but the last 40+ centuries.

youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_A

Here is a brilliant man that easily shows how just all you points are wrong.

The Western World has been basically using Third-World slave labor to work in getting us much of their raw materials for next to nothing. Sure the workers get paid, but next to nothing, often using children as laborers. I think it’s time we play fair and pay them fairly. Saying that these people have been living in extreme poverty for ages does nothing to make it morally acceptable.

 

[philipl]

The Western World has been basically using Third-World slave labor to work in getting us much of their raw materials for next to nothing. Sure the workers get paid, but next to nothing, often using children as laborers. I think it’s time we play fair and pay them fairly. Saying that these people have been living in extreme poverty for ages does nothing to make it morally acceptable.

The Western world is doing nothing of the sort. The facts are that until about 100 years ago most of the Western world lived at the same level of poverty as do these third world countries. Third world countries live in extreme poverty today, in spite of Capitalism, not because of it.

Here is a great website showing life in England from the 1600’s through this century.

homepage.ntlworld.com/davidjstokes/1600.htm.

There was no Western World stealing the resources of third world countries in the 1700 and 1800’s

 

[estesbob]

The Western World has been basically using Third-World slave labor to work in getting us much of their raw materials for next to nothing. Sure the workers get paid, but next to nothing, often using children as laborers. I think it’s time we play fair and pay them fairly. Saying that these people have been living in extreme poverty for ages does nothing to make it morally acceptable.

And what is your solution. Please be specific

 

[Robert_Sock]

And what is your solution. Please be specific

At the individual level, donations to Catholic charities, spreading the word about the prevalence of extreme poverty and most importantly, sincere prayer.

At the societal level, declare war on poverty and child labor. Paying the Third World fairly for their raw materials. Getting greedy dictators out of government, using military force if necessary. Electing leaders like Pope Francis who feel morally obligated in promoting humanitarianism throughout the world.

Let me ask you why so many Westerners do nothing to help those who are exploited and in need of nutrition?

 

[philipl]

At the individual level, donations to Catholic charities, spreading the word about the prevalence of extreme poverty and most importantly, sincere prayer.

At the societal level, declare war on poverty and child labor. Paying the Third World fairly for their raw materials. Getting greedy dictators out of government, using military force if necessary. Electing leaders like Pope Francis who feel morally obligated in promoting humanitarianism throughout the world.

Let me ask you why so many Westerners do nothing to help those who are exploited and in need of nutrition?

Is it just the Greedy dictators we need to remove or all of them? Would Castro be on your list? How about Che, would he have been on your list?

 

[Robert_Sock]

Is it just the Greedy dictators we need to remove or all of them? Would Castro be on your list? How about Che, would he have been on your list?

I’m not a political scientist with expert knowledge as to which dictators add to the problem, so I do not know. From what I understand, Cuba functions rather well in humanitarianism.

 

[petra22]

So sorry about ignoring your key question. What we can do as individuals is limited, but spreading the word, donating what you can to Catholic charities and deep prayer. Deep prayer, done with deep sincerity, can work wonders.

This part I can wholeheartedly agree with…

 

[Theo520]

At the individual level, donations to Catholic charities, spreading the word about the prevalence of extreme poverty and most importantly, sincere prayer.

Yes, CRS is an excellent vehicle by which to focus aid. They respond well to a crisis and then focus on structural issues post crisis.

At the societal level, declare war on poverty and child labor. Paying the Third World fairly for their raw materials. Getting greedy dictators out of government, using military force if necessary. Electing leaders like Pope Francis who feel morally obligated in promoting humanitarianism throughout the world.

In the US alone, the War on Poverty has cost $22 trillion – three times more than what the government has spent on all wars in American history. I think it’s safe to say our strategy has been defective since we have made little progress.

Since you don’t like greedy dictators I must assume you were for the Iraqi War and our recent interventions in Libya and Syria. I personally disagree with you here since we’ve shown no aptitude to do effective nation building post conflict.

I think our govt needs to understand effective nation building before overthrowing any more foreign governments by force.

Let me ask you why so many Westerners do nothing to help those who are exploited and in need of nutrition?

You are wrong, many westerners do something. They donate to local charities, donate food to food banks, and pay their taxes (which are sadly used with questionable efficacy)

 

[philipl]

I’m not a political scientist with expert knowledge as to which dictators add to the problem, so I do not know. From what I understand, Cuba functions rather well in humanitarianism.

You may not be a political scientist, But you dont seem to have a problem with using the full military force of the western world to remove the dictators you dont like. You really need to get a better understanding of economics, just because the Pope says it so, doesnt make it so. His job is to make sure souls go to heaven, the redistribution of wealth is outside the power of the church.

 

[philipl]

I’m not a political scientist with expert knowledge as to which dictators add to the problem, so I do not know. From what I understand, Cuba functions rather well in humanitarianism.

BTW, to answer your question, no capitalism isnt a special form of slavery. You want to lower your standard of living to slave conditions, go back to a agriculture economy. Now that is a special form of slavery.