When I was young, one of my mother's favorite maxims was "There but for the grace of God go I." She'd usually say it when she saw someone less fortunate than we. It's a saying that has stuck with me lo these many years.
For those of you who prefer a non-religious aphorism, I proffer, "There but for fortune go I."
I couldn't help but think of my mother when I read this column by former pro basketball player Paul Shirley, If You Build It, They Will Come, which takes a decidedly different approach to the Haitian earthquake:
I haven’t donated a cent to the Haitian relief effort. And I probably will not.
I haven’t donated to the Haitian relief effort for the same reason that I don’t give money to homeless men on the street. Based on past experiences, I don’t think the guy with the sign that reads “Need You’re [sic] Help” is going to do anything constructive with the dollar I might give him. If I use history as my guide, I don’t think the people of Haiti will do much with my money either.
In this belief I am, evidently, alone. It seems that everyone has jumped on the “Save Haiti” bandwagon. To question the impulse to donate, then, will probably be viewed as analogous with rooting for Charles Manson, John Wayne Gacy, or the Spice Girls.
Neither the 2004 tsunami nor Hurricane Katrina escape Shirley's vitriol:
After the tsunami of 2004, the citizens of the world wailed and donated and volunteered for cleanup, rarely asking the important – and, I think, obvious – question: What were all those people doing there in the first place? Just as important: If they move back to a place near the ocean that had just been destroyed by a giant wave, shouldn’t our instinct be to say, “Go ahead if you want, but you’re on your own now.”?
We did the same after Hurricane Katrina. We were quick to vilify humans who were too slow to respond to the needs of victims, forgetting that the victims had built and maintained a major city below sea level in a known target zone for hurricanes. Our response: Make the same mistake again. Rebuild a doomed city, putting aside logic as we did.
Shirley even includes a letter to the Haitians in his diatribe:
Dear Haitians –
First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded.
As we prepare to assist you in this difficult time, a polite request: If it’s possible, could you not re-build your island home in the image of its predecessor? Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy shanty- and shack-towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?
Sincerely,
The Rest of the World
Shirley's arrogance and ignorance are quite remarkable. I'm guessing that he was a better basketball player than humanitarian.
He makes Rush Limbaugh look like Mother Teresa.
"Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact." -- George Eliot
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