Why dont people do more to help the world and people in true poverty?

Question

I cant believe that people will shed tears about the devestation in this world, and about the poverty and hunger and fighting but yet they do nothing. I dont have much money but I give as much as I can monthly to three different organisations. I hate it when people complain that the costs of this organisations are too great and that only a small percentage of the donations go to the cause but if more people opened their hearts and wallets, the organisations would have more means to fund the work that they do!! At least they are doing something!!! Please people. None of us have money but if we saw the real devestation of the millions of people starving all over the world and not just the pictures on the world vision ads, we would see how important our help really is.

Answer 1

It might be that they found out that a lot of these groups are not what they claim to be. Those that play on the sympathy and morals of people and use children to get funding are usually bogus and you really cant check if they do any good at all. Check them out first then if you feel they are doing a honest job go for it.

Answer 2

What if you accidentally helped someone evil?

I'd hate to be that surgeon who saved that kid, only the kid turned out to be a serial killer and murdered hundreds of kind folks

Answer 3

I work my *** off to get paid, barely afford a mortgage and bills, and then have to listen to socialists telling me how to spend my own money? No thanks.

Answer 4

They are selfish, that's why.

I have no money to spare and it is a struggle to keep my head above the water...so to speak.

I have seen programs on TV about people who hit the lottery. I have seen some of them who were fairly conservative but some just go crazy and buy really really exspensive things that they don't need and will never have a use for. If I won the lottery I would of course want to live comfortably and have a very nice home where my family and friends could visit me and have fun. But I would not be able to sleep at night knowing that my hands were covered with diamonds and my house was filled with extravagant items that are only for show.

Seriously I don't know how the extremely rich can sleep at night either. Some do give to charitable organizations but they still wear $300 jeans.   I hate extravagance.

Answer 5

Its a well documented fact that people give to charity to avoid guilt - not to be alturistic. We should all feel guilty - not even the smallest infant is 'innocent' as they consume products that were produced with the blood of others.

Its a really harsh cruel world - people get the impression that it isn't because we have it far too good in the west

Also I know how much the executive directors of some of these 'charities' 'earn'. If 80% of the money I give goes on 'operational costs' then I would rather give my money to a beggar.

Answer 6

Invest your money instead.  When you die, leave it for the poor.  They'll still be there.  

Whaddya say to that?

Or h**l, use your money to open a business that employs them.

Answer 7

Why do you give to organizations whose overhead consumes most of your donations? Give directly, and cut out the blood-sucking middleman. Remember a few years ago when the head of the United Way in the US was funneling tons of cash (many hundreds of thousands of dollars) to support a lavish lifestyle for his mistress? The reason so few give is that they know the money is not going anywhere but to make some exec fatter. Are you a shill?

Answer 8

Right so you believe that the management team deserve to put most of the money into their pockets then!!!!!

What we need to do is to make sure these charities do not get away with asking for money for charity and then keeping it.  These people would be poor themselves if the money that actually got to the good cause was their wages and if the money they now get as wages went to the good causes then a real step in the alleviation of problems could be made!!!!

It is time the world came up with rules for charities and stopped the pillaging of the money donated to help the poor!!!

Answer 9

I think that a lot of people feel overwhelmed by the hugeness of the problem, and they don't even know where to begin, so they just do nothing.

There are also concerns about corruption and the money getting into the wrong hands, thus making the problem even worse instead of better.

Howeve, you are correct, this should not stop people from trying to help. Look what this guy has done:

http://www.100friends.com/

Answer 10

Define True Poverty? In my country...if you are in the unfortunate position of being unemployed and you get depressed..statistically your mortality rate is something like 40% You have a 40% chance of being dead inside a year - whether you get treated for it or not. I think this is pretty much as bad as it gets..

Answer 11

We sponsor a child in a third world country .. if ever I am in the finacial position to do so we will sponser another .....

the thing is we live in a world where people want so much .. we forget that many in the world do not even have their needs met.

at the risk of sounding terrible socialistic ( GO AHEAD MAKE OUT IT'S A DIRTY WORD .. I DON'T CARE) ...I would love to live in a world where people's WANTS are only met when ALL PEOPLE'S NEEDS have been met .....then BY all means be as materialistic as you like.

Needs should ALWAYS come before wants