To answer your initial question: the DR is fine. My brother- and sister-in-law in Santo Domingo didn’t even feel the quake, nor did my brother-in-law in San Pedro.
I think it’s fair to say I don’t have a reputation on this board for bleeding-heart sympathies; if anything, my commitment to personal responsibility is probably seen by many participants here as too harsh. I say this to frame the context for:
It’s true that the Haitians are very bad off, and that much of the reason for their poverty has been the short-sighted deforestation of their land. However,
It isn’t simply “their fault,” or an artifact of their being “stupid Haitians.” The country suffered greatly under French colonial policies, and was as a result left without a strong tradition of competent infrastructure. The Spanish, who were not in the running for “Colonial Power of the Century,” still stood head and shoulders above the French, and much of the disparity between Haiti and the DR today can be fairly imputed to the utter incompetency and heartlessness of the French colonial approach.
So – I’m all for demanding that people take responsibility for thier woes, but to declare that the “stupid Haitians” are the ones to blame is massively short-sighted.
I rescind that, because it is factually wrong. However, the gist of the post I do stand by. Haiti has consistently neglected their infrastructure, while the Dominican Republic has not. If a natural disaster hits Hispaniola, the D.R. copes and Haiti crumbles. It’s like North Korea vs. South Korea in disaster management and infrastructure. Same location, but worlds apart.
It’s true that the government of Haiti is incompetent and has raped the natural resources, but the individuals who are suffering are not at fault for a fluke as to where they were born.
Bricker, I know I sound heartless, but I just don’t care what happens to Haiti anymore. They are a mess, and they seem to have a disaster that costs a bunch of lives every damn year. Earthquake this year, big flood last year, starvation the year before, and let’s not forget about AIDS.
I’m an understanding guy, but there comes a point where my sympathy just runs out.
But the point is (as Palo Verde was saying), regardless of whether an earthquake hit the most corrupt, incompetent government on Earth it’s the ordinary people who are effected. It’s not a matter of caring about what happens to a particular country, rather empathising with the suffering of our fellow humans.
You’re posting this from an outside perspective of having to help. Think of it from the inside, they’re a poor country that’s been hit with hurricanes and earthquakes in addition to trying to scratch a living in that hell-hole. Talk about constantly getting kicked when down.
I’m pissed off because I’m unemployed and can’t send much without knowing what my own financial situation is going to be.
It’s been 30 years since I was last there but never since have I seen any place so mired in poverty and destitution than Haiti, particularly the capital, PaP. Even so, and increasingly as you get further into the rural countryside, the people are industrious, remarkably positive and eager to engage.
I’m seeing the pictures for the first time this morning. My heart breaks for these people. To have this level of destruction piled on top of an already miserable plight is almost unimaginable.
yeah, yeah, I know. But there are five billion people on the planet; if I tried to care about them all I’d go insane. The North Koreans are starving, Africa’s biggest killer is fucking malaria which none of the nations seem to be addressing, Mexico’s Army is fighting drug cartels that are better armed and the battle is costing the lives of countless innocents and Columbia and Venezuela look like they might go to war.
So pardon me if I look at the current Haitian disaster as something that happens every damn year and is par for the course.
I’m sure threads on those countries and their maladies would benefit from your participation. Attempts to distract from discussions on the seriousness and reality of the Hatian people’s predicament are hardly beneficial here though. Perhaps you’ll let the focus remain on them and not your ability to comprehend or empathise.
Mmm, monkeysphere, compassion fatigue and all that. People do indeed die every day, but 7.0 earthquakes don’t strike national capitals everyday. The fact that the disaster happened to an already impoverished nation makes the tragedy all the worse, suffering on top of suffering. Likewise if an earthquake hit downtown Pyongyang the amount of innocent lives lost and the difficulty in the rescue effort would still constitute a tragedy.
We get the point, A Monkey With a Gun. If you’re not concerned with the events in Haiti, please move on to another thread so this discussion can continue.
You hit it right there. Compassion fatigue is undoubtedly what I feel toward Haiti, and I chose my username because humans act like monkeys. Thus, the monkeysphere reference is very apt.
But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong. Does anybody in this thread think that what they say or do is going to help the Haitians? Give money to the Red Cross all you like, and please do - please give blood, but none of that is going to the Haitians.
You hit it right there. Compassion fatigue is undoubtedly what I feel toward Haiti, and I chose my username because humans act like monkeys. Thus, the monkeysphere reference is very apt.
But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong. Does anybody in this thread think that what they say or do is going to help the Haitians? Give money to the Red Cross all you like, and please do - please give blood, but none of that is going to the Haitians.
ETA: Alright, Marley. Heaven forbid MPSIMS fosters a debate, but I’ll shut up now.
This MSNBC page has at present 28 links to charitable organizations that do work in Haiti. It also lists the State Department number, 1-888-407-4747, as that to call for information on family (Warden Network), although it’ll be overwhelmed for awhile.
From the White House page it shows you can donate by phone by texting a message to 90999 and in the text message type in HAITI. You will get a message back asking you to confirm a $10 contribution by replying with a YES text. Just tried it and it works.
The sad thing is that the one thing they really need (a hospital) and it collapses. So even if they manage to dig someone out of the rubble all they get is a hug. I’d imagine that this affects water, power and all the other utilities. No water to put out fires or even get a drink of water. I’d say they don’t have shit but sadly the sewage treatment system is probably out so that’'s the one thing they will have an abundance of. No water,food, shelter, medicine, or sanitation and that’s the entire pyramid of what is required to exist.