It seems like philantrophy is taken for granted as a legitimate role of government and individual life in the 21st century. Was it always this way or did philantrophy just become mainstream in the last 20-30 years and before then it was mostly unheard of for world governments and individuals individually (giving to charity) and en masse (groups like the one campaign, amnesty international) to fight for philantropic causes?
No. The government is making charities the only way to get help in the last 20 years. People in the USA have always been charitable. During the depression, farmers would let people stay in the old family house for nothing. People helped each other more than they do now.
The depression was a major event though which brought out people’s charitable spirits. So are things like the Tsunami or Katrina and people are doing the same thing for those events, donating housing for free. However in the 21st century government also helps people and people help those from different nationalities. Seventy years ago government didn’t help much at all and people generally didn’t help those beyond their own borders.
The US goevernment is great at sending aid to other countries. They’ve cut support for domestic programs to were you can only get help if the media focuses on you. It’s like playing the loto. There is no support for somebody to make it through hard times anymore.
But those programs didn’t even exist 80 years ago.
We don’t send ‘tons’ of aid to other countries, at least not compared to other developed nations. It is maybe 0.2% of our GDP which is better than nothing but its nothing compared to what we spend on things like social security (6%) or healthcare (15%).
SS isn’t charitable contribution, they take a big chunk out of your check your whole life.