You might hear some rumblings on the airwaves and internets about why the public of the United States has not been rushed to support the victims of the devastating Pakistan floods which have flooded 1/5 of the country, affected an estimated 20 million people, killed nearly 2000 people (with that number rising daily due to continued flooding, disease and malnutrition) and left millions of people homeless.
There has, you will agree, been a noticeable difference in the scouring for public donations that occurred (and is still occurring) for Haiti and the almost dead silence that the mainstream media has placed on the Pakistan floods -- perhaps the world's most devastating natural disaster in the last 50 years.
Some commentators have ventured that the reason is because no one knows Pakistan -- Americans don't know about it and their celebrities don't have any kind of close connection to it.
Others wonder if it's simply fear -- of "terrorists" and Muslims.
Both explanations are a sad manipulation of the American public's sentiments toward helping their fellow human beings and an ignorance of the value of mainstream media in this country.
The American public -- that massive segment of it that was targeted through the mainstream media to donate to Haiti -- knows very little about most countries, including its own.
It knows very little that Haiti was -- back when it was part of Hispanola, the second-largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba -- the port of the first African slave landing in 1501. It was also the site of the first successful American slave revolt resulting in a country that was led and governed by the very slaves who in the United States continued to suffer the horrors of the institution of American slavery for generations later. It is also a valuable geo-strategic interest of the United States government which has something to do with all the rabble-rousing for funds to Haiti and the significant deployment of U.S. military personnel into Haiti once the earthquake hit.
This particularly large and regularly targeted segment of the American public which receives most of its news and information from mainstream media outlets knows equally little about Pakistan. Little about how the U.S. government has been bombing Pakistan and Pakistani civilians for years now. Little about the U.S. government's close connections with the corrupt and damaging governments that have pilfered the coffers of Pakistan's rich lands and poor people for generations.
In short, the American public that we are speaking of -- and it is most of the public, sadly -- does not know that Haiti is a nation that has long been been a thorn in the side of the American government while the 63 year old Pakistan is a nation which the U.S. already has great influence on and doesn't need "donations" for.
In fact, the only reason any media coverage to solicit donations for Pakistan is now starting to take place, is to counteract the most effective on the ground relief in Pakistan now: the Islamic charities. As Senator Kerry so sincerely put it today, someone's got to stop the fundamentalist Muslims from the rapidly gaining support they are nurturing amongst the 20 million people who are directly affected by this flood and the hundreds of millions of others who observe that the local Islamic charities, not the Pakistani government, are the ones predominantly helping these disaster victims.
So if you are interested in these sorts of facts, take a moment now and again, to compare the media coverage -- including media-led donation drives -- that will persist for Haiti relief and the meager efforts to help Pakistan which is -- since we must compare such sordid details -- rather more devastated in terms of human loss (3 million affected in Haiti, 20 million affected in Pakistan), property damage and long-term damage than Haiti is.
Take the time to observe how often the mainstream media goes out of its way to squeeze in yet another little "news" item that makes Pakistanis look bad and then ask yourself why that same media has failed so obviously to solicit the funds and sympathy of the American people who were extremely willing, when asked, to donate to another country they've been little informed about.
For more info on how to donate to the Pakistani Relief, please go to the Imran Khan Flood Relief Fund at http://www.imrankhanfoundation.org/donate
Follow Shirin Sadeghi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ShirinSadeghi
Rabbi Sid Schwarz: Finding Faith, Doing Service in Haiti
Bishop Pierre Whalon: The Most Effective Help For Haiti -- The Church
Haiti was a french colony and had nothing to do with 'America' ... you should have use the term 'The Americas' because your language seems to imply that Haiti was some part of the U.S. at the time. It was not.
Pakistan has become hooked on two industries for survival: terrorism and begging and now a third one: emotional blackmail.
Why should we send our hard earned money to a country that does not care about its own people?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2cZLs_8lLs
My point, we can't sit here and force our opinion on everybody, nor can we judge and say what we believe in is right. you can refuse to give aid to a country because you are racist and thats totally fine. its who you are, but please don't sit there and judge people on where they are from and who they are. By doing that we are just repeating history, and going back in time.
There are people who need help, help them if you can, but please don't stop others from helping people who need it. That is all.
Your distinction is about as comical as it is idiotic. AQ and Taliban are joined at the hip. The latter had provided a safe haven, soldiers, and support to the former. They intermarried one another and had similar goals of some kind of Islamic utopia. Bin Laden even called Mullah Omar “Commander of the Faithful”.
And the Taliban are not terrorists? Are you kidding me? The Taliban have, attacked buses, launched gun attacks on minorities, blown up hotels, burned down girl’s schools, killed off policeman, attacked religious shrines, attacked govt buildings, randomly killed innocent people for spying, flogged girls on occasion, etc. (there are many more).
Pretty comical when the author and just about everyone else us is lauding us for our compassion toward Haiti.
"you wouldn't think nothing of hundreds of thousands of dead civilians in Iraq"
Funny I thought that most of deaths were a result of violence by the insurgents. Nice job omitting that little tidbit. Of course what else can you expect from the Blame America crowd. What is next? America is responsible for your Floods?
"and you might imagine the bombs being dropped on Palestinian women and children,"
You mean the people shacking up with bloodthirsty Taliban? Spare us, there would be no need for the drones had Pakistan not let part of its territory be ruled by a bunch of religious whackjobs (heck they seem to be working with them). Not to mention that they won't lets us clean them out from the ground.
Actually, had America not made war in Iraq, there wouldn't be a 20% increase in kids who suffer from malnutrition and those maimed and slaughtered -- by far as a direct consequence of play-station type bombing by your compatriots. In fact, recall the whole "Blackhawk" defense contractor fiasco? Killing people for kicks, that we know about.
But this is not about American atrocities, though there are plenty of those to mull over; no, it is about a general indifference to the suffering of people who are not American. :)
And when did the blood-lust perpetrated by Israel under the Auspices of the US have anything to do with the Taliban?
Speaking of which, you do realize that "AL-QAEDA" was the purported enemy, and as far as I know, the Taliban is a highly localized government in Afghanistan. Funny how we conflate terrorists with the Taliban. I do hope you can one day disabuse yourself of these glaring misapprehensions, but I'm thinking it's more emblematic of a mindset and not so much a series of blunders with respect to some particulars. "The bloodthirsty Taliban", for a phrase indicative of profound ignorance that disheartens me, but which I've come to expect from many a people today.
But not to distract from the overarching point that a good portion of Americans are debauched and unfeeling -- American lives command a high premium to all others
If you are talking about comprehending everything from your ethnocentric viewpoint, spare me, I need no lectures.
“Actually, had America not made war in Iraq, there wouldn't be a 20% increase in kids who suffer from malnutrition and those maimed and slaughtered -- by far as a direct consequence of play-station type bombing by your compatriots.”
Unfortunate, but a tiny sliver compared to the violence committed by the insurgents. Please spare me the “hundreds of thousands of deaths” routine. Besides the 20% increase (assuming even if it is true), was caused by the chaos of the insurgency.
“In fact, recall the whole "Blackhawk" defense contractor fiasco? Killing people for kicks, that we know about.”
Your point? Yes Americans occasionally did bad things, however, that is a tiny drop in the ocean of violence committed your fellow jihadi insurgents.
“But this is not about American atrocities, though there are plenty of those to mull over; no, it is about a general indifference to the suffering of people who are not American. :)”
Did you bother reading my post? We should our compassion in Haiti, we just are not interested in doing the same do a bunch of religious nutjobs that bilk the US taxpayer all the while despising us. Funny that you comment about my reading comprehension in the same post.
Continued....
n
now in 2010 more then 5000 army had died fighting taliban and coward america want to leave afganistan before 2011 , so tell me what options pakistan have
If your soldiers are dying you can blame the ISI for that.
We will just send some more drones your way...you are welcome.
Pakistan is a clear and present danger to the safety of the United States, which spends most of its' GDP on military spending and on a nuclear weapons program instead of making a decent environment for its' people.
As a human being, I deplore the situation of the people who have undergone this huge catastrophe, but I also know that the people of that region and of Pakistan watched their government practically create and aid the creation of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The wretchedness which they have caused is as bad as the conditions afflicting the flood victims.
I have to question myself about why should I give money to feed and clothe people who shelter the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and whose beliefs and actions would not be changed if the Americans came in and met their every need for food, medicine, shelter and rebuilding of their lives. They imans would still preach hate the American infidels and the people would still follow.
And do we provide disaster relief for the dead or for the living?
We provide drones to Pakistan...between that and the aid we already send is all you get. Stop coming to USA for your welfare check.