It is an interesting issue of perspective when disasters strike far from us and how much it impacts us here. Often times, it is the role of the media that plays a big part in how emotionally connected we feel. If the media does not discuss or show emotionally charged images of a disaster, people are less inclined to reach out.
Every place on the planet is far away for someone and thus can be cause for one to feel disengaged. With the advancement of technology, places have become closer and closer. Our world is more similar than dissimilar. A relative recently commented on a photo of my daughter in Utah. He said it looked like a photo of my ancestral village in Pakistan. Both are deserts and geographically very similar.
We are all vulnerable one way or another. If a disaster involved us, we would want the world to reach out to us. Pakistanis affected by the floods, especially the children, deserve to be assisted. They did not ask for this, just as the Haitians did not ask for the earthquake. The magnitude of the disaster in Pakistan may end up being the greatest of the decade, yet the aid thus far has been a fraction of that provided for other recent tragedies. The following article may provide some insight into why this is occurring:
4 Reasons Why Americans Aren’t Giving for Pakistan Flood Relief – International – The Atlantic
The comments below the article are interesting. I am attaching the following that resonated in particular for me:
5 days agoAmerica is missing a golden opportunity.
Aren’t the troops and equipment a hop across the border? If they got the goods and the manpower, why isn’t America there to help these people?
Imagine the reaction in the Muslim world if they were beamed imagines of Americans helping Pakistanis in great numbers, assisting them as brothers in need. This could throw a wrench in the propaganda arsenal that radicals use to inflame militancy.
As an added benefit, it might help to stabilize the Pakistani element to the Afghanistan resistance. American soldiers might get to go home sooner!
Yes, it can be argued that previous help was ineffective in changing hearts and minds. A perfect example of this would be the earthquake that rocked the region a few years back. Nevertheless, the US has spent far more money and time bombing Pakistan then helping it.
Show the world your good intentions Americans. Show these people that you’re not their enemy. Consequently, the ill-will large swaths of the Muslim world feels towards poor US foreign policy can be partly alleviated.”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.