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GrahamKennedy wrote:Is Haiti a particularly religious country?

IIRC, they're primarily Catholic.

They are, but with a rather interesting creole. Haiti is, of course, the birthplace of Western voudun ("voodoo,") which has some of its origins in African yorimbe and other shamanic religions, but is alloyed with a strong component of 18th-century French Catholicism... which is in turn tempered by the Latin Carribean's admixture of Catholicism into santeria. So, there's a strong Catholic faith, mixed with the ideas of practical magic - charms, hexes, creation of zombies, etc. - which magic is in turn mingled with the idea of patron Catholic saints of various spheres of influence who sometimes actually take the place of shamanic spirits.

I ask because we all assume that they don't want bibles more than food... but perhaps it ain't so. Perhaps they're sitting over there thinking "I may be starving, but that's nothing compared to being without my bible and church..."

That got me curious so I poked around to see if food distribution has staved off starvation yet.

Interestingly the first page of hits for "Haiti starvation" are stories of starvation from before the quake...

Anyway it does sound like they've gotten that worked out to a large degree, with the biggest problem being to prevent mobs and gangs from getting all the food and leaving the weak unfed.

Actually it sounds like there were serious fears on the ground over Haitian anger at the time it took international aid to stabilize the food situation. Which makes me feel like maybe I should have saved my cash instead of donating to the effort, if having to wait for the stuff my money will get is just going to upset them.

sunnyside wrote:Anyway it does sound like they've gotten that worked out to a large degree, with the biggest problem being to prevent mobs and gangs from getting all the food and leaving the weak unfed.

That's a problem with any relief effort such as this - the less authority and control the central government is able to exercise, the more "might makes right will take over as the operating principle of the human race.

Actually it sounds like there were serious fears on the ground over Haitian anger at the time it took international aid to stabilize the food situation. Which makes me feel like maybe I should have saved my cash instead of donating to the effort, if having to wait for the stuff my money will get is just going to upset them.

Don't be bloody stupid. Wherever there's a perception that others are standing by while they suffer, people are going to get pissed off. Sometimes it's justified, sometimes it isn't, but it's hardly surprising, and deciding that there's no point in donating aid because of natural and common human reactions to difficult situations is reminiscent of a child throwing its teddy out of the pram.

Captain Seafort wrote: Don't be bloody stupid. Wherever there's a perception that others are standing by while they suffer, people are going to get pissed off. Sometimes it's justified, sometimes it isn't, but it's hardly surprising

I don't agree with that. I think there are some people out there that appreciate when someone helps them when that person doesn't have to do anything for them, and there are some people that feel they deserve what others have and are upset that that they haven't gotten more or haven't gotten it faster.

While I'm sure everywhere is a mix of those, it sounds like Haiti might be leaning towards the latter. Or at least there are enough of them to be considered a security threat.

and deciding that there's no point in donating aid because of natural and common human reactions to difficult situations is reminiscent of a child throwing its teddy out of the pram.

Um. Throw it out of the what now?

Anyway it isn't like Haiti is the only point of suffering in the world. I'm just thinking that the money I sent to Haiti would have been better spent in, say, El Salvador (They got hit hard by flood and a hurricane in November).

sunnyside wrote:I don't agree with that. I think there are some people out there that appreciate when someone helps them when that person doesn't have to do anything for them, and there are some people that feel they deserve what others have and are upset that that they haven't gotten more or haven't gotten it faster.

And there are some that see the rest of the world do fuck-all while they die. Regardless of whether their view of things is accurate, or whether the world is actually busting a gut to help, it's people's perception of what's happening that will drive their reaction.

Anyway it isn't like Haiti is the only point of suffering in the world. I'm just thinking that the money I sent to Haiti would have been better spent in, say, El Salvador (They got hit hard by flood and a hurricane in November).

However, you didn't say "I should have donated somewhere else", you said "I should have saved my cash".

Um. Throw it out of the what now?

Teddy

Pram