Unfashionable Disasters
 

It's fucked up; they reckon the death-toll following the cyclone in Burma is gonna reach 1.5 million, and yet, if I'm brutally honest, I really don't care too much about it. I SHOULD be, but I'm not. Christ, I'm not even THAT sure where Burma IS. It must be rubbish living in a country that no one gives much of a shit about.

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/31925

Speaks for itself..

It's really sad when we as young people become apathetic towards humanity. Kudos.

That about hits it on the head. It really is insane. I live in an information age and I'm sure I could tell you every detail regarding the Michael Jackson trial from a few years back, but I'd struggle to explain what the Bosnian civil war was really all about.

And yet a new zeitgeist is born when a little short of three thousand Americans die.

Really all can say is "you apathetic cunt" at the moment the toll is nearing 200,000 people, which is as many that died during the 06 boxing day tsunami in Myanmar. In less than two years this country has been absolutely devestated by natural disasters and prior to that decades under dictatorial rule.

So very true pbradley. I suppose power is now demonstrated primarily by having the ability to define that zeitgeist in one's own image.

Which only goes to prove that you, Terminal Pharmacy, are a better man than I. Now if you wouldn't mind explaining just what the issues were in the Bosnian civil war, I'd really appreciate it. Cheers.

More like defining the Weltgeist. The Burmese Volksgeist will surely change because of the event.

Yes, but how Burma recovers will be dependent largely on how those that define the 'weltgeist' think it should.

so which disasters do you care about then?

"The cyclone could be a paradigm-changing event for Myanmar, once of the world's most closed and repressive regimes, as the ruling junta has apparently decided to accept international assistance. On the other hand, the Al-Jazeera report notes that the junta has not given the green light to non-governmental organizations, and that it plans to go ahead with a May 10 referendum aimed at strengthening its repressive grip."

http://medianation.blogspot.com/2008...e-cyclone.html

Just because it doesn't happen in our back garden and right in front of us doesn't mean that the world isn't re-shaping around ourselves in the way it looks, its economy, its politics etc. Just because we think that everything happens around our own world doesn't mean that things don't take place elsewhere regardless.

whats worse about this whole situation is the fact that the burmese leaders dont really seem to care either and are slowing down the aid coming into the country and not accepting some or foreign aid workers thereby raising the death toll by many thousands.

i care because its actual people actually dying and seeing piles of dead bodies on the news and seeing pictures dead children makes me cry to be honest. i cant hear about a dissaster or tragedy and not think about the people affected or care about them. that might seem hippy or whatever but its just the way i feel.

There's been reports of soldiers charging Burmese affected by the cyclone for house clearing/repairing etc. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if it turns out that the regime demands that people pay for the "free" aid.

"World cannabis shortage enrages demonrail666 - Paris Hilton flown in raise awareness".

A few weeks ago, I read "Burma Chronicles", a comic book by Guy Delisle about his experience in the country - he lived there more than a year. It is really an interesting read to know more about life in Burma. His wife was working for Médecins Sans Frontières France, so many parts of the book relate the difficulties that are encountering NGOs in the country.

At the end of the book, we learn that MSF France eventually decided to leave the country, as the junta forces them to work in regions that should not be priority regions because they are not conflict-ridden, not the most disadvantaged, not politically-discriminated, etc. whereas MSF France wanted to focus on the eastern part of the country, which has no health system, no doctors, no medication, and where there live minorities that are abandoned by the junta in power. For years, MSF has been trying to approach these regions building progressively national and local agreements, opening one clinic after the other towards the east (they are also trying to access those regions from Thailand, crossing the border illegally), but in the end they still cannot go where they want to go: so after all, they felt they became an accomplice of the junta and an instrument of discrimination.

After reading all this, I can imagine how humanitarian aid is currently manipulated or blocked by the junta...

And in the midst of this humanitarian crisis, here is the video clip that the television was broadcasting to encourage people to vote in the referendum to approve the state constitution (the junta insisted on not postponing the date of the vote in spite of the current situation):

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/video/0,47...1043204,0.html

last friday, on the news, they were showing warehouses full of full earmarked for Burma.

Burma wouldn't give the aid workers visas, so it's just sitting there.

fuck 'em.

Fuck who?

the first us aid has been let into in the country today. when did the dissaster actually happen again? its regimes and governments like these that the un needs to put pressure on.

'em.



nine days.

surely nobody is hungry with all those dead monkies laying about though.

besides, everybody knows the US spikes relief food with drugs that make you gay and christian.

Ok, that's everything clarified, then.

Yeah, fuck 'em. Yeah.

really though.

how much effort should be put into helping people that don't want it?

PS: you've stolen MY avatar.

Yeah, I see what you mean. Still it doesn't really take that much of an effort, especially when you happen to have a roof over your head and a full belly, to show some compassion for people who have nothing left. You shouldn't be fucking 'em, I think you should be fucking uneccesary cynicism.

I think the cynicism set in about a week after it happened and the food was still sitting there...

here's an alternate reality version (just for you):

"DEAR GAWD, NOOOooooo! NOOOOoooo!! YOU MUST TAKE THIS FOOOOD! WHY, OH, WHY WON'T YOU EAT IT???" - floatingslowly, May 11, 2008, Earth II


PS: it doesn't take much to talk about having a roof over yr head when you aren't constantly dodging tornados.

they (the people affected) do want it, the military junta are not letting the aid through which is why there is a stockpile.

its like people who lose their houses to tornado's in america then the army standing there with machine guns and not letting them have any help. they are not really in a position to argue.

Again, I see the point you're making and agree with that, in part. They happen to be disgraced because of a tyrannical government that doesn't care about them at all, still it is not the people severely affected by this tragedy who have decided to refuse the help on offer, it is someone, the governing evil entity that rules them, that has decided for them that they should struggle and die. That surely should be enough to make someone feel compassionate about what's happening?

right. I get that.

yes, it's said. but really, how much emotional investment is required before I stop caring?

here's a timeline (just for jon boy):

1. oh, my gawd. that's fucking terrible. those poor people.
2. I sure hope they get help fast.
3. [lost time]
4. holy fuck! look at all that food! they*** don't want it?? what the fuck?
5. it's STILL sitting there??? don't we have some homeless to feed?
6. STILL? get the fuck out.
7. still. oh, well. what can you do.
8. MAKE POSTS.

*** the next time someone wants to blame amerikkkans for THE WORLD IN FLAMES, I'm going to insist that they specifiy our military junta.

addendum: I truely feel bad for people living under the oppressive fists of brutal leaders, worldwide. I have recruited Col. John "Hannibal" Smith, Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock, Bosco B.A. "Bad Attitude" Baracus and Starbuck to take care of the job for me. my conscience is now clean.

I love it when a plan comes together.

who's blaming america?

i see what you mean about overcaring about things too much, you cant care about everything otherwise yoyu would become a quivering mess.

blargggh..

bloody americans.

my point exactly.

now i must go, where's my bowler hat?

maybe if you weren't throwing it at people, you wouldn't lose it.

bloody euros.

its all these jonothan foreigners, they scare me too much.

you said you were leaving.

you didn't.

now, stop posting and make me a turkey pot pie (I sent my last one to Myanma Naingngandaw).

you're talking like if only the u.s. cared about the crisis in burma.
ok the u.s. offered more than $3m in aid, but there are more countries and non american organizations helping...
if you read the news you will see that the e.u. offered more than $3m, britain more than $9m, canada 2$m, european union more than $3m etc. etc. etc.