![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tarotgalJust a couple CNN articles from the last few days I felt like sharing... and putting here for my own reference.
Web postings give helping hand- The earthquake and Tsunami have been in my thoughts a lot lately. I've given $ to a few of my favorite relief orgs, but it still kills me to see those images and stories every day. Yesterday I broke down in the middle of dinner. Anyway, this is a rather sweet, uplifting story. And as a computer person I find it nice to know it was able to do some good out there. As a world citizen, this whole matter pains me. Especially after watching a news program yesterday where people were saying we shouldn't send ANY money over there as a nation because we have suffering people here and we need to take care of our own first. And then listening to others explaining that we're spending more money on the inaguration than we've pledged in the relief effort. And don't give me all that "it's private funds" crap. I sent some of my private funds to help out, why can't he? I think it's VERY poor taste that Bush is having a big expensive party while we're at war. A war he started, a war that needs so much more money to keep our people safe, a war where people die every day to protect us. I'd take back every bad thing I've ever said about him if he cancelled the party, sent half the funds to the war effort, and sent the other half to the disaster relief. But I bet you anything that won't happen.
Got a gift card? Know the risks- Obviously, I was attracted to this story. I already know my Pier 1 Gift card has a lot of funny rules attached to it (like if I don't use it every month, it deducts an amount monthly). But I didn't realize there were lawsuits out there and such. I find the issue very interesting.
Conservative students, liberal profs- I find this article damn frustrating. I detest people who think that being educated is going to threaten their views. What. The. Fuck. As though reading something is going to hurt you? It's just another viewpoint! You don't have to believe it, just understand that it exists. Then again, I honestly think there are some things out there that everyone should read and understand and that it's people who refuse to see things from others' pov's that make the world so incredibly fucked up. I totally understand that some things out there are offensive to others... but I'm not saying you have to memorize those things or read/watch them over and over again. Just give it a try. Educate yourself. I truly believe that if you want to believe one way, you need to know what other options are out there. I HATE people who take classes specifically for the reason of arguing against every single point in class and pushing their own adgendas. I don't mind healthy debates or people who disagree with the class texts and such- that makes classes lots of fun. But when all a person does is argue one side without even trying to understand the other- that's not learning. And everyone should at least try to learn in class. I could go on for hours, but I won't. Point is, this article makes me very angry. I just don't see why people can't be open-minded. Doesn't mean they have to change their views at all. Just means that you shouldn't send hate mail to people who try to present other ways of thinking in order to educate you. If you don't want to learn- and you definitely have the right NOT to!- then you shouldn't be in college. Growlness.
Web postings give helping hand- The earthquake and Tsunami have been in my thoughts a lot lately. I've given $ to a few of my favorite relief orgs, but it still kills me to see those images and stories every day. Yesterday I broke down in the middle of dinner. Anyway, this is a rather sweet, uplifting story. And as a computer person I find it nice to know it was able to do some good out there. As a world citizen, this whole matter pains me. Especially after watching a news program yesterday where people were saying we shouldn't send ANY money over there as a nation because we have suffering people here and we need to take care of our own first. And then listening to others explaining that we're spending more money on the inaguration than we've pledged in the relief effort. And don't give me all that "it's private funds" crap. I sent some of my private funds to help out, why can't he? I think it's VERY poor taste that Bush is having a big expensive party while we're at war. A war he started, a war that needs so much more money to keep our people safe, a war where people die every day to protect us. I'd take back every bad thing I've ever said about him if he cancelled the party, sent half the funds to the war effort, and sent the other half to the disaster relief. But I bet you anything that won't happen.
Got a gift card? Know the risks- Obviously, I was attracted to this story. I already know my Pier 1 Gift card has a lot of funny rules attached to it (like if I don't use it every month, it deducts an amount monthly). But I didn't realize there were lawsuits out there and such. I find the issue very interesting.
Conservative students, liberal profs- I find this article damn frustrating. I detest people who think that being educated is going to threaten their views. What. The. Fuck. As though reading something is going to hurt you? It's just another viewpoint! You don't have to believe it, just understand that it exists. Then again, I honestly think there are some things out there that everyone should read and understand and that it's people who refuse to see things from others' pov's that make the world so incredibly fucked up. I totally understand that some things out there are offensive to others... but I'm not saying you have to memorize those things or read/watch them over and over again. Just give it a try. Educate yourself. I truly believe that if you want to believe one way, you need to know what other options are out there. I HATE people who take classes specifically for the reason of arguing against every single point in class and pushing their own adgendas. I don't mind healthy debates or people who disagree with the class texts and such- that makes classes lots of fun. But when all a person does is argue one side without even trying to understand the other- that's not learning. And everyone should at least try to learn in class. I could go on for hours, but I won't. Point is, this article makes me very angry. I just don't see why people can't be open-minded. Doesn't mean they have to change their views at all. Just means that you shouldn't send hate mail to people who try to present other ways of thinking in order to educate you. If you don't want to learn- and you definitely have the right NOT to!- then you shouldn't be in college. Growlness.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-01 12:05 pm (UTC)That's just so despicable. There are people everywhere (not just America, I mean) with that kind of view, and it pisses me off, to put it mildly. They'd probably be the same people who won't spend the money to help the need people in their own country, but will use it as an excuse not to help others. It would really help if those people started to view this world as a WORLD, with all people as deserving of help as each other, especially in times of catastrophe like this.
But yeah. The tsunami's just left a kind of sick feeling. One of my close friends is Sri Lankan and she was over there on a family holiday when it hit. She's ok, and by ok she says she means that she's alive. The whole thing is just mind-blowing. I wish I could help out more. They are saying, though, that if the Australian public keep donating as they're doing now, they'll overtake the government in terms of cash donations. Which is wonderful on the one hand, and absolutely apalling on the other.