Haiti has been raft with devastation for years, no decades, now. This is NOT news. Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the world, and hundreds upon hundreds of people - men, women, children - die there every day due to poor drinking water, easily preventible and treatable diseases, etc. But the mainstream media is covering the earthquake as if these people's lives have been devastated by this natural disaster, when in reality, their whole lives have been pretty damn destitute, earthquake or not.
A few years back I read this book called Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. It is a biography of the incredible Paul Farmer... a doctor who has devoted most of his life to helping the people of Haiti (as well as other disease-ridden impoverished countries).
A quick summary:
"At the center of Mountains Beyond Mountains stands Paul Farmer. Doctor, Harvard professor, renowned infectious-disease specialist, anthropologist, the recipient of a MacArthur "genius" grant, world-class Robin Hood, Farmer was brought up in a bus and on a boat, and in medical school found his life’s calling: to diagnose and cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. This magnificent book shows how radical change can be fostered in situations that seem insurmountable, and it also shows how a meaningful life can be created, as Farmer—brilliant, charismatic, charming, both a leader in international health and a doctor who finds time to make house calls in Boston and the mountains of Haiti—blasts through convention to get results."It's a good book. You should read it.
Anyway, I'm not sure now what the point of this little rant is. Just sayin' ... the world is an f*d up place... and it's sad and tragic that this happened in Haiti. But Haiti's been sad for a long, long time... I wish there was more awareness (and action) in general, not just in times of "crisis" ... because really, it's a perma-crisis over there.
And don't even get me started on Africa!
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It's true. Haiti is even worse off because they started out at the bottom of the barrel before this happened. It's a mess. If Haiti can come out the better for this, then I'm all for the hype, but if we drop it soon, like we tend to do, then I'm going to be mad. Haiti would have been crying for help before this if they had the means to grab the media attention. This earthquake did that for them. But is it possible to turn this natural disaster around and fix the horrific situation Haiti was already in before this? I just don't know.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you say but just because a place was a shithole before a catastrophic event doesn't lessen the tragedy anymore. I got annoyed in a similar manner after the Asian Tsunami. All the Media seemed to care about was the impact on the beaches of Phuket and Sri Lanka, because these are the places where we go on holiday. Aceh, where the vast majority of deaths occurred was kind of forgotten about because it is a grim, sharia law, relatively inaccessible dump. I have never been to Haiti and like most people only know it for its poverty, voodoo and Baby Doc and Papa Doc. Perhaps this is the time to turn the island around but I suspect like West Africa, Where I have spent a lot of time, it will be an opportunity missed.
ReplyDeleteI completly agree with you.
ReplyDeleteIt was a horrible tragety. Hopefully the country will get much needed aid to recover and MAYBE become more productive as a country with help.
ReplyDeleteI work in schools where everyone is Haitian. They fled their country for a reason...
Good thoughts
ReplyDeleteAgree with both you AND Toni...the Tsunami....similar situation.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened in Haiti was terrible. I just don't understand why everyone isn't texting $10 to their cell phone all the time to help feed the little baby whose crack mother in downtown Chicago doesn't feed it too?
Sorry...don't get me started...