You're right, both that most charities do not directly help the 99% and that that is probably appropriate.
But I would argue that funding activism for systemic change can help those problems, as can (I perhaps naively hope) the popularization of the notion that one's prosperity is not entirely one's own, and that there is a moral imperative to put some of its fruits back out there, in part by way of such activism (though truth be told I've yet to find the right activist org, so most of my current portfolio is charities).
That actually brings me to one of my misgivings about this post (I've been waffling about taking it down since I posted it-- if it disappears, this is why). I am not surprised in the slightest thst many of my friends think this way and give considerably, and I'm afraid that the tone of my post is going to come across as patronizing or "look at my radical new outlook on things!", when deep down I know it's not (just edited the post to address that more explicitly, though).
While I meant and mean everything in this post, the more I cool down after having posted it, the more I think it was born of an impulse to say/do something than hope that it would actually affect change. So now I'm not so sure it's worthwhile. Hrmm...
Also, I appear to have descended into navel-gazing. Thoughts welcome, though.
no subject
But I would argue that funding activism for systemic change can help those problems, as can (I perhaps naively hope) the popularization of the notion that one's prosperity is not entirely one's own, and that there is a moral imperative to put some of its fruits back out there, in part by way of such activism (though truth be told I've yet to find the right activist org, so most of my current portfolio is charities).
That actually brings me to one of my misgivings about this post (I've been waffling about taking it down since I posted it-- if it disappears, this is why). I am not surprised in the slightest thst many of my friends think this way and give considerably, and I'm afraid that the tone of my post is going to come across as patronizing or "look at my radical new outlook on things!", when deep down I know it's not (just edited the post to address that more explicitly, though).
While I meant and mean everything in this post, the more I cool down after having posted it, the more I think it was born of an impulse to say/do something than hope that it would actually affect change. So now I'm not so sure it's worthwhile. Hrmm...
Also, I appear to have descended into navel-gazing. Thoughts welcome, though.