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Time for Americans to care about othersBy Paul J. Balles* 27 April 2008 Paul J. Balles argues that it is past time for Americans to start caring about others – “about treating people as lesser humans, about poverty, power hungry warriors, wealthy hoarding, the environment and educating people to care”.
"It's an atrocity what is being perpetrated as punishment on the people in Gaza. It's a crime... I think it is an abomination that this continues to go on," President Jimmy Carter said during his recent visit to the Middle East. Who cares? Certainly not Americans, who have been bludgeoned by the propaganda that shouts that “Hamas does not recognize Israel’s right to exist and renounce violence”. Then there are the details of what an Israeli did and saw others do as an enlisted soldier in Hebron, reported by Donald Macintyre in the Independent:
Who cares? Not the Israeli settlers in Palestine who are stealing Palestinian land with the support of the military might of both Israel and the USA. One-third of the world barely survives and dies in poverty. With the rising prices of basic staples, the poor are getting poorer. According to the UN, 1 billion people are living at the margins of survival on less than 1 US dollar a day, with 2.6 billion – 40 per cent of the world’s population – living on less than 2 US dollars a day. Who cares? Not the governments that busily pour the wealth of nations into war machines to satisfy the hunger for power of the wealthy and their emperors. Ice sheets in Antarctica have been breaking up as the ozone layer becomes thinner from the effects of pollution of the atmosphere and global warming. Who cares? Not the corporate moguls of the biggest energy wastrels in the world who would have to invest in energy-saving and environmentally-friendly technology. Let's be honest. If you've read this far, how much have you really learned about greenhouse gasses, climate change and the other threats to the environment? How many realize or care that America is the major contributor to climate change and the poor countries and communities will bear the brunt? Reporting on US government interference in Latin America, investigative journalist John Pilger has written:
Who cares? Nobody but a few Latin Americans and those in the US government responsible for the interference. Where does this carelessness originate? New York Times columnist Bob Herbert has commented on what the educational system in America has contributed to uncaring Americans, saying:
Who cares? Obviously not parents, the educational system or the government. About American's lack of interest in international problems, Einstein concluded,
It’s past time to care – about treating people as lesser humans, about poverty, power hungry warriors, wealthy hoarding, the environment and educating people to care. *Paul Balles is a retired American university professor and freelance writer who has lived in the Middle East for many years. For more information, see http://www.pballes.com. Copyright © Redress Information & Analysis. All rights reserved. |
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