The response to "The Singer Solution to World Poverty" from an average reader:
I donate money to charity yearly!
What I do with my money has no affect on poverty on the other side of the world.
No one else gives all their "extra" money to charity, why should I?
How will I know if my money even gets to the planned target?
I deserve a new pair of shoes! I worked hard for my money!
But do the poor people in the world not work hard?
Do they not deserve as much as I do?
They are not inherently better or worse than me.
But how am I expected to give all my extra money away?
What even qualifies money as extra?
Is college extra?
Is law school extra?
Is spending money raising a child extra?
Does this mean I am a bad person?
But I deserve to use that money that I work hard to earn!
There is that word again.
Deserve.
Poor people don't deserve poverty.
But I deserve that new pair of shoes.
What?
I should probably start to give more to charity.
If I can save a life, I am willing to pay that 200 dollars.
But I will not sacrifice my own quality of living.
Yeah.
Maybe I will give a little bit more away.
But I'm still going to buy that new pair of shoes.
This is the most accurate piece of literature I have read potentially in my entire life. You captured my own sentiments so well: everything from the denial and disbelief at being called out to the desperate attempts of justifying everything I buy or do. I think in the end your statement " I will not sacrifice my own quality of living... Maybe I will give a little bit more away," is a n incredibly good way to make sense of this piece- it encourages giving but ultimately gives you a place to stop before things go so far you yourself are left feeling frazzled and broke.
ReplyDeleteI think that this clearly showcases my thoughts while reading Singer. There were so many questions and statements going on in my head -- similar to the ones you expressed yourself. I really liked the end when you seemed to hint at the fact that while the common reader will become inspired to donate to those in need, they will still feel the materialistic desire to buy a new pair of shoes, thereby explaining that while Singer's argument can change how we act with ourselves and our money, we still will buy the things we want in life.
ReplyDeleteI think the way you formatted this is really interesting and effective in light of the article. The questions really showcase the reader's ambiguity and emotions in response to such a provocative article, and I feel like I could relate to a lot of them. The line "How will I know if my money even goes to its planned target?" really strikes me the most because it's vital to understand the organizations and efforts you support. It's great to have the goal of helping others, but it's unfortunate that certain organizations dedicated to 'providing aid' can be squandered (ex. the Red Cross and Haiti). Investigating how to properly use your excess to aid others requires asking a lot of questions.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting way of framing your blog post! I really like the format, and it lends really well to the theme of what Singer is talking about. I like the way you emphasize the hypocrisy in a sort of ironic way. It's funny how accurate all of "an average reader" thoughts are. Overall, very interesting and by far one of the coolest blog posts I have seen yet.
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