Is it time for rich countries to realise the folly of.....?

Question

Is it time for rich countries to realise the folly of defending a way of life that deprives other countries of the basic necessities of life?

Although America and Israel are getting a lot of criticism at the in the media. Many countries tend to go over the top in trying to defend a way of live that is decadent - thats why there is a terrorist problem

Fact: 9/10 of the Worlds wealth belongs to 1/10 of the worlds population

Are u willing to share and share alike with ur poorer neighbours or would u prefer them to take what they need by force

Answer 1

Isn't it interesting to see how people in different 'y! segments' answer differently?

I agree with your assessment, but this situation is not new; a couple of centuries ago, there was such unequal wealth distribution, among countries and within them. The problem was then addressed by revolutions in some countries, soft coups in others... Then it came back in a different form, with a different 'class' of people at the top.

Directly sharing wealth will pose problems of allocation and so on.

But what we can and should do is to get corporations to change their policies where they cause this inequality to increase. We have the power of our spending; individually it means peanuts, but if enough of us vote with our money, corporations will listen. Of course voting through the ballot box for people with similar inclinations would also help.

If we stop buying products form corporations whose behaviour we do not like (I have stopped eating at McDonalds since the longest trial in UK history - see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4266741.stm - and Subway since I learnt they have a branch at Guantanamo - not for the prisonners of course). If enough people do the same thing, corporations will change.

A clear cut indication is the change of behaviour of the giant oil companies. Since people are more environment conscious, governments are too, therefore in allocating contracts, environment consciousness and track record are taken into account; so it is profitable for the oil companies to 'behave'. (See Jared Diamond's Collapse for more details: read some excerpts and especially on oil http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780670033379,00.html?sym=EXC).

It is time for us to realise the power we have to change things around us; we are like a multitude of slaves with fully loaded AK47s, but we are dragging rocks along the path chosen by a few people holding pen knives and who shout a lot.

Before the weakest amongst us drop from exhaustion and die, isn't it time we make our voices heard?

Answer 2

You do have a point. And it can be discussed to great lenghts, as you can see from the different viewpoints that people have. The problem is that just sharing the wealth with poorer countries will not solve the problem. I wish it could be that simple.
Look at the hold that large corporations have over the world economy. Look at the unjust trade that is practised the world over. People in poor countries do make an effort to improve their lives, i totally disagree with many people on this site that say that they are just looking to beg and not earn the money. I speak from what I have seen. It is the greed of these corporations which will not let many grassroot level industries flourish.
For example the pharmaceutical industry. People in underdeveloped countries are dying because they cannot afford cheaper drugs. Since they cannot be healthy they also cannot work properly. This is just one example there are countless others. The whole attitude has to change in the developed world towards the third world. The giving also has to be in the right attitude not as if giving alms to a beggar. People have to ensure that the money they give is going to the right charity or the people it was meant for not some courrupt beaureaucrat or politician.

Answer 3

Did you know who the largest monetary contributor to Palestine before Hamas took control of The Palestine Government was?

The United States of America. And they still hate us. A Lot of good spreading that money around did for us. Israel was also a large contributor, and they are hated as well.

Spreading the wealth does nobody any good. They have to learn to make the money themselves, then and only then will they respect the money, and the money making process.

You don't give a 16 yr old kid a car and expect them to appreciate it the same as if they earned the money and bought it themselves...

You can see the problems with the implementation of your idea here in America. Katrina victims were givevn $2600 or so for support to help them initially to get back on their feet. Some used it that way, others suddenly owned gold chains, expensive electronics, new clothes beyond what was needed then looked to the Taxpayers to provide more money because they were hungry and had no where to live...

Answer 4

We need a world government. A world religion.
All the world money spent on weapons would be spent on under developed country's.
All company's would be allowed x amount of profit, the left overs would be evenly shared amongst the employees, nobody will have more than a million pounds of personal money, nobody will be in poverty.
All taxes collected will go into the world fund.
This will do for now.

Answer 5

Are you taking the piss here ??? England gave Zimbabwe 8 billion pounds sterling last year, and Mugabe is still taking farms from white farmers that are the main food producers.The economy is wrecked the people are starving.
Most African countries are awash with guns to fight tribal wars that started years ago.Remember Rwanda?? 1.000.000 blacks killed by blacks because they were a different tribe?? wealthier countries need not have a burden of guilt . Great nations are made by its people. A begging bowl is no substitute when the reward for labour is dignity.

Answer 6

I would like to point out, that in America at least, at least 80% of the wealth belongs to at least as little as 4% of the population.

Thats 8/10's of the wealth in 1/20th of the people.

Answer 7

Funny thing is, if you spread all the world's money evenly to all people, within 10 years 1/10 of the people will have 9/10s of the wealth again. Some people just know what to do with money besides buying DVDs and ipods. Sorry to ruin your day.

Answer 8

Hallelujah! Well done!
Somebody is starting to look at the 'root' of the problem. Education (which costs a lot of money) is seriously needed in Third World countries, so that they can start to manage their own affairs.
Hallelujah!

Answer 9

its down to the world banks, if a country is starving they lend it money or help set up a civil war. they'll do whatever to make a profit from other peoples suffering

Answer 10

People better realize that the rest of the world out numbers them. We should be living in fear.