Hearing that U.S. population increased 50% since 1967 and that world population has nearly doubled in 60 years, do we sometimes think that it's not so bad that millions are killed in Darfur, that "ethnic cleansing" goes on, that abortions take place . . . as long as it doesn't affect us directly. Do we largely ignore these "Not In My Back Yard" events because we subconsciously worry about overpopulation? Ever think about that?
2006-12-10 23:47:28 · 6 answers · asked by worldinspector 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
I think a lot of Americans, specially those who have no relatives or personal connections with people in foreign countries, or that rarely travel abroad, honestly don't care about what happens outside the US, they just live in their little cocoons and go about their daily lives as if nothing is happening. Also, the media here only covers MAJOR problems in other countries and mainly if it affects the US one way or another.
2006-12-10 23:54:02 · answer #1 · answered by Carole 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think we tune them out because we don't strongly identify with the people who are dying and because we don't feel threatened, not because we're concerned with overpopulation.
The more distant, remote and disimilar (in whatever way) the people are, the easier it is to dismiss their deaths. Look at what happened in Rawanda. Western nations knew the genocide was happening and yjey did nothing but make a lot of meaningless speeches after the fact about how "the world" must never let it happen again. And yet it's been going on again in Sudan for over three years and no one except a small African Union force has done anything to actually try to stop it. Contrast that with the response in Bosnia, where NATO eventually intervened. Even then, the mass killings went on for over a year before NATO reluctantly got involved - and that was mainly because of fears it would destabilize Eastern Europe and send more refugeees into Western Europe.
If we can intervene without much risk to ourselves - like we thought we were doing when we entered Somalia - we'll do it. But if there's a risk of a serious fight, we won't do it unless we think there's a threat to us. We'll send aid and food and that is good, but that's about it.
During WWII, stories of the extermination of the Jews in Germany and Poland were widley known at the highest levels of the US and UK governments. Neither did anything to stop the killings until we were ourselves attacked.
Look at how we declined to join WWII until Japan attacked us. Tell then, we were content to see our closest allies being attacked and beaten by the Nazis. We didn't intervene to help Britain when Germany attaced it and we didn't intervene to help France. Only after Pearl Harbor did we enter WWII.
2006-12-11 08:10:02 · answer #2 · answered by Rob B 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I got my own sh!t to worry about, not some kid with a distended belly in a far off land.
2006-12-11 07:52:19 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Darfur....gee, would that be where the arab muslims are commiting genocide on the black muslims??
Maybe we should dismantel Sharia...................
No, I don't "tune it out" and shame on those who do.
2006-12-11 07:54:45 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
now with the news broadcasting the wars and killings, we are becomong de-sensatised to it all now....doesn't affect us as it used to. not as shocking anymore
2006-12-11 07:51:47 · answer #5 · answered by husquarana 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
whatever the media broadcasts i don't care, save for n. korea.
2006-12-11 07:59:46 · answer #6 · answered by Lawrence Boyer,edinboro univ, pa 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋