We are often told that the poor are grateful for charity. Some of them are, no doubt, but the best amongst the poor are never grateful. They are ungrateful, discontented, disobedient, and rebellious. They are quite right to be so.
-Oscar Wilde
From Ev Bogue's latest blog (blogue?) post:
Basically, investing in women in the 3rd world is been proven to make lasting change. When you give money to men in Africa (or anywhere) they tend to spend it on booze and motorcycles (I know, because I have, and I don’t even live in Africa.) Women tend to build businesses and support their families.
I guess Ev can count racism as one of his possessions!
Bogue knows African men blow charity money on motorcycles and alcohol because rather than citing empirical evidence he can say with certainty that he has blown cash on motorcycles and alcohol - ERGO, THAT'S WHAT AFRICAN MEN DO! Not women, though, of course, because women don't like to have fun. They like to stay in their place, raising families and being grateful for charity from rich white douches.
What the damn hell, world. How can we keep letting Bogue get away with saying shit like this?
I can't wait until California falls into the ocean.
Even if African men blow their charity donations on booze and motorcycles, so the FUCK what? They don't have SHIT. Their lives fucking BLOW. I may be alone in this sentiment, but I feel that if you give your extra money to a Third World country, you kind of have to assume not every penny of it is going to be used for basic life necessities like clean water and nutritious food and minimalist-approved purple tank tops. Ever heard of Maslow's hierarchy of needs? Once your basic biological functions are taken care of, you move up to the second tier. "Property" can be found there. These people have so little property, they are BEYOND minimalist. And I, for one, believe they deserve a little balls-out fun and recklessness and pleasure in life.
Remember how during Hurricane Katrina, survivors sat on their rooftops, drinking beer, watching the flood swallow their city? They'd been through hell and they knew nothing would ever be the same. I'd say that's a damn fine time to crack open a beer. I'm sure if they'd had the opportunity, they'd tear down the street on a motorcycle. Hell, I would, and I'm WHITE and FEMALE. I just happen to believe that once your responsibilities are taken care of, you don't necessarily want to plan for the future. You want to blow off some steam. In Third World countries, there's a lot of steam to blow off. And I say go for it.
Allow me to translate for our dear handicapped friend:
ReplyDeleteThere actually is evidence that when you give charity money to women, they spend more of it on their families than men do (I'll cite Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide as my source).
HOWEVER. Just because you can pick up a statistically significant difference between two groups, that does not mean it is socially significant. If women spend 85% of their cash on their families, but men only spend 82%, you can sample a large enough population to prove that that difference is significant (i.e. nonrandom). But does it mean shit in practical terms? PROBABLY NOT.
Worse yet, Mr. Bogue seems to be essentializing this study, interpreting it as: "women are noble and selfless and spend every last dime on their children, whereas men are all horrible drunks who spend their cash on motorcyles." Which is just as retarded as the more familiar line about "ALL WOMEN ARE BAD AT THE MATHS, LET ME SHOW YOU THIS STUDY TO PROVE WHAT I SAY IS TRUE."
let's get to the heart of the matter: Bogue simply prefers the company of men, as evinced by the time he wrote "my girlfriend just broke up with me 2 weeks ago, and i feel great!". yea, i bet you do, Ev. if you've been rollin around with mustachioed lil john-john on the side, only for your "girlfriend" to find out, promptly end it, thus enabling you to spend all your freetime (which you have an abundance of) with the boy-toy that truly sets the sparks a-flyin', you must just be on cloud 9.
ReplyDeletealso, declaring that african men spend money on motorcycles and booze clearly exposes where his head is (if you'll pardon my use of the words "exposes where his head is").
now, i am EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED this little ditty of Ev's has not yet been subject to ridicule on this blog:
"As many of you know, for the last few weeks (and the next few) I’ve been studying yoga intensively at Yoga to the People in San Francisco. I’ve been learning a lot of things, many of which I can’t begin to convey in a way that would be understandable to you yet. Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding takes awhile to coalesce into anything close to being presentable across the Internet."
this is perhaps Everett's most offensive statemnet yet. yeah, i totally feel ya, Ev. the Written Word is just a totally unreliable and nonsensical vehicle to express abstract and complex concepts. i mean, it hasn't worked for thousands of years. i trust, Bogue-man, you can lead us to the proper vehicle, and show us how its done. if only Thoreau would have had the advantages of those of us who follow you will eventually receive.... in time.... when things have had time to properly coalesce.
good sweet feathery jesus.
when California does fall into the ocean, can me and my pets come stay with you? preease?
ReplyDeleteThat's why I say never give any money to minimalists--they blow it all on Macbooks and Moleskins.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, got any spare change? My Macbook keeps crashing lately.
ReplyDeleteyeah, that guy looks like whiny little douche. my two cents.
ReplyDelete