Messed up world

no comment needed

I don't know how to feel, really.

I get annoyed because so much happens in this world that is horrible and it seems like the only things that get real press are those that involve the rich, famous or the good looking.

And I used to get annoyed when so many acted like Michael Jackson's death was so important, but now I'm feeling differently.

I have my friends who say things like, they have no sympathy that someone like Demi Moore has a drug problem. And I know they say it just because she's rich and famous. If she was their family, they'd feel differently. More I see what drugs can do to good people, the more upset I am that anyone becomes so lost to it.

But I guess it's not our faults or the fault of celebrities. It's just the press toying with our emotions, and getting paid well for it. The press doesn't care about Michael, Demi, Whitney, or anyone, really, but themselves.

seen a similar status about this, except with soldiers. weird world :/

People are mindless drones who worship celebrity and money. Of course they have no sense of priority.
Besides, if they all suddenly grew a conscience, they'd have to take a break from their only sense of self-fulfillment: their own self vanity. Life to them would suddenly become meaningless if they stopped updating their facebook status from the toilet.

This world is going to shit, its been going to shit for a long time, and it will continue going to shit until the stench reaches the heavens.

Invest in methane.

Right on, Anto. Couldn't have described it better. Have those days where I only get on the computer or any time of electronic for that matter, briefly in the mornings then have what I call a 'normal' day of actually doing things old school LOL, makes me feel better actually, more productive and in 'tuned' to things that matter in my own life, not whatever else is going on that truly doesn't have any significance other than annoying me and taking time away from the ones I love. No I don't hug trees...dogs pee on trees, thank you.

anto_capone wrote:

Life to them would suddenly become meaningless if they stopped updating their facebook status from the toilet.

I laughed at that. But is so fucking sad. Cause its not a joke, its true.

I have a Facebook account under a false name. I used it to play some aquarium game until I got tired of it. Then when I moved to England, I cleaned it up a bit and using it to keep it touch with real life friends over there. Thankfully they aren't ones who constantly update their status. I keep the friend list really strict, under 20 people (wtf is it with the big friends lists anyway, how many do you really know?!). And my personal information is on a need-to-know basis. Reminds me of that Onion News clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqggW08BWO0


I don't watch news on TV, I don't read any newpaper either. There are some decent papers out there who actually focus on you know, news-worthy stuff rather than which celebrities are going to Whitney Houston's funeral. I actually only found out from this thread and Googled it, jeez what a drama. It annoys me, which is why I keep away from such stuff. Its not the death of a celebrity that annoys me but how its displayed in media - quotes by other celebrities, which celebrities are going to the funeral (and what they'll be wearing) etc. The quotes from other celebrities seem completely like a media play, sincere and sad. Yet we all know Whitney Houston's life was fucked up, drugs and alcohol. How many really knew her personally... What I don't get is the HUNGER from people for more information, like they're starved to know everything that happened, otherwise media wouldn't write about shit like that right? I can't get my head around it. I personally don't care much of her death (or Michael Jacksson's) but I feel like their family should've been given you know a bit more room alone, shown some respect. No matter who died is, them and their next of kin should be respected in what often is a difficult time. Celebrities are humans as us 'normal' people... bah.

for the costs of that funeral we could feed a whole african hometown for a year. Perhaps even build a school and give healthcare.
That's what I tried to say with the picture.
Anto got it. People only think and talk about themselves and the rich and famous only give a f*ck when it gives them more welness or attention.

I don't see the problems in Africa to be mine to 'solve'. Its down to their governments which are corrupted and care more for buying weapons than food. They rely on UN etc to feed their people. Its an issue which causes mixed feelings in me, so I avoid talking about it. When I studied social work I read a very interesting book about all of this, how charity organizations step in and provide with what their governments don't and how their governments rely on them.

I hate the environmental discussions and pollution. I'm doubtful of the global heating thing but pollution of air, lakes and soil is scientifically proven. Yet our part of the world (Europe) is supposed to make drastic measures to decrease it. I'm sick and tired of the ads that tries to blame me for it. People forget that Europe has one of the best control over pollution, the advance high tech stuff. Who is really responsible for most of today's pollution? The countries that can't afford to clean their shit. Are they asked to decrease it by 50%? No, we are. Its ironic.

After writing that, I realize it looks a bit random. After I stopped using Firefox after some issues, I get these nice ads with other browser which picture starved kids and 'You can make a difference, give us monies NAOW!' or the worse kind that says this kid will die if I don't hand over my monies. Yeah thanks, making me feel ashamed to get me to open my wallet.

While is may be true that some African governments are corrupt, or at least, less adept at concealing their corruption than the first world, most of the terrible poverty has been caused by exploitation by other countries. And I am not only talking historically either, even today, the exploitation continues. In Senegal, fishermen are starving because offshore, Portuguese trawlers are taking all the fish and destroying their marine ecosystem. But this is the fault of the Senegalese right? Each and every one of us has a part to play in the exploitation of others, so yes, it is up to us to make an effort to stop it. And it can be in small ways - refuse to go to shops that sell clothes from sweatshops (Primark is a good example of an unethical shop). I know that my boycotting of these shops will not affect them, but what if I am not the only one taking a stand? What if ten people join me, or a hundred? Then things will have to change. It is when people say "it is nothing to do with me" that things are out of whack.

Pastor Niemoller wrote:

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

By our inaction are we culpable ...

And as for charities pah! They exist only so the wealthy can pretend they are good people. "I give money to charity so I am fine to wear this sequined dress sewn by a twelve year old lined with harp seal fur." So little of the money given goes where it is intended, most of it goes on advertising campaigns and admin fees. For every £1 given to charity, 5 pence makes it to the intended recipient.

(just to add, I am not picking on one person, just saying how I feel because some things said here have reawakened the political activist in me )

Some things are global problems.

(disclaimer, this is stuff I learned about several years ago, if I have a detail or two incorrect, I apologize.)

In regards to Africa, lets look at South Africa, the AIDS epidemic and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals (sp, too lazy).

Several years ago, Pfizer and the government (South African) formed an agreement to ONLY SELL PFIZER drugs to the people in the country. That way, they could charge a fortune, because what are you going to do, get it from someone else? So people with HIV/AIDS were literally dying of Thrush, which is a yeast infection in the mouth. THey simply needed Diflucan, a yeast infection medication, and they could have survived. Pfizer had the price jacked up so high, even middle class citizens could not afford it. From an article I read: •"the real issue is that the major pharmaceutical companies still maintain control over who can manufacture their patented drugs and how much they cost"

More regarding Diflucan/Thrust: TAC said the cost of the daily dose of up to 400 mg per day was beyond the means of most of the country's cash-strapped public hospitals and above the daily wage of most workers.

TAC said the coalition had targeted Pfizer because its Flucanozole drug - better known under the brand name Diflucan - had proven effective in preventing and treating thrush and cryptococcal meningitis, two opportunistic diseases associated with the AIDS-causing Human Immuno Deficiency Virus (HIV). Source

Pfizer is headquartered in NY with its head research facility in CT. That makes it a global problem.

Oh yea, my platform, should I ever run for Miss America? FUCK BIG PHARMA IN ITS ASS!

Also: humans are dumb and are a stain on this planet. I do believe that. It is no wonder if aliens did come to Roswell, that they never came back. I'd have taken one look and said--not worth it! Next planet-HO!

thats why we need spaceships, so all of you who hate it here can go live on planet perfect, hehehe.

I would totally take that spaceship to Planet Perfect and leave behind the rest to kill each other. I'd of course request a rear view seat so I could witness the desecration as we flew away.

It makes me think about what it was like when I fell ill in South Africa. I asked them how much it was going to cost me for a scan and the total came to £2000. Considering that I was working three jobs at the time and barely bringing in £2000 a month, it put my treatment out of my grasp completely. Since I moved to England, I have been put on disability because I can no longer work. My brother asked me what I would have done if I was still in South Africa and my answer was simple, I would be dead. This is because I would not have been able to afford the operation I had over here and my cancer would have spread. These are the stark realities of living in a third world Country. People die from preventable diseases simply because they can't afford the treatment. I understand that the skills needed to perfect new drugs require well-educated people and that they need to make a living, but the companies that distribute the drugs get rich while people die.

Another good example of how little value is placed on human life is the tsunami that hit India a couple of years back. People died needlessly because an early warning system was not considered to be cost-effective. Don't ever be fooled, governments and corporations don't care about human life, people are totally expendable.

Quote :

Whitney Houston shot to fame in the 1980s when she became one of the first African-American female artists to receive regular rotation on MTV – a feat that successfully opened doors for other women to find success in music and movies. Best known for her work with Kevin Costner in “The Bodyguard”, Houston has led a life of service to others when not on screen or behind a microphone.

The 44-year-old first showed her socially-conscious side when still a model, before her fame rocketed her to stardom. Back then she refused to work for agencies that did business with South Africa, due to the country’s regime of apartheid. It was an issue that she later brought to the attention of the world when she performed at Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Concert in London, an event that brought pressure on the Government to ease its restrictions and eventually release the future president of South Africa.

Following the concert, Houston formed the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children, an organization that cared for the homeless and children with cancer and AIDS. It eventually brought the singer one of her many awards for her humanitarian work, as did her involvement with the United Negro College Fund.

Houston is also the only artist to turn the national anthem into a chart hit when her rendition of The Star Spangled Banner reached the Top 100 in 1991. She donated her royalties to the Red Cross.

In 1997, the HBO Concert “Classic Whitney live from Washington DC” raised over $300000 for the Children's Defense Fund.

In 2011, she partnered with her sister-in-law in launching a line of scented candles to benefit charity.

For a comprehensive list of Whitney’s charity work, visit Whitney-Fan.com.

Whitney Houston passed away in February, 2012.

Read more: http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/1196-whitney-houston#ixzz1mhkU0O8e

Quote :

The following is a list of some of the charitable causes that Whitney Houston has supported over the years:

The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children: Formed in 1989, the WHFC aids sick and homeless children, and works toward the prevention of child abuse, teaches children to read, and has built inner city parks and playgrounds. In past years, the foundation also has hosted a Christmas party for homeless children.


The United Negro College Fund is a favorite Whitney Houston charity. She raised a quarter of a million dollars for the UNCF at a 1988 Madison Square Garden concert, appeared on at least two "Lou Rawls Parade of Stars" telethons to benefit the UNCF, and has been honored by the organization for her consistent giving with the Frederick D. Patterson Award. One of Whitney Houston's first gigs was a benefit concert for the UNCF in which she sang "Tomorrow" from the musical "Annie."


The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation: Whitney Houston regularly attends their "Carousel of Hope" charity gala and was honored for her giving in 1996 with the Brass Ring Award.


St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital: Founded by the late actor Danny Thomas, this hospital helps critically-ill children without asking for money from their parents or guardians. It is subsidized completely by charitable giving. Whitney Houston has given so much to the hospital over the years that the founder's daughter, Marlo Thomas, honored her at a charity banquet in 1994.


South Africa: The announcement that Whitney Houston would participate in the 1988 Freedom Fest concert event (for a then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela) drew other artists and much media attention. In 1994, Whitney also toured in South Africa, giving concert proceeds to numerous children's charities including two children's museums, the President's Trust Fund (for the freed Nelson Mandela), the Kagiso Foundation and several orphanages. In the 1980s, when Whitney was an up-and-coming fashion model, she also refused to work for any company that did business in then-Apartheid South Africa.


American Red Cross: Whitney Houston donated all of her proceeds from the single and home video sales of her Superbowl XXV rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" to benefit Gulf War troops and their families. Whitney's record company followed suit. Whitney was elected a member of the American Red Cross Board of Directors in 1991.


New York Firefighters and Police: Whitney Houston re-released "The Star Spangled Banner" charity single to benefit the New York Firefighters Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Fraternal Order of Police Fund following terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. She waived her royalty rights to the single, which went on to top the U.S. sales charts in October 2001 and raised more than $1 million.


The Children's Defense Fund: All of Whitney Houston's proceeds from her two "Classic Whitney" concerts in Washington, D.C., totaling a quarter of a million dollars, were donated to this charity.


The National Birth Defects Center: The Boston area center named its Hearing & Language Disorder Clinic after Whitney due to her giving.


UMDNJ University Hospital: The Newark, N.J.-based hospital named its Pediatric Special Care Unit after Whitney Houston due to her giving.


Hale House: Whitney Houston donated enough to this Harlem-based charity that they were able to build a Learning & Recreation Center.


Rainbow House: Whitney Houston has provided financial assistance to this shelter for adolescent mothers and for children with HIV and AIDS.


Russian Aid Fund: In February 2004, Whitney donated 1 million rubles to the Aid Fund for victims of a bomb attack in the Moscow subway. The funds were raised by her performances in Moscow.


T.J. Martell Foundation: Whitney Houston has supported this foundation, which funds research for leukemia, cancer and AIDS.


Harlem Boys Choir, New Jersey State PBA, and The Youth of Atlantic City: Whitney donated proceeds from her only 1990 U.S. concert appearances to these three charities.


Debt Relief: Whitney supported a cyber petition by international debt relief campaign Jubilee 2000 to persuade world leaders to erase debt owed by 40 of the world's poorest nations.


Wyclef Jean Foundation: Whitney Houston participated in a Carnegie Hall benefit that earned about $250,000 for this foundation in January 1991.


Welcome Home Heroes: Whitney's Easter Sunday 1991 concert in Norfolk, Va., was free for returning Gulf War veterans and their families. HBO, which televised the event live, encouraged cable systems to descramble their signal so everyone could enjoy the show for free.


1994 Rainforest Benefit: Whitney Houston made a surprise guest performance at this event, notable for Whitney's singing a bit of "La Donna e Mobile" from Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Rigoletto." She also performed "If It's Magic" and "I Will Always Love You."


For the 1992 movie premiere of "The Bodyguard," proceeds went to The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children and to the Magic Johnson Foundation for pediatric AIDS research .


For the 1996 movie premiere of "The Preacher's Wife," proceeds went to The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (Denzel Washington's choice) and a third charity chosen by director Penny Marshall.


Kurdish Refugee Relief 1991: Whitney performed at the "Simple Truth" concert at London's Wembley Stadium and allowed MTV to simulcast her performance of "Miracle" at her Oakland, Calif., concert during a telethon held for this cause.


Fighting AIDS: One of Whitney Houston's favorite causes, highlights include her performance at the Arista 15th Anniversary AIDS Benefit in 1990. She also flew to Los Angeles for the "Commitment for Life" AIDS Benefit in 1994 from her South American tour, and then immediately flew back to resume her concert tour.


Fighting Cancer: Another of Whitney Houston's favorite causes, Whitney performed at a Cancer Research Benefit at Howard University in Washington, D.C.


Michael Bolton Foundation: This charity honored Whitney for her giving in 1995 with a fund-raising gala. In 1997, Bolton's foundation joined forces with Whitney's foundation to honor other charitable artists at a fund-raising gala.


Emmanuel Cancer Foundation: Whitney was unable to attend a 1990 benefit held in her honor, so she turned it into a food drive to benefit this New Jersey chidren's organization.


Special Olympics: Whitney performed at the Opening Ceremonies in 1987 and recorded "Do You Hear What I Hear" for free for their first "A Very Special Christmas" benefit album in 1989.


1988 Olympic Games: Whitney Houston recorded the song "One Moment In Time" for an album of the same name to benefit Olympic athletes.


Ronald McDonald Children's Charities: The South Florida arm of this organization honored Whitney for her giving.


The Bronx Zoo: Whitney Houston donated two lion cubs to the Bronx Zoo in New York City in 1989.


For her 1992 wedding, Whitney asked attendees and fans to contribute to the Whitney Houston Foundation For Children in lieu of gifts.


Whitney Houston has been honored for her charity work by the VH1 Honors in 1995, The First Annual Triumphant SPIRIT Awards by Essence Magazine in 1997, and 1998 Trumpet Awards (organized by Ted Turner).

http://www.whitney-fan.com/persona/charity.php

fhead wrote:

thats why we need spaceships, so all of you who hate it here can go live on planet perfect, hehehe.

fhead's mansion of 'aw shucks, thats just the way it is, oh well' sounds like the party spot to me

we're all just renters here. there are few things a person will own in their life, and none of them are material. why are people forced to part with their dignity?

because of other people thinking their dignity should be for sale.


but of course, if you load that spaceship up with whoever you think doesn't deserve to live on your planet, i would bet the world those people make would be a utopia compared to the world you would separate.

just sayin.

Bekah wrote:

Don't ever be fooled, governments and corporations don't care about human life, people are totally expendable.

This right here. Absolute truth.

Quote :

com·pas·sion [kuhm-pash-uhn]
noun
1.
a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

It's just what it is. Some people have it more than others.

Personally, I think the world would be a better place with more of it. I don't think any one life is worth more than another, no matter how rich, talented, or famous. Everyone is made of the same crude material. Everyone shit stinks, everyone dies.

Yes, celebrities/rich/famous people are people in the end. But they do not deserve pity. Why not? Because they made the choice themselves.

Feel pity for those who have no choice. Stop the celebrity worship, it's pathetic really.

And no matter how hard you try to slice it; when you earn more in one day than what most people earn in their lifetime: you are part of the problem, not the solution. You can donate 1% of your money to charity, if only to make yourself feel better, but that still does not make you a good person.

'And the meek, they shall become celebrity and inherit the earth.'

Dee_Snider wrote:

LOL

I agree with you Anto.

As for the Whitney thing... it pissed me off to see that it was headline news. They even had it as the "top story" on the CBC news yesterday recounting her funeral. I'm sorry but what message does that send to my kids? We need to all cry over some woman who continually and knowingly made BAD choices in her life because she could sing? Yes it is sad she died the way she did, but it really doesn't need to be the largest news story in two countries with so many other important things happening in our world.

I guess newspapers wont sell if the front page is starving children over and over again. But somehow people with a lot of money doing ilegal stuff should be front page material

The other day I heard something along the lines of "change isnt sudden and dramatic is takes time and persistence works, eg.. how much people care about recycling compared to ten years ago. kids grow up thinking its perfectly normal to recycle plastic" so maybe in a few years with persistence more and more people might make decisions with 3rd world countries in mind.. "should I donate? help?"


I probably said something stupid, sorry

Aidann wrote:

I guess newspapers wont sell if the front page is starving children over and over again. But somehow people with a lot of money doing ilegal stuff should be front page material

The other day I heard something along the lines of "change isnt sudden and dramatic is takes time and persistence works, eg.. how much people care about recycling compared to ten years ago. kids grow up thinking its perfectly normal to recycle plastic" so maybe in a few years with persistence more and more people might make decisions with 3rd world countries in mind.. "should I donate? help?"


I probably said something stupid, sorry

You haven't said something stupid at all. I agree that not all change is dramatic and that it sometimes takes time. Sometimes all that is needed for change to happen is for one person to step up and try to make a difference. Each one of us influences our immediate environment every single day, whether we realise it or not. It doesn't take much for us to use that influence to make things better. I remember when the Wit Wolve were bombing Johannesburg (barely escaped one once - thank God for boring movies ) and a lot of people were saying they were afraid to go out. Me and my friends didn't change our lives one bit, because if we had of done, then the bombers would have won. This is our world to live in as we see fit, we should make informed choices and not let ourselves be fooled by balderdash. As for celebrities, well, the braindead masses must have someone to idolise after all

Aidann wrote:

I guess newspapers wont sell if the front page is starving children over and over again. But somehow people with a lot of money doing ilegal stuff should be front page material

The other day I heard something along the lines of "change isnt sudden and dramatic is takes time and persistence works, eg.. how much people care about recycling compared to ten years ago. kids grow up thinking its perfectly normal to recycle plastic" so maybe in a few years with persistence more and more people might make decisions with 3rd world countries in mind.. "should I donate? help?"


I probably said something stupid, sorry

Great post

Aidan, you give me hope for the next generation

Quote :

The Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound.
Children no longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book,
and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching."
Assyrian tablet, c. 2800 BCE

It's easy to be self righteous about the state of the world today. I've yet to hear about a generation that thought the next one is better than the previous ones.