Adam Curtis' short film "Oh Dearism" echoes the concerns raised in a recent short film produced for POV, a documentary program that airs in the US on PBS or KCET in Los Angeles. http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2010/
The POV film deals with the impact of aid given to Haiti in the aftermath of the hurricane. The influx of money and food, especially rice donations, ultimately proved to further destabilize the local food economy.
One-day rice was greatly over valued and families could not afford to purchase it due to limited supply and great demand. The next morning the arrival of several tons of rice served to undervalue the staple and eventually bankrupted small business owners who purchased the rice from importers to sell to rice stand owners on the street. The profit margin had simply evaporated. Thus, the entire economy, food prices, and small family businesses were adversely affected. While people were eventually fed, they could not rely on the cheap prices for long, thereby contributing to greater instability in their daily lives.
Please stop and think about where your dollar goes before you text a donation and the impact of aid; a helping hand is not necessarily the gesture of kindness we tend to assume it is 100 percent of the time.
Where is my donation going? How will it directly affect those in need? After the initial crisis, what FUTURE goals will be met with the aid/donation?
As a side note: We in the US and especially on the ever so distant shores of Los Angeles would truly appreciate a visit by Mr. Curtis and a chance to experience his films first hand. Why not bring "It Felt Like a Kiss" to an old warehouse in Pasadena, or stage a Punchdrunk production amidst the Vegas meets Malibu mash up that is the Getty Villa. California is not an island, but at times, we feel ever so isolated from the genius of Britain. Until I make it over there again, I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.
He didn't say Live Aid was about Biafra. Biafra was an example of the first portrayal of that type of suffering portrayed by the media to the masses. It got people concerned. Live Aid was about Ethiopia. I grew up in the '80's. It was all over the news and we talked about it in school. The documentary mentioned Ethiopia. Go back and replay.
Adam Curtis' short film "Oh Dearism" echoes the concerns raised in a recent short film produced for POV, a documentary program that airs in the US on PBS or KCET in Los Angeles. http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2010/
ReplyDeleteThe POV film deals with the impact of aid given to Haiti in the aftermath of the hurricane. The influx of money and food, especially rice donations, ultimately proved to further destabilize the local food economy.
One-day rice was greatly over valued and families could not afford to purchase it due to limited supply and great demand. The next morning the arrival of several tons of rice served to undervalue the staple and eventually bankrupted small business owners who purchased the rice from importers to sell to rice stand owners on the street. The profit margin had simply evaporated. Thus, the entire economy, food prices, and small family businesses were adversely affected. While people were eventually fed, they could not rely on the cheap prices for long, thereby contributing to greater instability in their daily lives.
Please stop and think about where your dollar goes before you text a donation and the impact of aid; a helping hand is not necessarily the gesture of kindness we tend to assume it is 100 percent of the time.
Where is my donation going? How will it directly affect those in need? After the initial crisis, what FUTURE goals will be met with the aid/donation?
As a side note: We in the US and especially on the ever so distant shores of Los Angeles would truly appreciate a visit by Mr. Curtis and a chance to experience his films first hand. Why not bring "It Felt Like a Kiss" to an old warehouse in Pasadena, or stage a Punchdrunk production amidst the Vegas meets Malibu mash up that is the Getty Villa. California is not an island, but at times, we feel ever so isolated from the genius of Britain. Until I make it over there again, I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.
God, he is good. Thanks for finding the vid.
ReplyDeleteOh Dear!
ReplyDeleteLive aid was not about Biafra. The Biafran tragedy was as I remember much earlier.
ReplyDeleteJes sayin
He didn't say Live Aid was about Biafra. Biafra was an example of the first portrayal of that type of suffering portrayed by the media to the masses. It got people concerned. Live Aid was about Ethiopia. I grew up in the '80's. It was all over the news and we talked about it in school. The documentary mentioned Ethiopia. Go back and replay.
ReplyDeleteI just hope everything is alright now. Thanks for sharing the video.
ReplyDelete