March 11, 2009
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Peter Singer
My ethics teacher…(pause. these words should have some title following them. he isn’t dead or i would say “may he rest in peace…) said a philosopher was speaking at IUPUI yesterday.
i asked how much it was.
fur free.
that, and since i wasn’t working, and i might never see a famous philosopher ever again…made me go. i get these urges more now. these “AHH! i am leaving the USA and must do everything possible that i might not ever get to do in Brasil…”
So this guy was voted one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.
you don’t normally get to listen to them speak for free.
so i went. and i am really glad i did. he just wrote a book about world poverty.
i sat right behind him diagonally. he has hair missing above his ears and then hanging sideburns. he needs a haircut. and no fancy clothes. and i liked him much better for all that.
world poverty would be something that beats next to my heart. sometimes on top of my heart. and i knew all the things he said…
it just made a difference when he said them.
dumb…maybe. but nice. he had some good ideas. i fear i am a socialist at heart, and would be Robin Hood if i lost my morals (i can see myself wandering around, hands outstreached–”i lost my morals! help! i’ve lost my morals!). and take from the rich and give to the poor.
and i know these are not all the answers. but…27,000 children die a day. from SPECIFICALLY treatable poverty causes…mostly diaraiah (sp? i have never been able to spell that durn word) and sicknesses from starvation or improper water and health care. $.30 can stop a child from dying of diahriah. (it does cost more to GET the treatment there…but still).
he outlined a plan: those who make $50,000 a year or less–give 1% of your income to programs working toward ending world poverty (in some way). those who make $100,000 a year or less–give 5%, 150,000 or less give 10%. it is figured that $180,000,000 a year would stop children dying from poverty. if USA did this plan, over $500,000,000 would be given.
and lots more. like that. and…i like solutions. even if i know they aren’t happening right now–i like knowing they can. i like hope. i like Peter Singer.
although i don’t agree with everything he says. if i did, we would be twins or something.
he has rather controversial views on Euthinasia and severely handicapped…
to tell the truth…if i were him, i woulda just ignored those things. that is mostly what i do right now. the problem being…both sides sound so persuasive at times. and i’ve never been there. it has never affected me. and so…how can i speak?
but how can i not speak?
