Let's help Haiti with dignity, free from politics
It's fair to say there has been some controversy about the "Non-Believers Giving Aid" campaign: http://givingaid.richarddawkins.net/
The Executive Director of The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science attempts to defend this campaign here:
http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/2010/01/helping_haiti.php
"Is there really anything wrong with attempting to show that as humans, we have more in common than not, despite our various views of the world.."
No there isn't anything wrong with this at all. At the appropriate time. But to do this right now, when people are dying and suffering, is just not right. It's exploiting tragedy, and will be seen as such.
Sure, set up a donation on a popular site accessed by atheists and secularists. Indicate that the money will go to the best suppliers of aid. Keep track of the contributions. Then, when things have settled down, it might be appropriate to point out how much has been contributed if challenged about this matter.
But to try and score points now is surely not the right thing to do. You don't make use of tragedy in this way.
It is said that the inner workings of two things should never be seen: politics and sausage making. It's not just gruesome to see politics in action in this situation, it's undignified grandstanding.
Some have justified the partial nature of the campaign (to show how non-believers can be good at charity and caring for others) as encouraging more donations. I find that insulting to non-believers, as it is a self-defeating strategy - it implies that some non-believers will only give if there is a chance of self-promotion. Even if it did bring in more money, there are always some money-making strategies that a decent charity would consider unacceptable.
Attempts to use Haiti to promote beliefs and political positions have been critised elsewhere. There was a recent telling off of fellow journalist Rachel Maddow by Jon Stewart, who found her mention of how much the American government's policies had helped send support to Haiti to be inappropriate. This illustrates how sensitive feelings are about this awful situation.
I fear that this lack of sensitivity will be seen as yet another political setback for the cause of political atheism and secularism, after last year's disastrous giving of the Richard Dawkins award to medical crackpot Bill Maher.
I hope that people will contribute generously to which ever charity they feel will best able to help. But let's do it with some dignity, and self-respect. There should be one thought on our minds right now, and one only - relieving suffering.
The Executive Director of The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science attempts to defend this campaign here:
http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/2010/01/helping_haiti.php
"Is there really anything wrong with attempting to show that as humans, we have more in common than not, despite our various views of the world.."
No there isn't anything wrong with this at all. At the appropriate time. But to do this right now, when people are dying and suffering, is just not right. It's exploiting tragedy, and will be seen as such.
Sure, set up a donation on a popular site accessed by atheists and secularists. Indicate that the money will go to the best suppliers of aid. Keep track of the contributions. Then, when things have settled down, it might be appropriate to point out how much has been contributed if challenged about this matter.
But to try and score points now is surely not the right thing to do. You don't make use of tragedy in this way.
It is said that the inner workings of two things should never be seen: politics and sausage making. It's not just gruesome to see politics in action in this situation, it's undignified grandstanding.
Some have justified the partial nature of the campaign (to show how non-believers can be good at charity and caring for others) as encouraging more donations. I find that insulting to non-believers, as it is a self-defeating strategy - it implies that some non-believers will only give if there is a chance of self-promotion. Even if it did bring in more money, there are always some money-making strategies that a decent charity would consider unacceptable.
Attempts to use Haiti to promote beliefs and political positions have been critised elsewhere. There was a recent telling off of fellow journalist Rachel Maddow by Jon Stewart, who found her mention of how much the American government's policies had helped send support to Haiti to be inappropriate. This illustrates how sensitive feelings are about this awful situation.
I fear that this lack of sensitivity will be seen as yet another political setback for the cause of political atheism and secularism, after last year's disastrous giving of the Richard Dawkins award to medical crackpot Bill Maher.
I hope that people will contribute generously to which ever charity they feel will best able to help. But let's do it with some dignity, and self-respect. There should be one thought on our minds right now, and one only - relieving suffering.