Poll: ZOMG THE GUILT!!!!

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Tharwen

Ep. VI: Return of the turret
May 7, 2009
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It's a hard question, but there is absolutely no way to balance all of the wealth and make everyone happy. Also remember that at some point, someone earned the money that your laptop cost.
 

Jedoro

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Jun 28, 2009
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I don't care, and you clearly don't either. If you did, you'd sell that laptop and all your fancy stuff and either live like a bum here or move to a third-world country. You feel guilty but don't act on it, so why say you really care?
 

SonOfIkaros

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Oct 6, 2009
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jef91 said:
SonOfIkaros said:
I do feel guilty. I can never get myself to do anything about it though, and I suppose that's where all the guilt's coming from. Still, it's depressing to think about how I spend enough money on silly things like video games and music to feed several families in Third World countries.

What's also bugging me is that I love video games, and I play them frequently, but it's a luxury hobby that consumes an awful lot of resources. I think it's sad that a lot of resources have to be spent just so I can shoot random dudes in the face. And still I can't get myself do the slightest thing about it.
This is very similar to how I feel. I still love gaming, and I would even go so far as to say I am addicted to it. I love music even more :) I just wish everyone could enjoy a more acceptable lifestyle, relatively speaking. At least music is something that can't be taken away from you.
True, music is great that way. One of the best things in life if you ask me. Cultures all over the world have music, and they all find comfort and solace in it somehow. It's one of the simplest pleasures in life, but also one of the absolute greatest.
 

Ghostkai

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Jun 14, 2008
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Why should anyone be ashamed of the circumstances they were born into, some people are better off than others. Such is life, I'm not going to let it ruin my day, thats for sure.
 

KaiRai

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Jun 2, 2008
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I don't really, I was fortunate enough to be born into a wealthy country (Well, technically the country is in debt, but you know what I mean) so I guess it's never really crossed my mind. They're being held back by all the global warming campaigners too, we had industrial revolutions that spearheaded our advancement, whereas if the poorer countries try, they'll be reprimanded for it. More proof if needed that some things are just meant to be left alone.
 

archvile93

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Sep 2, 2009
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while I'm sure the rest of the world's problems are worse, mine are bad enough that I don't care about theirs.
 

Jeronus

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Nov 14, 2008
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You are seriously trying to carry the weight of the world on your conscience. There will always be someone out there who is poorer than someone else. The entire world can't have equal wealth. There will always be someone lower on the economic food chain than you and no amount of guilt or money will ever change that. Let the unfortunate worry about themselves and be happy you aren't in their shoes.
 
Apr 24, 2008
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King of the Sandbox said:
I can't help what part of the world or what class I was born into, and I will not feel guilty for it. I can, however, feel sorry for those less fortunate, but it's not my fault, ergo; no, I do not feel this guilt.
That's sensible, guilt and pride are best reserved for things that are the result of your own actions.

I might feel guilty about it, if I took it for granted, if I moaned about life being shit and being depressed. I'm perfectly happy living my day to day life in my suburban bubble, despite(by most peoples standards)having very little going on.
 

mkg

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Feb 24, 2009
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My country is the most powerful in the entire world because we have had a tradition of strong leadership with strong military heritage to protect and secure our rights and interests. I have no reason to feel guilt, but instead pride that we possess that kind of power. Most developing nations are poor because a greedy piece of shit is too bust slaughtering his own people to care about developing their countries natural resources.

On the flip side, with priviledge comes sacrifice, I'm willing to bet that most 3rd world nations enjoy a great deal of freedom while we are constantly battling the threat of big government, privacy, and immigration threatening to lower our standards of living. It's your pompous sense of superiority that your guilt stems from. People don't necessarily have to be taken care of like babies, if they are not willing to learn how to live like us rather than just WANT to, then fuck them.
 

Lawyer105

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Apr 15, 2009
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There are two main arguments here (that I can see, anyways).

1) You're better off than they are because you were born that way. How is getting born your fault? Why should you have any guilt about that?

2) That somehow your position is built on keeping the rest of the world down. Uh-huh. Can't see this one either. Having lived in Africa and now in Europe, I just can't see that it's the responsibility of the West to keep the starving masses of Africa or China (or wherever) fed and clothed.

Maybe it's racist/classist/someother-ist, but from everything I can see most people are in the position they are because of the choices they make. Sure, you don't choose to be born African (for example) - but they sure as hell choose to do nothing about it. In all of Africa, there are only TWO (that I'm aware of) countries that have been even vaguely successful since they achieved independance from the 'imperialist oppressors'. Every single other country has descended (often overnight) into chaos, anarchy, oppression (far worse than the Europeans EVER did - look at Zimbabwe), dictatorships, coups, counter-coups, war, rebellion, guerilla terrorism etc.

It is a fact that more people are murdered in two months in South Africa (and that is one of the SUCCESSFUL countries) than have died in the entire 30 years of war in Ireland. http://www.davidduke.com/general/17807_17807.html And the vast majority of these are perpetrated by Africans ON other Africans.

Having been mugged twice, had my house broken into three times (once while I was there), having had my mother assaulted in the streets, and my father hijacked at gunpoint - I'm just glad I got out before they did it to me.

So no. I don't feel guilty at all. They do it to themselves.
 

teutonicman

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Mar 30, 2009
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I simply do what I can when I can and that is enough. I will not let guilt or any other feelings rule my life.
 

Korolev

No Time Like the Present
Jul 4, 2008
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Yes I do feel guilty.

That's one of the reasons I decided to become a scientist. The fact of the matter is that the world has NEVER been fair. You think income inequality and wealth distribution is bad today, heck, go back 200 years and it was even worse.

Politics is just management. You will NEVER solve poverty or diseases with politics. Politics can't create, just re-arrange. But science CAN create, science HAS improved the lives of millions, no BILLIONS, of people around the world. The ENORMOUS population boom that occurred during the 20th century alone (global population exploded from below 2 billion to nearly 7 billion), PROVES that antibiotics, water-filter technology and improved surgical procedures have made the world safer for humans.

Huge problems remain. Technology even creates some of those problems. But at the end of the day, just sitting around hoping for a solution to how unfair the world is will do nothing. Praying to an imaginary patriarch in the sky will not cure Polio or help excise cancer from a man's lungs. Only science can do that!

So yes, I did feel guilty. But then I found a way to stop feeling guilty - if I use the resources that have been given to me to help make the world better, then I would have payed back any debt I owed.

So if you feel guilty, then do something to make the world a fairer place. Do SCIENCE!
 

joshthor

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Aug 18, 2009
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i dont have any guilt about it. in fact, frankly i could use more. its different cultures, there is nothing i can do about it.
 

Mucinex-D

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Jan 19, 2010
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I don't see how this is a moral dilemma. In no way did anyone cause those people to be poor, they just got unlucky. Sure it sucks, but feeling guilty is just stupid.
 

Liquid Paradox

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Jul 19, 2009
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People probably won't agree with me, but I'll say it anyway. In the end, it's all the same. If you have nice things, you still have problems. Your problems may seem frivolous in the eyes of a poor man, but you know they're not; stress is stress, and a poor man who makes the best from what he was given is happier than a rich man worried who worries.

Too tired to go in depth with this. Tl;DR Nope, not guilty
 

colourcodedchaos

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Jun 20, 2008
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Sorry, no guilt on my part for being in some way better off than other people. I think we should help them, sure, but charity is not the same thing as guilt. I will give you money, just don't expect me to bloody -cry- about it.
 

Vash108

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Jul 18, 2008
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jef91 said:
Lexodus said:
What you're suffering is commonly known as 'White Guilt'; irrational and stupid, frankly, but at some stage everyone, middle class and up, get it. I just had it years ago, and now I'm over it.
How is it irrational? Do you think it's irrational because there's apparently nothing I can do about it?
You could always Volunteer overseas or give some things away to charity. It is your choice to do so, my only problem is when it comes to people being forced to. The US alone sends millions of dollars overseas every year for relief to some cause or another, not that it is a bad thing.