RE: Students Come Together To Build Tiny Homes For The Homeless
I can't seem to reply to your last comment...
First and foremost, I really do agree with your sentiment but you don't understand the complexities of this country and I can't blame you for that.
The ANC - our current government - have been voted in time and again by people who are loyal to Nelson Mandela regardless of the fact that the organisation has become one of the most corrupt on the planet. There is also much displaced loyalty because of the ANC's role in the struggle during apartheid, despite the fact that they no longer reflect any of the values Madiba's ANC stood for. However the lack of education in rural areas means that once every 4 years the ANC can drive around handing out bread and convincing the people they will look after them. I am praying that come 2019 their lies will fall on deaf ears. People have been waiting for 23 years for promises that have yet to be delivered and I think they are finally realising they need to invest their hopes elsewhere.
I would agree with you about the power of a million people if most of those people were not unemployed and those with jobs made more than about 15 dollars a day if they're lucky.
The Brad Pitts of SA do do what they can, and trust me we break rules to deliver supplies, but that is totally different to digging trenches for water pipes, bringing in massive machinery to tar roads etc. It's just sadly not feasible.
Again, I agree and respect your sentiment and wish more than anything it was that easy but it is not. :(
I totally respect everything you have said today as well. I have learned a lot and had my eyes opened to geo political problems that are going to be difficult for me to understand. I agree there too. It sounds like there are activists trying to help in South Africa as you have said which is a good thing IMO. So I thank you for the good conversation today, even if we may not ever truly understand one another.
I still think it is important to understand why Wal-Mart was incentivized to help the victims of Katrina. Most of those victims were all regular Wal-Mart customers, many of them probably also Brad Pitt customers. If Wal-Mart didnt break the rules, not only would more people have died but also, it would have effected Wal-Mart's bottom line as a hundred thousand loyal customers just died overnight.
I totally realize that geo political issues are going to stand in the way. But the large corporations of South Africa might benefit by getting involved here.