to make a bitchy response to this fb status

[SwanseaSlapper]

"We have Troops fighting a war without proper equipment..... Yet we donate millions to other countries before helping our own first. 99% of people on facebook won't have the guts to copy and repost this. WILL YOU, I thought charity began at home!!!"

It just offends me.

LadyRabbit - "mean and churlish"?

Really?

Let's be clear - compassion is not measured by the ease with which one seeks to spend other people's money on one's own preferred causes.

Rather, it is defined by the way in which we each choose to help people other than ourselves.

It is perfectly reasonable to question "giving" to Pakistan right now, not least because it has one of the most corrupt Governments in the world.

Very little of the "aid" given to Pakistan right now will end up helping the people that need it - far too much of it will end up lining the pockets of the countless officials who will receive, process and distribute said "aid".

Lashing out at people that question your viewpoint in the way that you do does your cause a great disservice and makes the ambivalent less likely to support it.

LadyRabbitI guess it comes down to whether you believe money raised via tax is for the benefit of the people living and working here, or if it is for the benefit of the world. I think it is wrong for a govt to cut essential services and at the same time give money to other countries. I feel that individuals should donate, but this isn't something the govt should decide for us while telling us that the country is in dire straits.

I do appreciate that life here is very good compared to other parts of the world, but life is becoming significantly more difficult and I believe we have to sort ourselves out first.

Oh and the NHS, welfare state etc are not miracles. They exist because we pay for them. If there is no money to pay for them, they will cease to exist.

Really do have to go now, so not being rude if I fail to reply to further posts tonight

"It is perfectly reasonable to question "giving" to Pakistan right now, not least because it has one of the most corrupt Governments in the world."

And Haiti didn't?

Let me tell you all a very pragmatic reason why we need to give more aid to Pakistan. I recently read an excellent book I suggest everyone read, The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. She explains that in countries where people are struggling for survival as a result of our ill advised misadventures in the middle east, extremist groups will come in and offer all the infrastructure support and jobs people need to get back on their feet. This encourages people to back the extremists because, after all, where were the rest of the world when they were suffering? Now obviously we didn't cause the flood, but you understand the mechanism of manipulation and the opportunity this flood presents.

So guess who recently said they'd target international aid workers?

This is because they see an opportunity to win more people to their cause. Now ask yourself, do we really need people in Pakistan to have yet more reasons to back terrorists?

So, perhaps enlightened self interest will get you to dig into your pockets and help save some lives when common human decency fails to do so?

Also, the OP's stupid FB friend is committing a common logical fallacy with the status update, the false dilemma. There is no reason why we can't fund both safer equipment for soldiers and send substantial aid to Pakistan. Honestly, if it helps prevent further extremism in a place like Pakistan which is by all accounts, terrorist central, then surely we are further protecting our troops by supporting the flood relief?

dizietsma - extend that argument to its logical conclusion and you're paying for "protection".

The thing that annoys me about these FB status updates is that people just assume they're true and repost and repost and repost- I see the one about "The website "My son/daughter is the best thing that happened to me" is actually a paedophile website. Dont go on there or they will wank over your baby photos" thing has started up again.

They're the FB equivalent of "Forward this email and Bill Gates will give all his money to charity"

Re aid to Pakistan, I hardly think bunging a few million their way will endear Al Queda to us and stop international terrorism. Pakistan is a disaster- barely a cohesive state- and the problems go far further back than the recent issues in the Middle East. If we do give anything, it should be purely on humanitarian grounds- i.e. we should be considering whether people who need it are actually getting it. If not, then there's no point in wasting it.

Have just seen a similar one posted by someone on my friends list:
"we have children going to bed without eating... Elderly going without needed medicines... Mentally ill without treatment... Troops without proper equipment..... Yet we donate millions to other countries - £63MILLION given to Pakistan by our bloody Government, whilst telling ...us...... WE have to tighten our belts - WTF???? 99% of people...... on facebook won't have the guts to copy and repost this.!!!!"

Some of the comments were quite horrible. Eg. "i was act sayin this last nyt wen i saw how much ha dbee we need to look after our own!!!!!!!!!!xxx"

So I commented too:
"http://www.dec.org.uk/item/200
I think the majority of people won't repost this status not because they don't have the guts but because they think it's bloody stupid."

Go lola

Do these morons even comprehend that our taxes pay for "our" (in inverted commas because I want no association with them, thanks) troops equipment? It's not a fucking charity operation. Are they for one minute suggesting that we hold cake sales and raffles to raise money which will be used to buy equipment to assist the nuking of Afghan villages?

Piss off.

Altinkum, may I be so bold to suggest that the dicks who post these statuses don't mind "our" money being sent to America. Just the dirty brown people they mind about. Whilst not realising that black people have been the hardest hit by Katarina.

Similar status was on both my mil & and her sil pages last night. I couldn't think of a comment as I was so bloody cross!!

They're both on flaming benefits so aren't paying for anything! Any sarcasm will be totally lost on them anyway........

harassed, I have two of these knobends on my FB and yeah, surprise surprise, both on the rock 'n' roll.

I would like to ask them why if they're so concerned about the country's military efforts and they're not otherwise engaged employment-wise, why they don't get off their chavvy arses and go and enrol to join the army?

Just for the record, I object to British taxpayers money being sent anywhere when there are cuts being made here. I am not distinguishing between countries. I don't infer from that fb status that people think it is okay to send money to white people, but not to black people. I take it to mean that the govts priority should be Britain.

karma, if every country thought like that, the world would be an even shitter place than it is now. Boo-hoo, we've got to tighten the purse strings. Cry me a river. Tell it to the poor sods in Pakistan, thousands of them with NOTHING.

YABU - and I for one find it extremely offensive that you don't give a flying fuck about men who devote their lives to defending your country and freedom of speech.

cupcakes The troops didn't get any say when they were sent to Afghanistan/Iraq. They chose to join the army and the reason the army exists is to defend Britain and its interests. It is the govt that decides which conflicts it sends our troops to. The troops sent to these places should have the proper equipment to defend themselves from attack.
There may come a time when you need the army to keep you safe. Some would argue that is the purpose of their mission in Afghanistan.

Perhaps the govt should ask us then. I posed the question earlier on that if people had to choose between giving aid,but losing jobs/having essential services cut here or not giving aid and having fewer cuts/job loses then I think the people here would choose to cut foreign aid. It is our money so perhaps we should be asked about how we want it spent in these times.
If the majority says to continue foreign aid, then I will shut up, because that would be the will of the people.

Incidentally, a lot of people are moaning about this fb status but have been reluctant to comment directly to the people asking you to support it. Reasons for this seem to be fear of losing friends/offending family/can't think of a suitably scathing response. Yet people have found plenty to say here. Have the courage of your convictions and respond directly to the people who have asked you to do something that you find so offensive instead of just moaning about it here

If AIBU was made up of posts in which the OP had settled their gripe face-to-face, I'm willing to bet it wouldn't be such a popular forum...

And the old "support your troops, they're defending your freesom of speech" line is getting old. I didn't know our freedom of speech was under threat.