BPsite Forums

despite now watching the BBC on mute, due to its pompus over zealous commentary, there was something about americas dedication to helping the injured; to which my dad replys "what the fuck?".

so from the americans here how much has your news coverage said to you on the subject and what are you doing in the subject of aid care?

you've given crap all to funds compared to the rest of us and there hasnt been anything about aid workers.

There's been a fair amount of news coverage on it - 150,000+ people don't die in a horrific natural disaster and escape notice here, you know.  As for funds, I think (am not sure atm) that we're pledging 350 million right now.  I'm sure some government-sponsored aid workers and volunteers will come over as well, but for God's sake, mole, it's on the other side of the frikking world.  It made the front page for a couple days, but the war in Iraq and domestic concerns are sucking it into the background.  

it's been pretty much all over the news here. Just because our president and 52% of responsible voters are morons doesn't mean that we shove all non US news into the backburner. Bush pledged $15 million at first which basically sucks but he was shamed into giving more by Dems and the rest of the world. He's pledging $350 million which is only topped by Japan. In comparison, Britian is giving $96 million, here's an article, Tsunami Aid by Country (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/01/02/world.relief.contribution.reut/index.html)

Also many relief organziation in the US have donated money and I have personally given $75

oh and here's an article about the U.S. relief missions U.S. Relief Mission (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/03/military.mission.ap/index.html)

What is Europe(particularly Britain) doing about the crisis? And what is the Euro media saying about America?

Yes... because a country with an economy several hundred times larger than ours is giving three times the amount of money. Congratulations. You suck. Why is that million not a billion? And how come a little country like Japan can donate 500 million, whereas America can only manage 350?

Anyway, I second mole's sentiment - I'm fed up of hearing about the tsunami on the news. Yes, we know lots of people died. Yes, we know lots of money is needed. We've already donated, so I don't need three hours of guilt tripping every day, thankyou.

Oh, here's a goodun. Bill Gates asking people to give money to the aid fund. Bill Gates. Asking you to give money. That's rich.

So fucking sick of the tsunami talk.  Yeah a lot of people died.  Honestly they're probably better off that way.  just a couple more storms like that and the world could be in good shape.  But it's not like these topics are even started for the "lets feel bad about people dying" factor.  It's "oh look another excuse to bitch about what a shitty country America is and how much ass their leader sucks"  and "we're better than you because we donated more money and wear more little ribbons than you."  So fucking stupid.


mm I needed that.

Exactly, we always need more reasons to pick on the big fat Americans.

really? i thought this would be ideal opporunity for iraq to be taken o0ut of the spot light and to divert all your attentions somwhere else for awhile.


absolutely nothing


sending tonnes apon tonnes of aid, food, fresh water and workers.

your innitial pledge was £18milliom to our £50million after 2 days

Our economy is comparable to yours, since (I believe) you belong to the EU, and the Union's economy is as strong as ours.  Japan, too, has a HUGE economy, and can afford to give just as much as the U.S. in aid.  

Oh, and we support a shitload more foreign programs than any other country in the world, so excuse us for not raising our taxes in the U.S. to 70% just to give the most aid out of every nation to every disaster-stricken country in the world.

Uh.. yeah, ok, so add up the donations from every country in the EU if you want to use that argument?

Austria 13.60
Belgium 16.32
Britain 96.00
Denmark 76.83
EU 31.29 (From EU coffers)
Finland 6.12
France 66.38
Germany 27.21
Greece 0.40
Italy 95.00
Netherlands 34.00
Norway 181.90
Poland 1.00
Portugal 10.8
Spain 68.02
Sweden 80.00

I'm missing 10 countries, but I think you get the idea? If the EU's economy is comparable to Americas, how come the EU can manage well over 400 million?

Anyway, screw the economics and read what fire said:

well atleast they arent showing anymore "new shocking footage" to which we must endure some correspondent with a semi-seriousness to his voice while reciting what occurs to me as bad 17th century poetry

All that was showing on the news in France was the tsunami info, so I stopped watching news.  LOL  

Aren't we in debt by like a trillion or something?  Anyway, I'm sick of this; of course, I'm like "Hey, that sucks", but aren't there like 6 billion of us?

well it's obviously going to be all over the  news, it's only the worst natural disaster in over 40 years. But i agree with fire, i'm getting tired of all the talk and the reports on the news by reporters showing fake emotion while silently pleased that they just got a good story. But i also agree with fire that this is another bash America thread, look at mole's post in the beginning.

Seriously just stop bashing Americans, As Thurgood Marshall put it(although he was talking about blacks, but it applies here too "We've got just as many beautiful people as everyone else, and we've got just as many stinkers too" Bashing America is getting real fucking old, if it doesn't stop soon then it's frankly no use in discussing important things with a bunch of flamers. Besides i'm betting it doesn't take much effort to make a thread in bashing Europeans



oh please people, tell that to the over 150,000 dead and tell that to their families and friends.

Now i  may be just being paranoid or cynical but i always wonder what the outcry would be if this happened in the Western World, and would you all still be saying this?

Personally, it'd be interesting to see what would happen if this occurred in some of those European countries that wouldn't support us in Iraq.  I bet there'd be a hugh outcry for their "best friend," Uncle Sam.   :P

Meh, rationally speaking, I think disasters like these shouldn't happen to any country, and the world should stop bashing Americans.   ;)  

I'd be like, "Oh shit, I'm going to die." Then X_x, and then I wouldn't care b/c I'd be dead.

But nothing happens over here.

Most likely.   It would get the intial response of "oh wow that sucks"  but in the back of my mind i'd be thinking something along the lines of "probably for the better"

2000th of a percent of the population of the world dies due to an earth quake. lots of business about aid work and giving and 3 minutes silence was forced apon us today.

4 times as many people die every day in the 3rd world from poverty (conveying the thoughts of my maths teacher here who got a little irate about peoples general reactions)

this isnt "american bashing" (which is a horrible use of terms by the way) i was genuinely interested in what you were doing, appologies if i came across to strongly. besides we dont snipe at the individuals that reside on here, too often, its just a generalisation, when you elect a slightly chalanged leader to represent you he can be counted as an embodiment of america and by that example our outloooks are bound to be bad.


do it

Sorry mole, but about your last comment...

What is Europe doing to help in Iraq (you complain about America's actions, yet propose no policy changes you're willing to follow through with.  You don't even support the elections).

What is Europe doing to halt the spread of terrorism/rising conflict (i.e. Israeli problem) in the Middle East?

What is Europe doing to fight against nuclear North Korea?

What is Europe doing to combat poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa?

What is Europe doing about the civil war/genocide in Sudan?
_________________________________________

Granted, Americans have their share of flaws too.  :)  

yeah, i reallly don't understand all these "moments of silence" You're basically being forced to grieve which ironically cheapens the entire damn thing. If I want to grieve, i'll do it in my own way on my own time, not have it forced upon me. Of course i could always keep on talking but then other people will say i'm "disrespectful" so i just think of any thing else. I think of the disaster all the time and grieve, but to suddenly be forced to think about and grieve for the victim's just doesn't cut it


Where's the outpouring of public aid for the other people in the 3rd world? There aint any outpouring because it's the 3rd world and the West and the Far East don't care about that. Does anyone remember the earthquake that leveled the city of Bam in Iran earlier this year? No they do not because a bunch of brown skinned people died. Does anyone remember the earthquake that killed 17,000 in Turkey in 1999. No they do not, and it's for the same reasons. In fact i bet this tragedy would get less aid and time if  10,000 white tourists hadn't died.

Well now, someone is feeling cynical!  I personally think the world community always aids people who suffer from such violent natural disasters, though.  :miffed:

I remember the Turkey incident, but only because it was related to Greece.  :/  

Sorry Moley, i didn't think you meant for this thread to turn out that way but it seems like these threads always gravitate in that direction.  And I needed to bitch a bit.

dont worry about it


nail on the head, its for the publics conscience more than anything. we were actually laughing from talking through actions we were making with our hands


the medias using an excuse to take that out of the publicsa view atm. all i know is we have quite a few troops still over there and that activitys are picking up again fro the elections coming up.


not much due to their american backers and supliers


question to me it seems should be "what can Europe do to fight against nuclear North Korea?


send in aid workers and funds, seems to be a favourite past time.


im not really sure racism is appropriate here, the majority of people who died in the Tsunami were asian, so from Indian to Thai.


where the media points our eyes shall follow

 :huh:

Nice view.  LOL  

OK guys, let's cut the "let's bash each other's country" shit, alright? we're friends here, so why do we need to argue about dumbass shit like this?  

damn, this is upsetting...I'm already sick anyways...:hmmm:

thats politics for you

One of the two things you should never discuss.  LOL

sharky- try not to throw up reading the forums.  :P  

poor baby.

ooh, i got it to stop. yay :P

with a bung?

one of the 2 things you dont talk about over the diner table isnt it?

There are too many asians anyway     :P
Now they've got room for new people

:huh:...  LOL

My, your display of sympathy is so... underwhelming!  :P  

 :wub:  :wub:  :wub:  

it's true tho... i think the surviors might even get a better place to live after this, you could see it as some sort of natural selection, most of the ill and old didn't survive which should unload the society a bit (i'm not saying that i'm happy about it and off course lots of families are hurt and torn apart but still...)
also the infrastructure took a blow but mebbe the improvement could be even bigger, like Rotterdam, where i live; the germans bombed the whole city in second world war (also it was about the only act of war they did, our government surrendered after that...) and there was nothing left of the inner-city, so everything had to be built from scratch, but it's also a time when the whole thing can be planned again, and it resulted in a city with much less problems with cars and such then other big cities here like Amsterdam :alien:
only problem there might be that in most regions there isn't really much government interference and planning...

and about the money, today our minister added another 250 million euro's which makes a total of around 280 million of aid... for a country with 16 million people...
also actions from cooperating organisations have raised over 150 million here. Also if you see what the US is spending on all kind of wars around the place 350 million really is peanuts...

you know i was thinking last nigth, its not that i dont care but i feel nothing for these people, im morally ablieged to sympathise but emotionally its just a hole..actually i guess tyhat does mean i dont care

I know what you mean.  Perhaps it's because you don't know anyone there, or it didn't happen to you?   :miffed:

opper- hmm... interesting ideas (but true).  LOL  

I know.  Damn.