Recently I have noticed individuals of mostly African extraction sitting at tiny makeshift tables in front of certain stores. In a manner both friendly and menacing they solicit donations from passing shoppers, most of whom are affluent European Americans.
It is a scene familiar to most of us. Perhaps we should not blame them personally; they are what they are. No, my disgust is with my own. There is something distasteful to me in the public way Europeans invariably hand over money to these individuals, often stopping to engage in not-very-convincing banter as if they were old friends.
These public acts of charity, I think, are designed to enhance the Westerner's moral status in the eyes of his community. More importantly, it is a clear exchange: in return for cash, the white man is absolved of the nasty thoughts and deeds of which by virtue of his genetic heritage he is assumed to be guilty. It is rather analogous to the selling and granting of indulgences by the Church.
It is a telling measure of my alienation, one could argue, that I feel no such charitable urge towards The Other. Absolutely none. Nor do I suffer from guilt or shame for not partaking in the bizarre ritual, whether it be surrendering cash to African beggars on our streets, building houses in Central America, adopting Mongolian babies, or sending money to grossly overpopulated African countries. I just do not feel it. In fact, it strikes me as unreasonable, harmful, and immoral to hand over one's resources. On a purely biological level, it is an arrant violation of our genetic interests.
I am of course not without altruistic instincts--a quality for which our race is known--but my loyalty is to my own. Charity, after all, begins at home, as the Bible affirms in 1 Tim 5:8: "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." Let me be clear: for ourselves and ourselves alone.
It is imperative we pull together. The world continues to fracture in ways still unacknowledged by most. New conflicts are emerging over issues of cultural difference, ethnic dominance, and resource scarcity. Primal loyalties are resurfacing. Old scores are being settled. There is no avoiding it. We must not allow altruism to supersede our instinct for self-preservation. Choose life.
So there you have it. Should you be in Laguna Beach this weekend, do look me up. I will be the tall handsome chap in polo shirt, red shorts, and boat shoes, giving a donation to a group of little blonde Boy Scouts and their beaming fathers. We can discuss the matter in more detail, and perhaps buy each other a cocktail.
Well written! I especially liked the part about that charity begins at home, more people should give this thought.
ReplyDeleteBravo!
ReplyDeleteSometimes the pleading is for things less mundane than mere food and shelter;today I was asked by a young Asian lady to give money for 'world peace'! I just laughed and said no thank you, I'm an arms dealer.
ReplyDeleteSounds all very Francis Urquhart to me...
ReplyDeleteThe only grocery store charity panhandlers I throw a buck to are the veterans relief people. Most everyone else, including Salvation Army with their "Happy Holidays!" aren't getting a cent.
ReplyDeleteStockton Andrews II ~ She should have known that the only way to world peace is abolishing money! Perhaps she intended to destroy it later...
While I can appreciate the Randian ideals in this post, the bit about being "menaced" by "Africans" strikes me as fairly distasteful.
ReplyDeleteWEll, I must say I am amused.
ReplyDeleteI get where you are coming from, as we have them here in Sydney, Australia.
The thing is even if one does donate money, I have heard it goes into buying four wheel drives etc for the people running the charities.
Also as i don't believe in giving vaccinations, i certainly will not be donating!
Aussie girl..
It is not unreasonable to assume that europeans will succumb to their assumed guilt, irrespective of the origin of that guilt.
ReplyDeleteAs the west itself proclaims to be at odds with the medieval concepts of islam and african governance, it should at the same time act accordingly.
Maybe charity is a crude form of restitution. Donations should be presented in an actual form of investment were the "donor" will be in fact a bona fide investor, taking a rather egoistic interest in the outcome of his donation.
In a few words, if charities start to behave as corporations, adopting corporate governance and being accountable to international bodies and shareholders (meaning that the entire charity structure being amended), we may feel more comfortable in participating.
I have no pity for beggars in this country, unless they have some sort of mental issue. True, crushing poverty only exists in the third world. When Im traveling there I try to keep a few dollars for the ones who really need it and dont look like part of a beggar's gang.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous at 20:17 ~ You should read The Road to Hell by Michael Maren. While he doesn't tackle the racial issues at the heart of the foreign aid/charity disaster, his indictment of said foreign aid is brutal, and true.
ReplyDeleteIt's a difficult subject and people are easily motivated by dreadful sights and, sometimes manipulated. I recall once, in NW Pakistan, that my wife and I were approached by a small child on a crutch. She had one leg and we gave her something. The next day we saw her with her mother but this time she had two legs. In London I always gave to vagrants - but on the very strict understanding that they would spend it on alcohol and tobacco.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was living in San Miguel Mexico, eons ago, a beggar held up the stump of a wrist to my face and said "Peso." I responded with "Pero no tiene mano para recibirlo." (But You don't have a hand to receive it). Begger buggered off. There's a moral there.
ReplyDeleteDamn it! Had I known you were in a giving mood this weekend, I would have brought my son, the blond haired cub scout. I would have been the beeming father, of course. And cocktails! That would have been the icing on the cake.
ReplyDeleteBradley -- Had you grown up in Baltimore you would have known exactly what a menacing African is. They can work wonders on your city.
ReplyDeleteI no longer give retail so to speak. I now give to the shelters or organizations which provide assistance in a coordinated and deliberate manner. Giving on the street simply empowers the receivers to stay exactly where they are - on the street. I also agree that donating money to the newest hospital wing while members of one's own family are in need, is indeed sin.
ReplyDeleteI used to give - not out of guilt but based on the old saw, 'there but for the grace of God...'. Now I understand the scam behind most begging. Occasionally, someone really is in need and I think one can tell. I once gave money to someone simply because the story was so entertaining. Now it just to the animal shelter, the marine center and children's hospital. Animals and children can't help themselves, usually people can. But it's not written in stone. We still need to keep an open heart, just not be stupid about it.
ReplyDeleteMany of these charity scams are racial transfers of wealth, from well-meaning Whites to hostile non-whites. The Obama regime has been perpetrating this scam on a national scale.
ReplyDelete"African extraction"? "European Americans"?
ReplyDeletePlease tell me this is all tongue in cheek.
"Many of these charity scams are racial transfers of wealth, from well-meaning Whites to hostile non-whites. The Obama regime has been perpetrating this scam on a national scale."
What in the blue f*** are you talking about?