Today, over 27,000 children died around the world.

[Troll]

Indeed. The GOD being the "leading" nations.

Is it the "leading" nations fault that other countries suffer from unsustainable populations?

[2uk]

I could give you a few reasons:

1) Apathy

2) Because minerals under the ground are of more value (or is that importance) than life.

3) Because it's not in the controlled state's interest to air on TV.

When I was in Tanzania I witnessed poverty first hand yet it was not near like what I suspect the worst places on earth are, and yet all they needed to survive was a few pence to feed themselves. Perhaps one parent worked the rest of the family did not. I could see the same thing in the east end of Glasgae, people dying of abuse/poverty.

4) The truth we probably know exactly why this is not headline news. As part of this race it sickens me and my day to day life would not enjoy having this news shoved in my face on matters I, or the world at large are not equipped to handle. Too many people not enough food, and the land to grow those much required crops is fast reducing.

It is shocking for me because I never really thought about it before. It is good to be aware of the type of world we live in.

[2uk]

Is it the "leading" nations fault that other countries suffer from unsustainable populations?

Exactly , go to BBC, the article might still be there , describing how the US has supported every single dictatorship in Pakistan , since its division from India. The reason being OIL exports. In the same time the US has ceased its relationships with attempts to establish a democratic government in this country. No exceptions. This was even discussed in a previous thread.

[xoggoth]

Marked improvement in light relief, there wasn't nearly enough dwelling on death in my view.

[realityhack]

Historically, the 'West' does not give a toss about whether a country is led
by a democracy, a dictatorship, the 'reds' or the greys.

All they care about are their own national interests - like fossil fuels, water, strategic launching platforms, contracts for corporations, and above all - a nation's compliance.

Genocide? Death squads? Brutal fascist regimes? Starvation? Torture - even of US citizens?

Who cares - as long as they can turn a blind eye, as long as the blame stops before their borders, and their friends in Newscorp find other, fluffier things to fill the airwaves with, and the yeehah boys denounce anyone with some facts as 'un-patriotic' - as long as they have a big fat unquantifiable enemy holding their population in fear and revving them up for a good flag-waving session - then no-one else will really care either.

[Troll]

Historically, the 'West' does not give a toss about whether a country is led by a democracy, a dictatorship, the 'reds' or the greys.
All they care about are their own national interests - like fossil fuels, water, strategic launching platforms, contracts for corporations, and above all - a nation's compliance.

Why should it be otherwise? you berate us for tolerating Mugabe, yet he was voted in by the people..people get the government they deserve, democracy is a Western concept not always suited to less civilised nations.

Genocide? Death squads? Brutal fascist regimes? Starvation? Torture - even of US citizens?

Who cares - as long as they can turn a blind eye, as long as the blame stops before their borders, and their friends in Newscorp find other, fluffier things to fill the airwaves with, and the yeehah boys denounce anyone with some facts as 'un-patriotic' - as long as they have a big fat unquantifiable enemy holding their population in fear and revving them up for a good flag-waving session - then no-one else will really care either.

Sounds like you're wishing for a return to colonial days...

[realityhack]

Why should it be otherwise? you berate us for tolerating Mugabe, yet he was voted in by the people..people get the government they deserve, democracy is a Western concept not always suited to less civilised nations.

I would question the legality of those elections - vote rigging was rife - ombudsmen and election observers complained - they were booted out of the country for the last set of elections. Sure - he may have ridden a wave of PR like most to get in, but once he was there he made sure he was staying. It's surely only a matter of time before Mugabe is ousted.
Agree with you about the western concept - not always suited to all.

Sounds like you're wishing for a return to colonial days...

I'm not sure where you get that from. Most certainly not. We're still in an age of empires anyway.

[2uk]

Sounds like you're wishing for a return to colonial days...

You have to drop the division of the world in countries and rather think in a globalized manner. If you , who have money and wealth , isolate the poor who don't have money and wealth , then go bomb and kill its children and people, hell ye they will hate you and will kill themselves in suicide attacks, no matter they believe in the Allah or Gonzo the Great. You have to support and listen to the poor not isolate them , because they need your help. It is not a game whose dick is bigger anymore. We are all humans. You keep isolating them , you keep their dictatorships.

See this where the US is a mother fecker. They know that , as me and you know it. But they don’t care about the world , rather themselves.And their interest is to keep the poor isolated and angered.

[realityhack]

In some ways I agree - but from what I've read the best way to bring about change is through political means.

We can throw all the money we like at charities, but that doesn't mean the troops will get paid for protecting places like Darfur - that's up to the EU and the UN to sign off.

You can plough your hard-earned cash into The Red Cross and Oxfam - but how can you fly aid through a no-fly zone?

Sanctions cause as much harm as the regimes do for the poor on the ground - preventing the shipment of vital medical supplies, food and equipment.

Yes, it serves strategic interests to disenfranchise the poor - and in some cases, such as in Venezuela, the best way to combat this is an informed public using direct action.

Mass protest and direct action can do more to stabilise a nation than all of the USA's military toys - despite a state media. However - the old rules of Divide et impera and panem et circenses have left much of the poor in developed nations disempowered and disillusioned - such as the Hispanic underclass in the USA.

Grass-roots democracy, education, politicisation and electoral reform are some of the most effective weapons against a corrupt government or foreign interference.

It is our problem and not just the lot of those statistics on the other side of the globe - we should care as much for the epic suffering of entire cultures, especially when that suffering has been exacerbated or caused by the actions of our government (See Diego Garcia, Palestine), because we are in a position to do something about it.

If every schoolchild in the UK and USA were made aware of the consequences of our collaborative nations' economic and social imperialism, past and present, then we may see some real change in the West. As it is, there's fat chance of that happening, as everyone who tries to inform or showcase these issues is immediately branded a lefty loonie or conspiracy theorist.

It's understandable that we don't get involved on a day-to-day basis - it's easy to ignore some of the really harsh statistics around the world, our media don't really persist with bad news or politically sensitive stories except when it suits their agenda.

That, and life is hard enough as it is, even on our cushy little island. If you read about some of the crap that goes on in the world it's really, really depressing. I've started books on power, media, ownership, control etc and taken ages to read them, as I just had to put it down for a while and watch something lighthearted to stop myself being sick and angry.

I don't know - I'm finding it hard enough to get by week after week in the game of life, even on a lovely sum of cash doing bugger all for it - but I have to care about these things and the only thing I can do at the moment is get informed, get a rounded and realistic opinion, before maybe getting involved somehow - even if it's just to inform others.

[Diver]

People die young!
Yes they do. for a multitude of reasons, if they did not then the world would be so overpopulated by now that we would all be members of the starving masses.
Nature at it's harshest. the strong survive, the weak perish.
The world would be a much nicer place if only all the bad people died but unfortunately that will never be the case.
If all of those millions had not died during ww1 & ww2 what would the world population be now?

The world needs some form of population control, if we don't create one then nature will, and believe me I would rather see I would rather see enforced birth control than child deaths.