Would you rather end hunger or hate?

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   threekeysposted 9 years ago

   Would you rather end hunger or hate?

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   wingedcentaurposted 9 years ago

   Hi ThreeKeys! How's it going?
   
   The argument could be made that hunger is the direct result of political "hate," if one wanted to put it that way. That is to say that, in my view, world hunger is not a problem of lack of food; it is a political problem of distribution.
   
   We are, of course, talking about class politics. The so-called super rich may not necessarily "hate" the poor, but they encourage the classes below them to hate the poor. "We," in a sense, do their "hating" for them.
   
   One only needs to review, say, the last forty-odd years of United States political history to confirm this. This process took an upswing with the election to the Presidency of Ronald Reagan. Ever since he fired thousands of air traffic controllers for going on strike, for example, "we" have been encouraged to hate workers---when they go on strike and threaten to inconvenience the rest of "us."
   
   By "hating" workers, "we" help to make their job of organizing to get a fair share of the pie, that much more difficult----and this process could easily result in working families going "hungry."
   
   Since the 1970s, one-in-twenty workers who voted to have a union were illegally fired; some estimates put this at one-in-eight.
   
   To the extent that we are encouraged to "hate" the LGBT community, this makes their liberation that much more difficult. There are certain economic rights that gay people lose out on when they are not allowed to legally marry; and this can result in increased "hunger."
   
   I'm sure I don't even have to mention the hunger-inducing effects that institutional racism can have on people of color, in the United States alone!
   
   My point is this: I would encourage you to see hunger and hate as intimately connected.
   
   Thanks.

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      threekeysposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Winged Centaur you are incisive like a scalpel yet well rounded like a toning bowl. I liked your breadth of view even though I felt  the wind was knocked out of me so to speak. Interesting ...

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   IvoryTuskposted 9 years ago

   It would seem that if we end hate, we would also--de facto--end hunger.  When we see ourselves in the people around us, and that kind of vision can be embodied within our political and business worlds as well, we would not allow ourselves to let another go hungry.  We would not allow another to be offended or be treated unkindly, unjustly, etc.  Hatred, corruption, and greed are the poisons that drive us to act as consumers as opposed to citizens; they allow us to justify exploitation and destruction of others for the sake of the personal benefits of power.   End hatred and the rest will follow.

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      threekeysposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yes if we could see ourselves in another we would want the best for them just as much we want the best for ourselves. We just cannot intentionally be cruel to or killing other humans any more. This century is here to improve our relationship skills.

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   tamarawilhiteposted 9 years ago

   Hate as an emotion is not evil. It doesn't affect anyone if I hate Brussel sprouts or rap music. If I hate someone who severely hurt me, as long as I don't violate their rights, the emotion doesn't matter.
   Ending hunger, though, solves many world problems. It is estimated world IQ goes up 10 points if all the kids who suffer nutritional deficits (not enough vitamin A or protein) get it, and maybe 15 points if no one is denied enough food all of their lives.
   And when you raise world IQ, the population can be more educated, productive, healthy. To top it off, you simply eliminate a large part of human suffering - and the riots and violence that occur when hungry people are desperate.

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      IvoryTuskposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I appreciate your pragmatic approach to this question, as opposed to the philosophical vein in which I approached it.  You are right; hunger is something that is much more tangible as an evil.

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