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September 24, 2005
On charity and revolution
A provocative perspective from the BBC. I appreciate the articulation of a principle that I've long held yet have never felt comfortable with:
Charity is part of the warp and weft of American life and it is telling that Hurricane Katrina has encouraged an outpouring of giving on a scale never seen before.Americans are cross with the government and disappointed with the response from Washington, but they have not sat on their hands and waited for the government to sort itself out. Much the opposite.
Americans have given with unbridled enthusiasm and generosity.
Is that not something governments do?
Americans do not think so and never will.
This is unquestionably a source of strength and spine in troubled times, but boy does it put a dampener on revolution.
Charity ameliorates it, softens blows, pours oil on troubled waters. It does not lead to social change.
Given a choice between high taxes and charity, I prefer high taxes. There's something just wrong about going to a ball or a concert or buying a product that one will use oneself for one's own pleasure and calling it "charity." Community service? I've got no problem with that; it's a fine thing. Charity, though, seems to me a powerful preventative to social justice.
Posted by senioritis at September 24, 2005 10:50 PM