Humanitarianism is one of the best things humanity has going so naturally it needs to go to hell. It is being attacked on all sides: from a political aspect, to a technological aspect and even on a personal level. I sit here writing this post with national geographic on in the background and their 24/7 week long coverage of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and I can't help but wonder where did it all start to go wrong.
When did the synergy of the world put politics on top and turn everything into a political pissing contest and how in the name of all that is good did we as the human race let Humanitarianism and its groups get dragged into it?
I personally can not wait till we find these bright places where we just want to help our fellow man instead of further our own agendas be it as a country, a political party or personal. I know the Dr. Seuss image might no be apropos but I still think back when I was bright eyed and bushy tailed, idealistic and full of hope that I could change the world. The world is a jaded place where helping our fellow man is not always first priority. Humanitarian organizations in and of their very nature were made and for a while were that bright place that showed us what humanity was capable of when faced with the worst kind of adversity. Unfortunately due to lack of funding and political agendas they also have been tarnished. It is a lot like the Robert Frost poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay."
For all of the good that these organizations have done and for all the people they have helped they have entered a dark age. They still help people and still do so much good but they are conflicted and are currently questioning their own identity. This is a watershed moment for the Humanitarian organizations of all sorts because as we saw from all the pages of myths there are a lot of myths about disasters and the same is true for identity crises.... MYTH: we live in an age where it is possible to be politically neutral.
Disagree with me if you will but with 9/11, the recent natural disasters and most of all how plugged in everyone is it is impossible to hide from the microscope of public scrutiny and until these organizations deal with this and evolve they will be forever at the forefront of the scrutiny. It is easy to be politically neutral when no one is over analyzing your every move but in the age we live in that unfortunately is not possible anymore.
People still do want to help as is proof by all the aid for Haiti and other disasters of that nature be it humanitarian organization or other third party non-profit brought about by new technology. Until those two groups of people learn how to work together in harmony there will always be a problem. The advent of technology has also been a huge problem for Humanitarian organizations because it has enabled widespread scrutiny from all sides.
I apologize if this seems like a lot of disjointed rambling but it is how I can best rationalize what I feel is one of the main problems for Humanitarian organizations. New technology has to find a way to be incorporated and the Humanitarian Organizations themselves need to figure out where they stand in this ever evolving increasingly technological and more wide open world. There is a certain lack of privacy with the new technology and they need to be able to adapt to it and figure out how they will fit in and be able to have staying power and expand in the future. I don't see how they can be neutral so they must figure out where they stand and how they can best help the most people because that is really what they are all about.
Fun link for the day to http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php a cool global view of natural disasters.
I partially agree with you on your belief that is impossible to be politically neutral these days. Obviously, governmental assistance will usually be political in nature. Governments are not in the business of just giving away money because they feel like it. Monetary assistance will always be used to further the interests of the giving government. I believe that it is possible for NGOs to remain politically neutral however.
ReplyDeleteThe International Red Cross is politically neutral and sends relief around the world to those in need. While people may abuse the Red Cross, as an organization they remain politically neutral when providing aid. However, the Red Cross is somewhat of an anomaly within the Humanitarian community. There are definitely NGOs that are not politically neutral and use humanitarian aid to promote an agenda. I believe that it is possible for an NGO to remain politically neutral, but that many are choosing not to in order to promote a certain agenda.