How do you value a life? (week 5 post)

This week as always was a very interesting class and give me what feels like way too much food for thought. One thing that particularly troubled me was that it seemed like a naive idea that the government agencies would work together. Also how some countries refuse to have humanitarian aid allowed in. This just flabbergast and astounds me. So many people loose their lives due to disasters and many loose their lives after the disasters themselves have occurred because response teams do not get to them in time. Help is not there soon enough which makes the death tools of disasters rise higher and higher. Now with all the technology we have that can streamline this process I feel like we are being told that it will never happen because it's more profitable to keep everything between agencies and organizations separate. That it would hurt business or the way things are run if the information were shared.

Are you effing kidding me. How are you going to sit there and talk to me about profit margins and that the information has more value at a later date not being shared when human beings are losing their lives when we have the technology and ability to save them. When a disaster happens and so many people are hurt as we have seen recently volunteer and NPO response has been high and commendable. People came together to work on mapping and on the sms project and translating. People also donated they tried to do a lot. Then I was given the Yates case study and I was really happy because I though that the government was getting in on it as well as some bigger business but alas that was a resounding no. They apparently only did it this once and don't want to do it again because no one wants to take responsibility or give away too much of their precious information.

 
When did we start living in a world where helping our fellow man isn't first. How long have I been blind to this. I mean I knew in the day to day business aspect of it, it was all about the bottom line and no one really gave a shit about me unless they could charge me more or get more money out of me and that was okay because that's how we live now. But even in times of disaster you are still going to be guarded you will literally let people die rather that collaborate to the fullest extent because it might affect your bottom line, it makes me want to throw up. What kind of world do we live in where the haves declare the have nots as bastard children and allow them to fend for themselves.

I really do not understand how America and Europe do not feel a responsibility for these lesser developed countries.If you don't collaborate out of the goodness of your heart at least collaborate out of a sense of responsibility for the plight these countries are in. Some of the poorest countries are often the hardest hit when it comes to  natural disasters and it also just so happens that most of these countries were at one time or another colonies to Britain the US or the other super powers of the ages. What did the super powers do; no too much just pillage these lands for raw resources and help keep them in the technological dark ages and not give them a fair wage for their work, only to see the finished products to these countries. So I can't imagine why they aren't up to snuff with the first world countries. Also if a leader will not allow his or her people help they should be removed from office. Their are basic unalienable human rights and one of them is the right to help. The only way we make it through life whether we like it or not is with each other so we better get our shit together quick. I leave you with Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth, and apparently it isn't much. Buffalo Springfield. Sorry if this post was off topic but man it really makes me mad when everyone is out for number 1 all the time especially the big organizations, businesses and countries.