(no subject)

[la_vie_noire]

More deaths feared in Pakistan as flood waters recede.

The death toll from Pakistan's massive flooding has climbed to 1,639, but the number could rise substantially as flood waters recede and more bodies surface, government officials say.

More than 17 million Pakistanis -- about the population of the Netherlands -- have been affected by the monsoon floods that began a month ago.

In the past few days, at least 1 million people have been displaced in Pakistan's Sindh province, the United Nations said. Authorities issued evacuation orders after a levee burst.

[...]

But the need for help is greatly outpacing the supply.

"The magnitude of this crisis is reaching levels that are even beyond our initial fears, which were already leaning toward what we thought would be the worst," Maurizio Giuliano, a spokesman for the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said Friday. "The number of those affected and those in need of assistance from us are bound to keep rising. The floods seem determined to outrun our response."

The U.N. also said Friday that it is increasingly concerned about flood-driven malnutrition among children.

"The flooding has surrounded millions of children with contaminated water," said Karen Allen, deputy representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Pakistan. "Most have nothing else to drink. We fear the deadly synergy of waterborne diseases, including diarrhea, dehydration and malnutrition."

When the protests about Iran's elections happened, the world was paying attention, you know. As I remember ew_younerd saying then, it was pretty telling that all of the West was so concerned about "bringing democracy" to Iran, maybe the picture they had of democracy was a very westernized one, but no one comments when imperialism massacres Muslim countries.

Now, it's not even Imperialism, it's a natural disaster.

And I have been wondering, a horrible thought to have. This is the biggest disaster in recent history. But you know, it's death toll, awful and huge as it is, is overshadowed by other recent disasters. I also remember the "disaster porn" that came with Haiti's earthquake. People love their Third World disasters to be all about death. As I said, an horrible thought to have, maybe people aren't that disgusting, maybe there are other explanations for this dismissal (probably a conjunction of things). But maybe they are.

Western press is all about death, even this CNN article's title is about death toll increasing. Since Westerners generally have trouble looking at non-westerners as people just like them, probably death is the best way to sell a new. After all, Pakistani people living in awful conditions is not that different from the general image Westerners have of developing countries. Peoples always living in awful conditions. Conditions that most Westerners have no idea about the dynamics of because they will never live them, but they just know that are supposed to be normal for poorer countries which are poorer because they are incompetent, and some Western white celebrity will com to aid anyway.

So you know, people are living in extremely awful conditions. The number of affected people who right now ARE suffering this tragedy way overcomes everything that has happened before. And yes, a lot more will die because of this, and if they don't die, the children will be sick, the women abused, there will be hunger, homelessness and diseases. Their quality of life is important.

azuire linked here to some orgs you can donate to. It's also pretty disgusting that she had to begin her post with, "I do not care what issues you have with corruption or terrorism or whatever. If you so much as bring these up in comments, I swear to God, even though I'm fasting, I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE." So. I guess I'm not even underestimating people.

There is also help_pakistan fandom's auction.

If you have organizations you trust, please comment and I will update this post.

ETA FOR CONCERN TROLLS: Apparently, I need to warn people that they shouldn't bring stupid arguments about how Westerners are the only one who are mighty enough to help Third Worlders in time on need. Because, do I need to point you how the Western World owns most of this world resources (and money) at the expense of other countries anyway (and before someone comes trolling some more, that also means getting their resources from other countries that can't use their own in the same way, boy this post isn't even about this shit)? Really? Also, I don't give a damn about The West crusade for recognition of its "activism." Or how rich China is. Also, you are banned.

Comments

[timeasmymeasure]

Westerners are the only one who are mighty enough to help Third Worlders in time on need.
God, everytime I hear this argument I want to punch someone in the face.

Thanks for the link to azuire's post.

[la_vie_noire]

Tell me about it. But I'm supposed to be patient and "open to conversation" or something.

No prob.

[teej]

Since Westerners generally have trouble looking at non-westerners as people just like them, probably death is the best way to sell a new. After all, Pakistani people living in awful conditions is not that different from the general image Westerners have of developing countries.

Wow, it is a horrible thought but I think you're really on to something.

[la_vie_noire]

Yeah, but then a lot of people also wrote about how Haitian people were not really humans, but part of a morbid entertainment for Western at Haiti's earthquake. And you know, seeing that shit with SPN's fandom...

[parlance]

Thanks for the links.

[la_vie_noire]

No problem, dear.

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[robby.livejournal.com]

The western world tends to be the only faction that tries to help in times of disaster. The last I heard, China and the Muslim world has done very little for Pakistan.

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[bell]

Out of curiosity, why are you raising this point here?

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[robby.livejournal.com]

A good portion of this appeal is bashing the segment that does give in times of need, using insulting rhetoric that smacks of racialism. It probably does more harm than good for the people of Pakistan.

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[bell]

I strongly disagree with you that la_vie_noire's post would do more harm than good, and I disagree that it is wrong to point out the racist aspects behind the relatively few donations given to Pakistan. I also think it ironic that you want to counter "bashing" with... more bashing, this time of China and Muslim countries.

I believe there is be no point in discussing this with you further, so I will stop here. Thank you for your time.

To la_vie_noire-- thank you for this post.

(frozen comment)

[la-vie-noire.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, I don't want you to waste your time with these kind of trolls. :)

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[la-vie-noire.livejournal.com]

yeah, sorry, no.

[ew-younerd.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this. I was raging really fucking hard at the Iran stuff and everybody's sudden concern for Iran and the beautiful Iranian women and that they were somehow suddenly worthy of western recognition because they had held the belief that, because some women wore their hijabs further back, a majority of people in Iran were "liberal" and "western" and wanted "democracy" in the same way that we do over here.

And now, this? You are so fucking correct with the disaster porn and how it is all about death. But you know, this isn't happening fast and quick and Hollywood enough for people to latch on to. This is a slow killer, and you see, people over in my country just don't have the patience to care about that stuff!! :( !!!

Thanks for the links. Seriously. And really, I want to email you or something sometime, because I pretty much love everything you post.

[la-vie-noire.livejournal.com]

You nailed all the Iran issues then.

this isn't happening fast and quick and Hollywood enough for people to latch on to.

Exactly. And they are Muslim and a nuclear power, so, you know. Western people will never see Pakistani people as fully human. (And I doubt most of them even saw Haitians and Indonesian as human then, with all the child-kidnapping and stuff that happened among tragedies.)

You can e-mail me whenever you want, I love to read you. :)