Donating to charity =/= Relating.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Why do you need to "relate" if you help?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Because you'll be serving an entire country full of people you need to serve and, in a lot of ways, provide for.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

But again, if he can fix the problems for middle and low class Americans, why does it matter if he has been in their position before?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Ah, I see your point now. I agree, but in this specific instance, he hasn't really done anything to prove that he can fix those problems.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Well that's because he isn't president (yet?)

by Anonymous 12 years ago

True, but he also doesn't have a plan to help if he //does// become president. His entire campaign is pretty much based on bashing Obama (well, democrats in general).

by Anonymous 12 years ago

That's probably fair. I personally think its time to abandon the policies that brought us from bad to worse and give someone else a shot.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Just because you donate doesn't mean you can relate.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

See above

by Anonymous 12 years ago

If that's the case, why did you need to include "relate" in the post?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

That's probably a fair question. I guess I included it because this fact answers that whole "relatability" issue

by Anonymous 12 years ago

But you just said yourself that it doesn't...

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I said if he can fix the problem, it solves the relatability issue. Sorry for my lack of clarity, it's difficult to respond to multiple comments that say essentially the same thing

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I don't believe in charity. I believe in solidarity. Charity is so vertical. It goes from the top to the bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects the other person. I have a lot to learn from other people. -Eduardo Hughes Galeano

by Anonymous 12 years ago

So what does this mean in the context of the post?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

The idea of charity running from the top to the bottom basically means that you are superior to the person in poverty and you don't relate to them. It is also a political strategy. You can easily donate to charity and then say that you are a good person. This does not substitute for policy that helps make necessities like health care and education accessible to the general public. (To be fair, Obama's health care act and the Race to the Top supported by Obama do not do this either, the former favors people who can actually afford the best insurance plan, while the latter favors charter schools over public schools.)

by Anonymous 12 years ago

But who's to say that Romney isn't "horizontal" either? I mean, whether he is or not, he has still done more to help the less fortunate through charity, job creation, and policy making than most people have. I believe that whether he has suffered the same problem that you're suffering is irrelevant compared to his ability to solve that problem

by Anonymous 12 years ago

"Less fortunate" = perfect example of verticality. It suggests that these people did not encounter as much fortune as the person giving the charity, and that nothing can be done about it besides the charity. As for job creation, a study has shown that if you take $1,000,000 that are spent on war and use it to invest in health care, education, and better infrastructure, more jobs of better quality would be created. But an end to the multiple wars the United States is involved in is not something that either candidate would be dedicated to.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Well I'm speaking of what Romney has already done, not what he can or will do. He gave startup investments to companies that are now international corporations, such as staples. And also as governor he passed legislation such as healthcare that give permanent help to...I don't know what you what me to call poor folk.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

What's wrong with saying "less fortunate?"

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Apparently it's too vertical

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Ridiculous. We can't say anything that's even slightly offensive to anyone

by Anonymous 12 years ago

You clearly don't understand empathy. You only care about the poor if you're willing to donate other people's money to them...

by Anonymous 12 years ago