Here is a multimedia presentation of what I have been blogging about this semester. It helps you see connections between topics and is a more visual way to understand this topic of charity. Feel free to share it with people who might be interested in the topic! My hope is that this presentation can be used to educate people about the good, the bad, and what you can do about charity.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Alternatives to Charity
As we have seen, charities can be harmful by treating their clients as inferior, needing paternalistic help, and assuming the world will always be unequal. However, there are alternatives to this type of charity. Some of these alternatives are analyzing the charities you support and supporting social justice through your government or other organizations.
If you want to make sure that the charities you support do not cause more harm than good, analyze their practices. Read their mission statement and see if they are actively trying to change the inequalities in society. Try to uncover any paternalistic or superiority stereotypes. If you think that the organization is being harmful, you can contact them with your concerns. Instead of just dropping your support, you can let them know what issues you see with their operation and how they could change to make more of a difference in society.
This change in the world really comes about through social justice. Social justice is the idea of changing society so that it is fair to all people. The government should be involved in passing legislation that assures this equal society. In his article, “Charity vs. Justice,” Dan Schreiber states that social justice is “guaranteeing that everyone be provided basic protections, rights, and material well-being.” Social justice asserts that every person on the planet is equally valuable and governments all over the world should enact legislation that follows this principle.
There are many social justice organizations that also work for this ideal. These groups tend to eliminate the negatives of charity while making a difference in people’s lives. Sharon Gaskell of the Starthrower Foundation says that “the humility of justice calls us not to do things FOR the poor of this world but rather do things WITH them, in service, in community, in negotiation, in partnership.” She goes on to say that these people know their needs and true social justice listens to these needs and addresses them in a meaningful way. This shows that social justice does not operate under paternalistic and superiority stereotypes, but actually works with people.
A great example of one of these organizations is the International Justice Mission (IJM). They are a “human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression.” This group works to change the system of structural violence through their four purposes: victim relief, perpetrator accountability, victim aftercare, and structural transformation. The IJM is different from other charity organizations because they embrace the ideals of social justice and recognize that society is flawed and it should not be. They address the root causes of oppression and fight them through their purposes of perpetrator accountability and structural transformation.
You can make a difference in reducing the harm that charities cause and in increasing the good that they do. Look into the values of the philanthropies that you support and encourage them to adopt values of social justice. Get in contact with your legislators and make it clear that you want them to be adopting laws that promote social justice in your country and around the world. Finally, find valuable social justice organizations and volunteer your time and money. You really can help them make a difference in the world!
Click HERE to open the feedback tool.
If you want to make sure that the charities you support do not cause more harm than good, analyze their practices. Read their mission statement and see if they are actively trying to change the inequalities in society. Try to uncover any paternalistic or superiority stereotypes. If you think that the organization is being harmful, you can contact them with your concerns. Instead of just dropping your support, you can let them know what issues you see with their operation and how they could change to make more of a difference in society.
This change in the world really comes about through social justice. Social justice is the idea of changing society so that it is fair to all people. The government should be involved in passing legislation that assures this equal society. In his article, “Charity vs. Justice,” Dan Schreiber states that social justice is “guaranteeing that everyone be provided basic protections, rights, and material well-being.” Social justice asserts that every person on the planet is equally valuable and governments all over the world should enact legislation that follows this principle.
There are many social justice organizations that also work for this ideal. These groups tend to eliminate the negatives of charity while making a difference in people’s lives. Sharon Gaskell of the Starthrower Foundation says that “the humility of justice calls us not to do things FOR the poor of this world but rather do things WITH them, in service, in community, in negotiation, in partnership.” She goes on to say that these people know their needs and true social justice listens to these needs and addresses them in a meaningful way. This shows that social justice does not operate under paternalistic and superiority stereotypes, but actually works with people.
A great example of one of these organizations is the International Justice Mission (IJM). They are a “human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression.” This group works to change the system of structural violence through their four purposes: victim relief, perpetrator accountability, victim aftercare, and structural transformation. The IJM is different from other charity organizations because they embrace the ideals of social justice and recognize that society is flawed and it should not be. They address the root causes of oppression and fight them through their purposes of perpetrator accountability and structural transformation.
You can make a difference in reducing the harm that charities cause and in increasing the good that they do. Look into the values of the philanthropies that you support and encourage them to adopt values of social justice. Get in contact with your legislators and make it clear that you want them to be adopting laws that promote social justice in your country and around the world. Finally, find valuable social justice organizations and volunteer your time and money. You really can help them make a difference in the world!
Click HERE to open the feedback tool.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Resource Guide
I have chosen 15 online resources that are helpful in dealing with the issue of charity.
Miniature Earth
This video really puts the world into perspective and presents statistics about the earth in a very understandable way. It tackles some issues such as economic inequality, health, and water availability.
University of California Atlas of Global Inequality
This website has an incredible amount of data and statistics. They cover income inequality, economic globalization, gender, communication, and others. This data is available for all countries and they also have a lot of research posted on the site.
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is a good place to start when you want to find out what is going on in the world. Their website explains what the UN is doing around the globe, what kinds of laws are in place, and what governments and organizations are doing to stop various issues.
Charity Navigator
This website rates American philanthropies on their organizational efficiency (program, administrative, fundraising expenses and fundraising efficiency) and their organizational capacity (primary revenue growth, program expenses growth, and working capital ratio). This is a great site to use to find out if charities that you support are efficient and use their resources well. For each charity, Charity Navigator also provides an income statement, list of executives and what they are paid, and the charity’s mission.
Forbes.com’s Genuinely Needy article
Forbes.com evaluated 200 nonprofit organizations and “rated them on how efficiently they collect and distribute charity.” Their top ten charities include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Heifer International, and the Salvation Army.
National Center for Charitable Statistics
This is a great source for data and statistics on charities in the United States. They have all kinds of data about how much time and money Americans spend on charities. One handy aspect of this site is their data analysis tools. You can select what information you want displayed on a table. One downside is that you have to pay for some of their reports.
“Charity vs. Justice”
This article is a great summary of the differences between charity and social justice. The author highlights the different approaches that charity and social justice take and the effect that they have on people.
“Social Justice vs Charity”
This article by Sharon Gaskell of the Starthower Foundations delves into the differences between the arrogance of charity and the humility of justice. Gaskell presents the issues with charity and explains how social justice can make more of a lasting and valuable difference by working with people in poverty.
Paul Farmer on Development: Creating Sustainable Justice
This Youtube video shows a lecture by Paul Farmer, medical anthropologist, doctor, and social activist, at University of California. Farmer talks about medical treatment for people in poverty. He uses his work in Haiti through the organization Partners in Health as an example. He especially addresses the issue of developing “sustainable justice in developing countries.”
International Justice Mission
The International Justice Mission (IJM) is a great example of an organization that helps people out of slavery and oppression by changing the system. They use an approach that takes into account victim relief, perpetrator accountability, victim aftercare, and structural transformation. IJM’s website has a ton of statistics, case studies, and video that are very educational about issues in today’s world and what is being done to change them.
“Charity”
This essay by Deborah Taggart explains the history of charity including its historical roots, connection with religion, history of the word, and the differences between charity and philanthropy. The essay also includes a history of charity in the United States.
Questia
This website provides a list of books that deal with social justice. You can look at the book’s table on contents, read a selection from the book, and see reviews and ratings of the books.
Daughters of Charity
This organization has a website that explains many of the social justice issues of today. They have some newsletters that have provide information about these issues.
University of Alberta Visiting Lectureship in Human Rights- Dr. Kevin Bales
This is the transcript of a lecture that Dr. Kevin Bales, sociologist and slavery expert, gave at the University of Alberta. Bales talks about modern slavery, violence, and solutions to the issue. He mentions his organization, Free the Slaves, and other parts of the movement against slavery.
“Structural Violence as a Human Rights Violation”
This journal article by Kathleen Ho really delves into the issues of structural violence and inequality and how they are a human rights violation. She stresses the need of social and economic rights, not just civil and political rights.
Have fun exploring these resources!
Miniature Earth
This video really puts the world into perspective and presents statistics about the earth in a very understandable way. It tackles some issues such as economic inequality, health, and water availability.
University of California Atlas of Global Inequality
This website has an incredible amount of data and statistics. They cover income inequality, economic globalization, gender, communication, and others. This data is available for all countries and they also have a lot of research posted on the site.
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is a good place to start when you want to find out what is going on in the world. Their website explains what the UN is doing around the globe, what kinds of laws are in place, and what governments and organizations are doing to stop various issues.
Charity Navigator
This website rates American philanthropies on their organizational efficiency (program, administrative, fundraising expenses and fundraising efficiency) and their organizational capacity (primary revenue growth, program expenses growth, and working capital ratio). This is a great site to use to find out if charities that you support are efficient and use their resources well. For each charity, Charity Navigator also provides an income statement, list of executives and what they are paid, and the charity’s mission.
Forbes.com’s Genuinely Needy article
Forbes.com evaluated 200 nonprofit organizations and “rated them on how efficiently they collect and distribute charity.” Their top ten charities include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Heifer International, and the Salvation Army.
National Center for Charitable Statistics
This is a great source for data and statistics on charities in the United States. They have all kinds of data about how much time and money Americans spend on charities. One handy aspect of this site is their data analysis tools. You can select what information you want displayed on a table. One downside is that you have to pay for some of their reports.
“Charity vs. Justice”
This article is a great summary of the differences between charity and social justice. The author highlights the different approaches that charity and social justice take and the effect that they have on people.
“Social Justice vs Charity”
This article by Sharon Gaskell of the Starthower Foundations delves into the differences between the arrogance of charity and the humility of justice. Gaskell presents the issues with charity and explains how social justice can make more of a lasting and valuable difference by working with people in poverty.
Paul Farmer on Development: Creating Sustainable Justice
This Youtube video shows a lecture by Paul Farmer, medical anthropologist, doctor, and social activist, at University of California. Farmer talks about medical treatment for people in poverty. He uses his work in Haiti through the organization Partners in Health as an example. He especially addresses the issue of developing “sustainable justice in developing countries.”
International Justice Mission
The International Justice Mission (IJM) is a great example of an organization that helps people out of slavery and oppression by changing the system. They use an approach that takes into account victim relief, perpetrator accountability, victim aftercare, and structural transformation. IJM’s website has a ton of statistics, case studies, and video that are very educational about issues in today’s world and what is being done to change them.
“Charity”
This essay by Deborah Taggart explains the history of charity including its historical roots, connection with religion, history of the word, and the differences between charity and philanthropy. The essay also includes a history of charity in the United States.
Questia
This website provides a list of books that deal with social justice. You can look at the book’s table on contents, read a selection from the book, and see reviews and ratings of the books.
Daughters of Charity
This organization has a website that explains many of the social justice issues of today. They have some newsletters that have provide information about these issues.
University of Alberta Visiting Lectureship in Human Rights- Dr. Kevin Bales
This is the transcript of a lecture that Dr. Kevin Bales, sociologist and slavery expert, gave at the University of Alberta. Bales talks about modern slavery, violence, and solutions to the issue. He mentions his organization, Free the Slaves, and other parts of the movement against slavery.
“Structural Violence as a Human Rights Violation”
This journal article by Kathleen Ho really delves into the issues of structural violence and inequality and how they are a human rights violation. She stresses the need of social and economic rights, not just civil and political rights.
Have fun exploring these resources!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
How Charity Hurts
It is undeniable that various charities and philanthropies accomplish many great things in the world; however, it is also true that they can cause or perpetuate not so great things. These issues can stem from how philanthropies view the people they are helping and what they assume about the world.
One of the biggest problems with charities is how they perceive, and treat, the people they help. Often, people pity those they are helping and think of them as not quite equal, not having rights, and not being of much value to society. In his book, Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor, Paul Farmer explains that “those who believe that charity is the answer to the world’s problems often have a tendency- sometimes striking, sometimes subtle, and surely lurking in all of us- to regard those needing charity as intrinsically inferior.” This is absolutely not true and Farmer encourages us to think of these people as “victims of structural violence.”
Charities’ harmful views can be manifested in subtle ways, but they influence the philanthropy’s work and they influence how society sees people in need. One great example of this is explained in Joseph Shapiro’s book, No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement.
Shapiro analyzes Jerry Lewis’ Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon as an example of how philanthropies negatively view their clients. The telethon presents the stories of kids with Muscular Dystrophy and portrays the kids as pitiable, depressed victims who desperately want and need a cure. This influences society because it makes people afraid of Muscular Dystrophy and makes them think that people with the disease are childlike and miserable. This is very harmful for the people with MD because others will treat them like children, will pity them, and often subconsciously think they are inferior.
Ultimately, the society will decide that, as Evan Kemp says in No Pity, “the only socially acceptable status for disabled people is their childhood . . . [and will] support the damaging and common prejudice that handicapped people are ‘sick.’” Through philanthropies such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association, society learns to look down on people with disabilities and try to avoid or hide them. As Shapiro states, “people who were pitied were also a little more disposable.”
Another view that can be very damaging is when a philanthropy maintains paternalistic assumptions. This is when they think that the people they are helping cannot take care of themselves or cannot make decisions for themselves. This ties in with the ideas of thinking that people are inferior or don’t have rights. Many charities will decide that they know best how to take care of someone or how best to spend money for them. This can result in people not getting the right kind of help and, again, in convincing society that the people in need are inferior and dependent.
Another way in which philanthropies can be harmful is in what they assume about the world. Paul Farmer asserts that “the approach of charity further presupposes that there will always be those who have and those who have not.” This is a problem because if a philanthropy decides there will always be people in need, they will not work toward ending inequalities. Farmer quotes Paulo Freire in saying that “true generosity consists precisely in fighting to destroy the causes which nourish false charity.” An organization’s lasting difference in the world is to fight the causes of inequality.
Charities can perpetuate negative stereotypes about people by how they see those they try to help. They can also ignore inequality by assuming it will always be there. To really help and make a difference, philanthropies should analyze how they view their clients and how they view the world.
Works Cited
Farmer, Paul. Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor. Berkely: University of California Press, 2005.
Shapiro, Joseph P. No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1994.
Click HERE to open the feedback tool.
One of the biggest problems with charities is how they perceive, and treat, the people they help. Often, people pity those they are helping and think of them as not quite equal, not having rights, and not being of much value to society. In his book, Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor, Paul Farmer explains that “those who believe that charity is the answer to the world’s problems often have a tendency- sometimes striking, sometimes subtle, and surely lurking in all of us- to regard those needing charity as intrinsically inferior.” This is absolutely not true and Farmer encourages us to think of these people as “victims of structural violence.”
Charities’ harmful views can be manifested in subtle ways, but they influence the philanthropy’s work and they influence how society sees people in need. One great example of this is explained in Joseph Shapiro’s book, No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement.
Shapiro analyzes Jerry Lewis’ Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon as an example of how philanthropies negatively view their clients. The telethon presents the stories of kids with Muscular Dystrophy and portrays the kids as pitiable, depressed victims who desperately want and need a cure. This influences society because it makes people afraid of Muscular Dystrophy and makes them think that people with the disease are childlike and miserable. This is very harmful for the people with MD because others will treat them like children, will pity them, and often subconsciously think they are inferior.
Ultimately, the society will decide that, as Evan Kemp says in No Pity, “the only socially acceptable status for disabled people is their childhood . . . [and will] support the damaging and common prejudice that handicapped people are ‘sick.’” Through philanthropies such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association, society learns to look down on people with disabilities and try to avoid or hide them. As Shapiro states, “people who were pitied were also a little more disposable.”
Another view that can be very damaging is when a philanthropy maintains paternalistic assumptions. This is when they think that the people they are helping cannot take care of themselves or cannot make decisions for themselves. This ties in with the ideas of thinking that people are inferior or don’t have rights. Many charities will decide that they know best how to take care of someone or how best to spend money for them. This can result in people not getting the right kind of help and, again, in convincing society that the people in need are inferior and dependent.
Another way in which philanthropies can be harmful is in what they assume about the world. Paul Farmer asserts that “the approach of charity further presupposes that there will always be those who have and those who have not.” This is a problem because if a philanthropy decides there will always be people in need, they will not work toward ending inequalities. Farmer quotes Paulo Freire in saying that “true generosity consists precisely in fighting to destroy the causes which nourish false charity.” An organization’s lasting difference in the world is to fight the causes of inequality.
Charities can perpetuate negative stereotypes about people by how they see those they try to help. They can also ignore inequality by assuming it will always be there. To really help and make a difference, philanthropies should analyze how they view their clients and how they view the world.
Works Cited
Farmer, Paul. Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor. Berkely: University of California Press, 2005.
Shapiro, Joseph P. No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1994.
Click HERE to open the feedback tool.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
How Charity Helps
In our quest to figure out if charity and philanthropy is helpful or harmful, the positive aspects are the most obvious. Various charities and philanthropies do all kinds of good things in the world. I think the most helpful way to realize this is to look at a few case studies of charities. These individual charities were given four stars by CharityNavigator.org. Visit this link to learn more about how they rate charities. Also, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, so these images should help us understand just what these charities are doing in the world.
Action Against Hunger is an international charity that works to provide clean water and food to people around the world. According to their website, Action Against Hunger “carry out innovative, lifesaving programs in nutrition, food security, water and sanitation, health, and advocacy.” The organization analyzes the nutritional needs of a certain population and works to treat and prevent malnutrition. They also attempt to provide clean, renewable sources of water, and set up health clinics around the world. Additionally, Action Against Hunger works to find the causes of hunger and solve those issues politically. This charity is one example of hundreds that work to help people in need all around the world.
A boy eats food provided by Action Against Hunger (I couldn't figure out how to make this picture smaller. Sorry!)
Another type of philanthropy is religious organizations. One example of this is Warm Blankets Orphan Care International. Despite its completely cheesy name, this group helps children in need throughout the world. This group follows some of the Biblical teachings that I referred to in the History post. Isaiah 1:17 says “Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Warm Blankets works with local churches around the world to establish what they call a Family Home. This is basically a small orphanage, run by local widows, that shares a building with a church.
A group of kids in front of their Family Home
One last philanthropy case study is Teach for America. This is an organization that recognizes the inequalities in education for students in America. They recruit college graduates who volunteer to teach for two years in a low-income community. These teachers work to give needy students a great education that they might not have received from their normal teachers.
A corps member of Teach for America- New York City
These charities are just three specific examples of what thousands of charities do worldwide. Obviously, these charities accomplish great things, but is it at a cost? What are the negative aspects of charity? Find this out in my next post!
Click HERE to open the feedback tool.
Action Against Hunger is an international charity that works to provide clean water and food to people around the world. According to their website, Action Against Hunger “carry out innovative, lifesaving programs in nutrition, food security, water and sanitation, health, and advocacy.” The organization analyzes the nutritional needs of a certain population and works to treat and prevent malnutrition. They also attempt to provide clean, renewable sources of water, and set up health clinics around the world. Additionally, Action Against Hunger works to find the causes of hunger and solve those issues politically. This charity is one example of hundreds that work to help people in need all around the world.
A boy eats food provided by Action Against Hunger (I couldn't figure out how to make this picture smaller. Sorry!)
Another type of philanthropy is religious organizations. One example of this is Warm Blankets Orphan Care International. Despite its completely cheesy name, this group helps children in need throughout the world. This group follows some of the Biblical teachings that I referred to in the History post. Isaiah 1:17 says “Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Warm Blankets works with local churches around the world to establish what they call a Family Home. This is basically a small orphanage, run by local widows, that shares a building with a church.
A group of kids in front of their Family Home
One last philanthropy case study is Teach for America. This is an organization that recognizes the inequalities in education for students in America. They recruit college graduates who volunteer to teach for two years in a low-income community. These teachers work to give needy students a great education that they might not have received from their normal teachers.
A corps member of Teach for America- New York City
These charities are just three specific examples of what thousands of charities do worldwide. Obviously, these charities accomplish great things, but is it at a cost? What are the negative aspects of charity? Find this out in my next post!
Click HERE to open the feedback tool.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
History
Understanding the history of charity and philanthropy is important for making sense of these topics in today’s world. This brief overview cannot possibly demonstrate the complexity and volume of the history of charity and philanthropy, but it gives a basic outline. To start this discussion of history, the words charity and philanthropy need to be defined. According to Dictionary.com, philanthropy is “altruistic concern for human welfare and advancement, usually manifested by donations of money, property, or work.” Charity more specifically refers to giving and helping the poor. These words are often used as synonyms, but I will attempt to be as accurate as possible and stick to their actual meaning.
In his book, Giving: Charity and Philanthropy in History, Robert Bremner uses The Odyssey and The Iliad to analyze how ninth century B.C. Greeks felt about beggars. Bremner concludes that people generally were only charitable if it was in their best interest. This idea is expanded upon in Deborah Taggart’s essay, “Charity.” Taggart says that the Greeks helped the poor laborers because they were necessary to the economy, but the “destitute and beggars were abhorred.”
Besides Homer’s epics, the Bible can be used to get a glimpse of the charity and philanthropy of ancient people. In the Bible, God frequently commands his people to be charitable and philanthropic. For example, in Isaiah 1:17, God says “Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” This shows that God expected the Israelites to take care of those who, in their society, could not support themselves. People probably followed these instructions so they could be in the right with God. It seems as though people in ancient times participated in charity and philanthropy for selfish reasons (which, it could be argued, continues today).
A change happens in the Bible when Jesus comes into the picture. In Matthew 22:37-39, when asked what the greatest commandment is, He says that the first is to love God and the second is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” One can assume that loving your neighbor as yourself also includes helping them if they need it. Therefore, the early Christians were supposed to help those in need because they love them which is very different from helping others to advance yourself.
Later, however, this changed again as the people of pre-modern Europe had some new ideas. As Zygmunt Bauman explains on page 87 in his chapter “Prospects for the New Poor,” these Christians viewed charity as a way to “practice self-sacrifice, to live a virtuous life, to repent sins, and to earn heavenly bliss.” Charity became a fairly common selfish activity, at least among the churchgoing upper class.
The sixteenth century brought the explosion of scientific thought. People started thinking about Social Darwinism and many governments in Europe began passing laws against the lower classes. Bremner talks about “efforts to license and regulate begging by people unable to work.” While the governments did not have any social welfare, there was a lot of action from the churches to be charitable to the poor.
Eventually, governments started instituting social welfare which can be thought of as a form of charity. Also, in the realm of philanthropy, institutions such as hospitals became prevalent and justice systems were set up that would benefit all kinds of people. Now, many charities and philanthropies still associated with various churches or with the government. The developments of charity and philanthropy through history have shaped how these topics look today and can frame our analysis of them.
Bauman, Zygmunt. “Prospects for the New Poor.” Work, Consumerism and the New Poor. Philadelphia: Open University Press, 1998. 83-104.
Bremner, Robert. Giving: Charity and Philanthropy in History. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 1994.
Click HERE to open the feedback tool.
In his book, Giving: Charity and Philanthropy in History, Robert Bremner uses The Odyssey and The Iliad to analyze how ninth century B.C. Greeks felt about beggars. Bremner concludes that people generally were only charitable if it was in their best interest. This idea is expanded upon in Deborah Taggart’s essay, “Charity.” Taggart says that the Greeks helped the poor laborers because they were necessary to the economy, but the “destitute and beggars were abhorred.”
Besides Homer’s epics, the Bible can be used to get a glimpse of the charity and philanthropy of ancient people. In the Bible, God frequently commands his people to be charitable and philanthropic. For example, in Isaiah 1:17, God says “Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” This shows that God expected the Israelites to take care of those who, in their society, could not support themselves. People probably followed these instructions so they could be in the right with God. It seems as though people in ancient times participated in charity and philanthropy for selfish reasons (which, it could be argued, continues today).
A change happens in the Bible when Jesus comes into the picture. In Matthew 22:37-39, when asked what the greatest commandment is, He says that the first is to love God and the second is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” One can assume that loving your neighbor as yourself also includes helping them if they need it. Therefore, the early Christians were supposed to help those in need because they love them which is very different from helping others to advance yourself.
Later, however, this changed again as the people of pre-modern Europe had some new ideas. As Zygmunt Bauman explains on page 87 in his chapter “Prospects for the New Poor,” these Christians viewed charity as a way to “practice self-sacrifice, to live a virtuous life, to repent sins, and to earn heavenly bliss.” Charity became a fairly common selfish activity, at least among the churchgoing upper class.
The sixteenth century brought the explosion of scientific thought. People started thinking about Social Darwinism and many governments in Europe began passing laws against the lower classes. Bremner talks about “efforts to license and regulate begging by people unable to work.” While the governments did not have any social welfare, there was a lot of action from the churches to be charitable to the poor.
Eventually, governments started instituting social welfare which can be thought of as a form of charity. Also, in the realm of philanthropy, institutions such as hospitals became prevalent and justice systems were set up that would benefit all kinds of people. Now, many charities and philanthropies still associated with various churches or with the government. The developments of charity and philanthropy through history have shaped how these topics look today and can frame our analysis of them.
Bauman, Zygmunt. “Prospects for the New Poor.” Work, Consumerism and the New Poor. Philadelphia: Open University Press, 1998. 83-104.
Bremner, Robert. Giving: Charity and Philanthropy in History. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 1994.
Click HERE to open the feedback tool.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Introduction to Charity
Throughout this semester, I will be focusing on charity. I will look at its history, evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of charity, and examine other details relating to this topic. I decided to investigate this subject because I like helping people and I often feel like the best way for me to help others is through charity. I wanted to find out about the harm that charities do, the good that they accomplish, and see if the good outweighs the bad.
The theme of charity is an important one in our world because, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) from the Urban Foundation (nccsdataweb.urban.org/PubApps/profileDrillDown.php?state=US&rpt=PC), there are 973,354 charities in the United States alone. These charities have $2,569,061,700,990 in total assets and brought in $1,393,401,601,582 in revenue in 2009. An incredible amount of money flows through charities and they do a lot of work in the world. Because of this, it is important to analyze how important, efficient, and helpful various organizations are to see if they really are doing good in the world and to figure out which charity to donate to.
Besides money, people donate a lot of time to various organizations. The NCCS’s Nonprofit Almanac (http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/kbfiles/797/Almanac2008publicCharities.pdf) cites that in 2006, 26.7 percent of the population of the United States volunteered for some type of nonprofit organization. These people volunteered for a total of 12,864,875,000 hours- that is almost 13 billion hours! If people are going to put so much time, money, and energy into a nonprofit group, they should make sure that the group is really helping people.
This blog is for a class titled Globalization and Inequality. The concepts we learn in class have a lot to do with the topic of charity. First of all, many charities are international in scope. Charities that help in developing nations are often based in a different country. This means that money from the home countries goes across the globe to other countries. Additionally, Zygmunt Bauman’s ideas of lower classes being failed consumers play into charity in a large way. Many charities serve people of lower classes so how they are viewed is important. The themes of globalization and inequality are very involved in charity.
I am hoping to find out about the effect that charity as a whole has on the world. I would also like to delve into ways to evaluate charities to find out which do the most good. The subject of charity is more complicated than it would seem at first glance so I hope to learn about the complications and have a better rounded idea of charity in our world.
The theme of charity is an important one in our world because, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) from the Urban Foundation (nccsdataweb.urban.org/PubApps/profileDrillDown.php?state=US&rpt=PC), there are 973,354 charities in the United States alone. These charities have $2,569,061,700,990 in total assets and brought in $1,393,401,601,582 in revenue in 2009. An incredible amount of money flows through charities and they do a lot of work in the world. Because of this, it is important to analyze how important, efficient, and helpful various organizations are to see if they really are doing good in the world and to figure out which charity to donate to.
Besides money, people donate a lot of time to various organizations. The NCCS’s Nonprofit Almanac (http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/kbfiles/797/Almanac2008publicCharities.pdf) cites that in 2006, 26.7 percent of the population of the United States volunteered for some type of nonprofit organization. These people volunteered for a total of 12,864,875,000 hours- that is almost 13 billion hours! If people are going to put so much time, money, and energy into a nonprofit group, they should make sure that the group is really helping people.
This blog is for a class titled Globalization and Inequality. The concepts we learn in class have a lot to do with the topic of charity. First of all, many charities are international in scope. Charities that help in developing nations are often based in a different country. This means that money from the home countries goes across the globe to other countries. Additionally, Zygmunt Bauman’s ideas of lower classes being failed consumers play into charity in a large way. Many charities serve people of lower classes so how they are viewed is important. The themes of globalization and inequality are very involved in charity.
I am hoping to find out about the effect that charity as a whole has on the world. I would also like to delve into ways to evaluate charities to find out which do the most good. The subject of charity is more complicated than it would seem at first glance so I hope to learn about the complications and have a better rounded idea of charity in our world.
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