Song Of The Day: “Everybody Hurts” (Helping Haiti vs. R.E.M.) & A Rant (Goody!)
Posted by: Chaoz in Song Of The DayOkay doesn’t matter how I play this, this is gonna sound like an asshole talking. But since I’m an asshole, no harm done.
We get it - Haiti is in the shitter (um, by the way, its been like that for 2 fucking centuries - everyone just noticed this??). I’ve donated some cash and I have a friend over there, who tells me in no uncertain terms that if Americans were dealing with this shit in their cities, we’d have several milliion people in fetal positions over here. I’m inclined to believe him.
Anyway, its nice that people (i.e.: Leona Lewis, Mariah Carey, Jon Bon Jovi, Kylie Minogue, Miley Cyrus, Susan Boyle, Mika, & Michael Buble) have recorded a song, all proceeds to go - blah blah blah. Seriously a nice gesture. But lets see where were at in six months. By the way, hows the effort going on Burma/Myanmar (they had that shit cyclone back 1998)? Or Northern China (earthquake)? Oh and New Orleans is still roughly 30% underpopulated than when Katrina hit.
Well, enough of that little dose of reality. Here’s “Everybody Hurts” as it was originally done (by R.E.M.). Sidenote, I am ‘technically’ in this video. This video was filmed here in S.A. in a part of Interstate 10 that was under construction (they made it a double decker). REM came by and filmed for two days - one to set up the vehicles and the shots, and the second day for the actual video. I was in one of the cars and even did the ‘walking scene’ at the end. But for the life of me I have NEVER seen me. Figures! (shrugs) Also, the dude tossing pages was actually a bible thumper from downtown.
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February 3rd, 2010 at 1:00 am
Ok “bro” Just how do you see yourself being an asshole for speaking the truth? As much as the western world, especially the Yanks, love to piss all over themselves in sympathy when mother nature has a bit of PMT and ratfucks everyone’s reality, they rarely if ever stop to give a fuck about those less fortunate otherwise.
Haiti languished under two American supported dictators followed by a supposed revisionist holy-man, then a junta, then the American supported aforementioned revisionist holy-man again, actually just another form of dictator. Add to the mix the American dumping of surplus grains due to your very fucked up government subsidy program masquerading as food aid, that dropped the price of basic food below the price local Haitian farmers could afford to sell their own crops, and it is no wonder Haiti has been one backasswards clusterfucking hell hole. A large percent of people in Haiti lived in squalor and hardship on a daily basis for decades, dying in droves for lack of items and services most of us not only take for granted but consider quite trivial.
And you know what? No one gave a fuck. Now that a large amount of disadvantaged people have died horribly in a natural disaster AND biggest of all inconvenienced these jaded assholes by making them feel a titch guilty about how well they live, the magnanimous bonhomie is unending. They run around like headless chickens screaming “oh the humanity” and pointing the finger of blame that those that they self righteously feel are less humble and shamed than they. They make irrational and stupid statements like “How dare Conan O’brien make NBC spend shit loads of money on his last few shows when people are dying in Haiti!!” Or, and I’m sorry to single you out el Robbo, “How dare a cruise ship dock at the cruise lines private beach so the rich westerners (actually the American middle class) can frolic in the comfort of their own private beach a hours drive away from the devastation.” Yet make no stink about how said beach is a veritable military bunker with many armed guards to protect the pasty foreigners from the disadvantaged indigenous population.
As you so adroitly stated, in a few weeks most of these pointless fuck-stains will go back to not giving a shit about the people of Haiti. They will leave those amazing few that do care, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT, and AND 24-7, twisting in the wind, as they try to compensate for the loss of 80% of the aid money and man power they were given in the first days of the disaster. And as you scan the airwaves I can promise you, there will be no inkling of one iota of guilt or shame.
As to Myanmar, its next to impossible to bring aid and succor to people when the current military junta could care less if said people lived or died. And in fact shot those that illegally tried to bring in aid any way. Remember when I disappeared from WWTDD for a few months? I was recuperating from two GSWs and a serious secondary infection from having to hide in a water filled ditch thanks to those assholes.
February 4th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Personally…..
….I’ve recommended that "Haiti" change it’s name to "Lovie" in order to stave off future problems……
February 4th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
In my long and non-illustrious career(s) I have worked with many many Haitians……
….they are very hard to understand……
February 5th, 2010 at 12:25 am
Georgie! Ah nice to see you show your face around here again! You fell for my TRAP!
Just kidding. Thanks for the verbal agreement. No offense taken at all kind sir - believe me I read about all the crap going on worldwide (election fraud, ‘inadvertent border crossings’, political adjustment/’suicides’, raising racism/radicalization, etc.) some lift fingers but its the cumwads who cut a record who get the press.
Oh and I know first hand about the duality/hypocrisy of tourism (seeing as how I live in city that lives off of it). You’re truly damned either way.
Yet you are quite right - as the ‘furor’ dies down and the lights turn off and the cameras are pack and the ‘press-ops’ are made. Many people will pat themselves on the back for a ‘great job’ they have done and resume their lives of excesses for many months - until the next crises arises. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Monkeys, George, were all just monkeys outta trees.
February 5th, 2010 at 12:30 am
Ob - I too have worked with Haitians (and Colombians, Africans, Indians, even an Aussie!) - of all those peoples, though I have the most difficult time understanding Indians the most. I don’t think English is a very good language to adjust to from Indian. Perhaps its group of diphthongs that they’re not accustomed to. Translation - very thick accent that makes it difficult for me to understand. I also realize that they actually KNOW the language so I’m sure they get just as frustrated when I listen to them and I make them repeat it over and over because my ears can’t get past the accent.