Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Reversing Empathy Fatigue

We all know it's easy enough to fall into empathy fatigue with respect to world poverty - but every now and then you see something that re-sensitizes you - perhaps through a specific situation.

Like this set of photos of school buses - with the initial three in first world Asia ...




... and the last in New Delhi, India ...


Of course it easy enough to respond to the lack of opportunities for kids but such re-sensitizing can be the way into something more general.

In fact, I had a double exposure this week.

Pressing my dentist for an explanation for the difficulty in getting an appointment with him, he confessed he spent part of each year in Central America giving free dental care to those who could not other-wise afford it.

Mmm ... .
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7 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 20, 2009 at 6:58 PM

    Thanks, nick. I confess that it was the hot guys that drew me to your blog, but I like your frequent posts on non-sex topics. This particular one really does make me stop and think. pus, India is not exactly at the bottom of the ThirdWorld. It must be even worse in Somalia and suchlike places.

    Stan

    ReplyDelete
  2. nickwallacesmithAugust 21, 2009 at 2:16 AM

    hey stan

    good to get your comment

    yep, sex is of course very good for us - but there's more to life too and i like to put a bit of it out there - so good to get your reaction to this post. in a lot of other third world countries i'm sure kids don't even get to go to school, period - no bus at all!

    cheers, till next time

    nick

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousAugust 21, 2009 at 2:55 AM

    Hey Nick,

    That bus with computers is not a school bus. School Bus is mainland China look much worse than that.

    Jon
    @younghomooutinhk.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousAugust 21, 2009 at 2:55 AM

    Hey Nick,

    That bus with computers is not a school bus. School Bus is mainland China look much worse than that.

    Jon
    @younghomooutinhk.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. nickwallacesmithAugust 21, 2009 at 4:05 AM

    hey jon

    i said it was first world asia - not china (i lived in china for a year and know a little about the economic level there) - apparently it's set up this was (with computers, etc) so kids don't waste the time traveling to school

    take care

    nick

    ReplyDelete
  6. GregAugust 23, 2009 at 9:32 PM

    Forgive me for a little bit of humor, but in the last pic, I doubt there would be any room for a bully to pick on someone else! lol sorry.

    Not sure about the traveling school bus with computers. Does the bus pick up the students and the students can right away work on their assignments while it picks up the next student?
    Hey! You wouldn't need to have an actual school building then, would ya? lol

    ReplyDelete
  7. nickwallacesmithAugust 24, 2009 at 12:44 AM

    hey greg

    i believe the idea is you don't waste the time that it takes traveling to school - so you do assignments, read your text books online - education is so different on the information super highway - different concept - you can even watch lectures there from school

    i guess buildings could be out ... but you'll need a bloody big bus - LOL

    take care

    nick

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