Comments on: The alleged power of one http://www.jinamoore.com/2010/08/07/alleged-power/ Reporter & Producer Thu, 10 May 2012 22:24:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jina Moore http://www.jinamoore.com/2010/08/07/alleged-power/#comment-1253 Jina Moore Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:01:43 +0000 http://www.jinamoore.com/?p=1649#comment-1253 Hey Tino (to whom I owe an email!) --- that's a great point about the article avoiding the usual negative frames. Maybe safari numbers will go up, which means dollars int he local economy, which means... Kristof's got a problem in that his "identifying bridge character" always has to be white, and I'm not down with that, but we've had that debate here ad nauseam... On the other hand, in the local news section, this couple makes sense as an identifying character, I think. Is this the Platonic ideal of covering Tanzania? No. Can we fault it for that? Don't think so. Great to have you reading along, so I can leech off your smart brain :) Hey Tino (to whom I owe an email!) --- that's a great point about the article avoiding the usual negative frames. Maybe safari numbers will go up, which means dollars int he local economy, which means...

Kristof's got a problem in that his "identifying bridge character" always has to be white, and I'm not down with that, but we've had that debate here ad nauseam... On the other hand, in the local news section, this couple makes sense as an identifying character, I think. Is this the Platonic ideal of covering Tanzania? No. Can we fault it for that? Don't think so.

Great to have you reading along, so I can leech off your smart brain :)

]]> By: Tino http://www.jinamoore.com/2010/08/07/alleged-power/#comment-1250 Tino Wed, 11 Aug 2010 03:03:46 +0000 http://www.jinamoore.com/?p=1649#comment-1250 Thanks for the rebuttal, Jina. As Kristof noted in the Youtube question on Africa coverage (see nytpicker and Bronstein discussions), the identifying bridge character is often the only way you can engage more than the usual readers in your story, and of course, that's the only way most editors would ever agree for this kind of story to be printed in a (local) paper. If Kristof has this issue and thinks its necessary to get people to read that these issues exist, then so will every other mainstream newspaper. Could Caitlin Gibson, once she grabbed readers' attention, have done more to present and describe the education sector in Tanzania or the region? Perhaps. But if you look carefully at the article, it completely lacks any negative frames about 'abject' poverty, violence, corruption, etc. It probably has done the country a greater service by writing about safaris and happy (if blissful) travelers who keep coming back for more every year. Thanks for the rebuttal, Jina. As Kristof noted in the Youtube question on Africa coverage (see nytpicker and Bronstein discussions), the identifying bridge character is often the only way you can engage more than the usual readers in your story, and of course, that's the only way most editors would ever agree for this kind of story to be printed in a (local) paper. If Kristof has this issue and thinks its necessary to get people to read that these issues exist, then so will every other mainstream newspaper.

Could Caitlin Gibson, once she grabbed readers' attention, have done more to present and describe the education sector in Tanzania or the region? Perhaps. But if you look carefully at the article, it completely lacks any negative frames about 'abject' poverty, violence, corruption, etc. It probably has done the country a greater service by writing about safaris and happy (if blissful) travelers who keep coming back for more every year.

]]> By: joe http://www.jinamoore.com/2010/08/07/alleged-power/#comment-1229 joe Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:56:08 +0000 http://www.jinamoore.com/?p=1649#comment-1229 Well, y'know, it depends. Giving a minority of poor kids a big gift is almost always a bad idea and breeds resentment - as I have observed in non-developing country contexts. And generally it is pointless, as one could just save up the money over an extended period and buy all the 700 kids a bike. Or the alternative is distributing them by some other measure (perhaps distance from the school or something). Good intentions aren't enough - when your personal/collective need to feel a buzz of doing 'good work' outweighs the benefits or problems associated with the donation, serious questions have to be asked. Well, y'know, it depends. Giving a minority of poor kids a big gift is almost always a bad idea and breeds resentment - as I have observed in non-developing country contexts. And generally it is pointless, as one could just save up the money over an extended period and buy all the 700 kids a bike. Or the alternative is distributing them by some other measure (perhaps distance from the school or something).

Good intentions aren't enough - when your personal/collective need to feel a buzz of doing 'good work' outweighs the benefits or problems associated with the donation, serious questions have to be asked.

]]> By: Tom http://www.jinamoore.com/2010/08/07/alleged-power/#comment-1220 Tom Sun, 08 Aug 2010 22:46:52 +0000 http://www.jinamoore.com/?p=1649#comment-1220 Thanks for the name update! More importantly, thanks for your reflections and the willingness to call me out where I made major mistakes. I encourage your readers to check out your new post as I think it brings out some really interesting questions that seem to form a large part of the base which brought about this discussion. Also, no worries about your quick summary. I got a good laugh out of it. Tom Thanks for the name update! More importantly, thanks for your reflections and the willingness to call me out where I made major mistakes. I encourage your readers to check out your new post as I think it brings out some really interesting questions that seem to form a large part of the base which brought about this discussion.

Also, no worries about your quick summary. I got a good laugh out of it.

Tom

]]> By: Jim http://www.jinamoore.com/2010/08/07/alleged-power/#comment-1217 Jim Sun, 08 Aug 2010 20:46:15 +0000 http://www.jinamoore.com/?p=1649#comment-1217 One thing that people in the more affluent countries can do, in terms of development education, is to spread the word about the Millenium Development Goals. A good way to do that is to host viewing party & discussion after of TEDxChange on Sept 21. http://www.ted.com/pages/view/id/446 One thing that people in the more affluent countries can do, in terms of development education, is to spread the word about the Millenium Development Goals.

A good way to do that is to host viewing party & discussion after of TEDxChange on Sept 21.
http://www.ted.com/pages/view/id/446

]]> By: Jina Moore http://www.jinamoore.com/2010/08/07/alleged-power/#comment-1208 Jina Moore Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:44:04 +0000 http://www.jinamoore.com/?p=1649#comment-1208 Thanks, Lu. I'm among the last people someone would confuse with an optimist on this issue, but yeah, sometimes a breath of fresh air is important. I'm glad if this does a little of that. Thanks for leaving your comment. Thanks, Lu. I'm among the last people someone would confuse with an optimist on this issue, but yeah, sometimes a breath of fresh air is important. I'm glad if this does a little of that. Thanks for leaving your comment.

]]> By: lu http://www.jinamoore.com/2010/08/07/alleged-power/#comment-1206 lu Sun, 08 Aug 2010 06:10:56 +0000 http://www.jinamoore.com/?p=1649#comment-1206 being one who can get caught up in the critiques and perpetual spiral of despair around international development and its ineffectiveness, this post was a breath of fresh air and a reminder that yes, most people who want to DO SOMETHING, come at from the perspective of their own human relationships and not the broader, macro picture that those of us hoping to fix the system come from. and sometimes, that is just the reminder that we need. being one who can get caught up in the critiques and perpetual spiral of despair around international development and its ineffectiveness, this post was a breath of fresh air and a reminder that yes, most people who want to DO SOMETHING, come at from the perspective of their own human relationships and not the broader, macro picture that those of us hoping to fix the system come from. and sometimes, that is just the reminder that we need.

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