In an Associated Press report earlier today, much of the tsunami aid that Sri Lanka is receiving is for the most part useless. Aid workers on the island report that many boxes contain things like winter coats, high-heeled shoes, and thong underwear. One box from Australia even contained bottles of Viagra. While aid workers and victims are of course grateful for all the assistance that the world has provided, they are hard pressed to find a use for many items in a country where most people wear shorts and sandals.
Not being satisfied in our own materialism, the citizens of the western world decided to send their unwanted junk to those who had none. Using the tsunami crisis as an excuse to clean the closets, many people figured they can get rid of their unwanted accumulated wealth of crap without actually feeling guilty about not only owning so much, but doing away with it as well. “Much better for the tsunami victims to have my winter coat instead of throwing it away,” one might say…
It is an interesting mentality to have, and one that would only exist under capitalism. In a country such as the United States, many people live life with the belief that owning a bunch of stuff, useful or not, will provide security and happiness, only to fall into the cycle of equating more things with even more happiness. This mentality does not work for those along the Indian Ocean who have lost everything. To them, need counts, usefulness counts.
In a social system where profit comes first (capitalism), what is needed and usefulness gets ignored.
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