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Flooded by disinformation

Is it just me, or is Pakistan not being flooded with donations? It seems like lately the news surrounding the flooding in Pakistan has not actually been about the flooding at all.

Is it just me, or is Pakistan not being flooded with donations? It seems like lately the news surrounding the flooding in Pakistan has not actually been about the flooding at all. Instead it has been about the donations coming in from around the world, or lack there of.

The flooding began towards the end of July and has slowly affected an area larger than the size of the United Kingdom. The water has displaced over 13 million people. Most of them have little to no water, food, clothing or shelter - let alone the adequate health care needed to survive in a disaster zone.

Despite all the hardships flood victims continue to face, donations from individuals and nations have continued to be relatively small. Incredible amounts of money were raised to help the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami. Donations came pouring in after the earthquake in Haiti. Why not Pakistan?

Perhaps it is the fact that Pakistan's government is corrupt. Perhaps it is the fact that ‘extremist groups' are providing the aid. Perhaps it is the fact that Pakistan is all the way over there in the east, much too far to extend a helping hand.

The fact is, I am not really certain that these beliefs are even facts themselves. Corrupt government, whose isn't? ‘Extremist groups' providing aid, at least someone is. Pakistan being all the way over there, so was the tsunami.

All these ideas were tossed in the air on CBC's radio show, Cross Country Check-up, as reasons why Canadians, along with many people around the world, have not coughed up enough dough to help the Pakistani people out.

Certainly those can be considered factors that lead people to make the choice not to donate to a particular country or group. But, if we as Canadians are making a choice not to donate based on factors such as these, shouldn't we at least be fully informed?

The underlying issue that arises during a situation like this is that citizens are forced to make day-to-day decisions based on information and guidance provided to them by their government and the corporations that run their respective country. And as more and more time passes and the ‘war on terror' continues, it is becoming more and more clear that those governments and corporations are not providing us with the whole truth. But why are they not? Shouldn't truth be a requirement of democracy, since our decisions, as the people, are supposed to direct our governments, not the other way around?

There is no question that we are being fed a lot of information, but it is our job to be critical of that information and make informed, well thought-out decisions based on multiple perspectives. We must always query whose interests are at stake when someone tells us something. Even with a column such as this. Whose interests am I working for? In my mind it's the good of the people, but I urge you to question everything.

In the case of the flooding in Pakistan, there is no right or wrong choice, you can donate or not donate, who are we to judge. However, if citizens of Canada were being provided with the whole objective truth, rather than disinformation, at least then we could attempt to make an informed decision.

But let me guess, we can't handle the truth, right Harper?




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