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This devastating article, Hunger Kill 18,000 Kids Each Day was not the headline on the Drudge Report. Matt Drudge’s headline, early this morning, was about Britney Spear’s shaved head. I’m simply buffaloed.
What is wrong with us as a civilized society? We’re the audience that the media plays to, we’re the ones that read what they write, and they think we give a rat’s rear end about a shaved head on a drunken, partying celebrity who should be home tending to her two babies? I’m nearly screaming as I pound away at the typewriter, sorry showed my age, I mean my computer.
Am I just old and out of touch? After the two dozen or so of my children, who still live at home, all go to bed, I sometimes sit and flip the channels, but lately it is all about Anna Nicole Smith, a sad story certainly on many levels, but in the grand scheme of life and death situations, at what point have we had enough celebrity obsession? I’m not talking about Entertainment Tonight pieces, I’m clicking through news channels and this is all they report?
Are the 18,000 dead and dying children each day not more newsworthy? I am outraged.
“Some 18,000 children die every day because of hunger and malnutrition and 850 million people go to bed every night with empty stomachs, a “terrible indictment of the world in 2007,” the head of the U.N. food agency said.
James Morris called for students and young people, faith-based groups, the business community and governments to join forces in a global movement to alleviate and eliminate hunger – especially among children.”
Part of why I am a serious gardener/farmer is because I want to pass this ability, to grow one’s food, on to my children. Anyone can grow a tomato plant in a patio pot, if you have a 10 X 4 plot, you can grow a tremendous amount of food for your family. I’m a huge fan of organizations that support community gardens in urban areas, or Second Harvest, and of many other passionate gardeners such as John Jeavons who share their bounty and their knowledge as they teach others.
Kids in America also go to bed hungry. My own children, all adopted as older children, have told me about their stomachs growling many nights when there was no food in the house, parents off partying, too high on drugs to worry about groceries, or they just didn’t give a hoot anyway. My kids then come to me with food hoarding and stealing issues all born out of self-preservation and survival instincts.
Contrast this with other American teens having eating disorders, unhealthy body images thanks to today’s media, and contradictorily there are the overweight children all over the U.S. who sit on their butts being entertained by the media while over-eating.
I subscribe to several magazines, sucked in by the media as well aren’t I? I subscribe cheaply through an outlet and this month’s Ladies Home Journal has an article, “Girls Gone Wild? Teen girls today have adopted a steamy, super-sexed style. What’s going on-and can moms put a stop to it?” Ya think? I screamed inwardly. That’s what Moms are for. Let’s change the focus.
Newsweek Magazine did a similar in-depth story. The 18,000 dying children should have been the cover story in my opinion.
“Experts say attentive parents, strong teachers and nice friends are an excellent counterbalance to our increasingly sleazy culture.”
Then I come here and read y’all’s blogs, where you’ve opened your hearts and homes to children, where you’ve made a difference in life and death situations, and I’m greatly encouraged by your successes. There’s still hope if we all keep at it.
The sad article also ends on a similarly hopeful note,
“I will work as hard as I can every day of the rest of my life to see that more resources are available to feed hungry children,” Morris said.
Amen to that.
Well said, Cindy… I share your rage. I think we can fairly let go of the term ‘civilized’ when referring to the hyper-developed, media saturated, violent, ostrich-like culture we call our own these days. It seems like we are de-evolving our way out of a job.
The first time I went home to visit my family after two years in Africa, people kept asking me if people here are really ’savages.’
I would look up from the newspaper pages where I was reading six different stories about children from 5 to 15 years getting ahold of guns and shooting up (or at least holding up) their classmates, teachers, et al and stare at the person speaking to me. I would then tell them about the people who offered me their last grain of rice or helped me to escape their village during a night attack at great peril to themselves or stop the train to demand my release from prison because some paranoid local leader decided I was a spy because why else would a woman be alone in the middle of Africa. Show my questioner the newspaper pages I was reading I would end the ‘discussion’ by asking, “So who are the ’savages?”
We have definitely lost the plot, a bit… It’s really refreshing to read that someone is wide awake. Thanks, Cindy.
Hi. My name is Lil, I am new here. This is my organization:
http://www.bouchville.org
We are filming a PSA announcement on Tuesday the 20th about youth as they phase out. I am looking for some young people to participate so their voices can be heard. You can reach me at :
1-877-4-the-luv
GOD BLESS
Here’s what we’ve started doing at my house. Before we go to church, we all go down to our pantry shelf and pick one item to put in the donation barrel for the local food pantry. The kids debate and debate what they are going to pick, but it gives them a very clear connection to the effort to feed other kids.