Lovers all essentials give

CNN reports that 70% of Americans report having prayed for tsunami victims, and 44% report having donated money. 44% is a smaller number than I’d like to see, of course, but it’s a larger number than I’d’ve expected. Almost half of Americans donated money? That really is heartening news, if it’s true. It reflects that on the whole, we’re more compassionate than I’d been under the impression we were. Zombywoof wrote a little while ago that no one he knows had donated. I found that discouraging and surprising and sad, and am glad to see evidence to the contrary.

I’m not sure the reported numbers are true, though. This is the sort of thing I’d expect survey respondants to over-report. (Social scientists know that polls of voter turn-out reliably over-predict; people say they’ve voted, even when they haven’t.)

Anyway, if you can, give.

Furthermore

January 7, 2005

http://family.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/family.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=16200 Wherein people are encouraged to pray, but not encouraged to give money (though they are not discouraged from giving money either). I find this yucky.

So according to this survey (however the data was taken), almost a quarter of Americans pray but do nothing substantial. Interesting.

Zombywoof, yes, that’s stupid, and disheartening, and pointless, and depressing. But that one I don’t find surprising.

ComeOnDieYoung

Yea, that’s what I take from this as well. (what zombywoof said) One diarist on OD wrote an entry and said “The best thing we can do for them is pray for them”. Silly me thought the best thing we could do is give them water, medical supplies, etc.

*shrug* I don’t much care about that 70%, because I think that prayer is probably not useful. The 44% who gave is the number that matters, as well as the 56% who didn’t. The fact that a substantial number of those who didn’t give prayed doesn’t much concern me here.

Jeremy, you’re right of course that a riduclous line like ‘the best we can do is pray’ is utterly absurd and angering.

Sabriel Modan

I donated!! A wee bit, as I am a poor, poor grad student, but still…