5 Feet of Fury

Why do we keep sending billions of aid to Africa again?

200 feared dead as ferry sinks in the Congo — and fishermen loot cargo instead of rescuing survivors
 

Of course, this story is related to this one.

Harvey was wrong about the makeshift boats, though. That concert was pre-Katrina, after all.

They actually would have just held up “HELP US!” signs, shot at the rescuers, and accused each other of cannibalism.

UPDATE: “Westerners” (cough) are more altruistic than other people.

You didn’t really need a study to prove that. Just watch how people act in Third World countries when the food aid shows up or a boat capsizes.

Or just get a few veteran big city firefighters really drunk and get them talking about who saves themselves vs who tries to save their families first, and in what neighborhoods…

For foreigners, stories about the selfless heroism and sacrifce that came out of, say, 9/11 simply reenforce their notions of America as an eccentric and therefore sinister place.