Re:Bill Gates' Philanthropic Impact Put in Perspective
by chongli on Saturday April 23, 2016 @01:27PM
(#11556455)
Yes, donate to charity. But don't publicly congratulate yourself.
Yes, and this is the concept I take issue with. If Bill Gates's continued public dialogue over his charitable actions convinces other billionaires to join the cause, how is that anything other than a net positive? He may yet succeed in wiping out malaria when he might not have succeeded had he kept quiet.
The goal of any charitable act should be to make your charity obsolete. Quiet, private giving in small amounts without a coordinated plan does not accomplish that. It merely serves to feed somebody for another day.
Re:Bill Gates' Philanthropic Impact Put in Perspective
by specialist on Monday April 25, 2016 @06:11PM
(#11567799)
I believe we're in agreement. I only mention my upbringing to note that Protestants had their own reasons for keeping their charity private and just how hard it is change one's early indoctrination.
I've worked to overcome my WASP reluctance to talk about money. As a geek, we should be comparing salaries. As an activist, to be effective you need resources, which is a nice proxy for buy-in, so you learn how to ask for money.