The new We Are the World
Here is the 25th Anniversary remake of We Are the World.
As for whether we should be helping or not, we should each do what we are led to do. If you are led to help people in Haiti, or China, or India, or Ethiopia, or if you are led to help your local community kitchen, then do what you feel led to do. But it’s not all that nice to criticize what others feel led to do.
I advocated for trying to help Haiti’s orphans while the president was asking for help, but as soon as he made it clear he wasn’t interested in seeing the orphans of his country get help then I backed off of that. You can’t force a sovereign nation to let you help. They are accepting food, water, and tents for the general population though, and they are still badly in need of those things. I’ve heard really sad stories people have sent me about orphanages being emptied of most of their orphans – whether by slavers or by “missionaries”, no one seems to know. I’ve also received stories of orphanages going days at a time with no food or water to give the kids, and of orphanages with several kids a week dying of various infections because there are no antibiotics to give them and no clean water to clean wounds. But if we aren’t going to be allowed to help the orphans, what purpose does it do to post the news? Stories like this occasionally make to out of the major media, but for the most part the orphans and kids are forgotten. I’m glad the “missionaries” were jailed, and I’m glad there is an investigation. It looks like the judge is about to let two people go, and possibly another six of them next week, and two of them are to continue to be held beyond that. I hope that the Haitian and US authorities get to the bottom of what was going on and don’t just do whatever is politically acceptable.
But, back to the We Are the World video, I was disappointed with the video as NBC played it, but that was a shortened version. This video is well done.
February 13th, 2010 at 11:57 pm
Wow…this is showing my age because I thought they played the actual video on NBC. Increasingly, it is all about the internet rather than what is on TV. I am wondering when TV will become obsolete or TV will be a sub-media of internet. Thanks for posting this one RQ.
Regarding Haitian orphans…at some point my heart couldn’t take it any more and I was glad to stop thinking about it. Isn’t that awful? Self protection I guess. It is a defense mechanism when there is nothing that can directly impact the situation. All I can do is keep giving money and make sure that the organizations I support and work with have socially responsible ties to help Haitians and other poor people. What does it mean to be a world citizen? I think I first started to think about this question when I adopted two children from half-way around the world. I was changed by that event and won’t ever think the same way again.
February 14th, 2010 at 1:07 am
Thanks RQ for posting both the new and old versions (I remember the old version very well!). Not having a TV by choice I’m more and more able to stay connected as the first poster was speaking to, having the Internet. But, I didn’t know about the new version until you mentioned it.
February 14th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Wow. I have tears in my eyes. Amazing.
February 15th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Who cannot be moved by the plight of these people. I will raise my little one with values and role models that do not pursue fame, fortune and decadence. We are a better people when we think globally. Perhaps more magazines and media highlighting people who contribute to the betterment of humanity would be in order and shame on those who flaunt their wealth and self indulgence. They should remember that it is the fans who raised them up to where they are and public opinion can bring them down.
February 15th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Just curious, who is the young woman on the far right who looks sort of like Angelina Jolie?
February 15th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
That’s Miley Cyrus…she’s growing up!