We all heard the news - the iPad is here! Oh, and remember that thing in Haiti?
When I look at such a nauseating juxtaposition, I can't help but feel like a giant A-hole when I pick up my iPhone. (Yes, I have an iPhone, though I will not be buying another one. Apple label whore, no more. And don't even get me started on AT&T.)
It's not that I believe in socialism or any world with some specific economic system that I believe would not allow for such disparities. I don't have answers. I do, however, believe that when S like this happens, it can be a great impetus for us to re-prioritize our lives a bit.
Now, the iPad was released April 3rd, not three months after the Haiti earthquake on January 12, 2010. While it's easy to get caught up in pop-culture and, in this case, the ever-powerful apple culture, ... C'MON! I mean, seriously, this is consumerism at it's worst. Imagine how much aid could be sent to Haitians without homes, without water, without a pot (for less than 2,000 others) to piss in if everyone in every apple line on April 3rd would have given half of their iPad money to Haiti relief. Just imagine.
And then, imagine that same line of people in Haiti still waiting all day for a bottle of water (or two...or eventually, none), because they probably would still be there. Yes, the only problem wasn't lack of aid. There are and were huge problems with managing the aid efforts. (Look here for an amazing program on "the quake." I ♥ Frontline.)
Still, no one needs and iPad. No one! (Just as I do not need anymore skeins of yarn or music from Amoeba. I am definitely speaking to myself here too.)
But we all need compassion and water, even those of us with iPads. (No, I do not have an iPad. I prefer my magic to be magic, not technology.)
We also all need to be heard.
I think these images speak loudly, and hopefully we all listen.
