So apparently someone thought it was a good idea to ask people to send him their old t-shirts, along with a 1-dollar bill to cover the shipping expenses, so he can send those t-shirts to... 'Africa'.
See, because we humble Africans don't have t-shirts. So we're waiting on America's hand-me-downs.
There is probably one reason this will catch-on: because people are often looking to find a useful way to recycle their old stuff. And that's a kind and decent impulse, really.
But the idea is truly terrible: in its most basic form, because it assumes that some guy somewhere has decided, for the recipients, what they needed. (and that's, his used t-shirts).
Better people have already explained why this is a lousy idea: read their posts.
What makes this whole t-shirt thing more than just a bad aid idea is the reaction of said guy to the intense criticism he's been getting from, eh, people who actually know about aid: asking to take it offline, by insulting people, and then handing his number and requesting to take the discussion offline. Which is quite pathetic.
He's also apparently offering to call off the project if we offer him a better alternative. So here's one:
There you go. You're welcome, t-shirt person.
See, because we humble Africans don't have t-shirts. So we're waiting on America's hand-me-downs.
There is probably one reason this will catch-on: because people are often looking to find a useful way to recycle their old stuff. And that's a kind and decent impulse, really.
But the idea is truly terrible: in its most basic form, because it assumes that some guy somewhere has decided, for the recipients, what they needed. (and that's, his used t-shirts).
Better people have already explained why this is a lousy idea: read their posts.
What makes this whole t-shirt thing more than just a bad aid idea is the reaction of said guy to the intense criticism he's been getting from, eh, people who actually know about aid: asking to take it offline, by insulting people, and then handing his number and requesting to take the discussion offline. Which is quite pathetic.
He's also apparently offering to call off the project if we offer him a better alternative. So here's one:
You know that one-dollar you're asking people to send you, to contribute to the shipping?Yes, not as glamourous as taking a photo next to a big container full of t-shirts, but oh-so more efficient.
JUST SEND THAT. Recycle the t-shirts!
Send this money to one or more organizations already on the ground, providing actually needed services.
There you go. You're welcome, t-shirt person.
11 comments:
Dude didn't you get the memo? We're expected to readily cup our hands in receipt and gush our eternal gratitude, while showing off our new American gear to our pet elephants. Hand-me-down-to-Africans 'aint gona help us educate kids, fight HIV/AIDS, distribute mosquito nets, irrigate our lands or pay our national debts but hey, cool shirt.
I hate it when a four-line comment gets the point across better than an entire post I wrote.
(Thanks, Khadija. :))
um, sort of sounds like he's just trying to sucker his way into a million dollars, non?
Ha! that's a possibility that I hate to consider... (this said, does sending a ship container actually cost a million dollars?)
think you're a bit behind the times, but anyway in answer to your general point - collecting, shipping, taxing, administering and distributing a million shirts is very likely to cost more than a million bucks. We're talking lots of shipping containers.
Thanks for the precision. Which only goes to highlight that it's quite a pointless endeavour - and that sending the cash is simply more efficient.
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I think one dollar buys three t-shirts in sub Saharan Africa.
Depends on where you are I guess, but either way buying the local production is far more useful than importing and distributing second hand shirts..
But there are many people who need tshirts here. What Africa needs is more than processed cotton
KJ - what's 'here'? DXB?
What Africa needs is a bunch of things - I refer you the first comment in this thread for a good sample of those.
Now there are surely people somewhere in 'Africa' who lack clothing. But is collecting second hand t-shirts and shipping them across the ocean the proper response? Far from it. Far better would be, for example, to buy the local production, hence injecting money in the economic circuits, rather than flooding a country with used - but free - shitty stuff that could actually damage the local industries..
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