12806: Working in Haiti or the Batey of the Dominican Republic

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

>From Bob Corbett:

Once again I want to argue against the either / or thinking that surrounds
the posts attacking the people who choose to give of their lives to help
those Haitians in the bateys of the Dominican Republic.

Many years ago when I first got involved with Haiti and the local St.
Louis newspapers got interested and did a few human interest stories on
the work we were doing, a woman in the area who also worked in Haiti
contacted me.  She told me I was very lucky.  Each of the stories had
indicated that in addition to the work in Haiti I was heavily involved in
St. Louis with feeding centers and shelters.  The woman told me I was
lucky since I wouldn't fall prey to the criticism of "why would you go off
to Haiti to work when we have such desperate poverty in St. Louis."  At
least, she said, I had a reply.

But it was a reply I never used.  It seems to me like the totally wrong
tack.  Why does anyone choose anything, especially to try to help some
others one perceives in need?  Is it only because these people, whoever
they are, are the absolutely worst off people one knows?  Why would one
every get into such a silly debate.  Needs vary and pull on us in
different ways.  Our histories enter into it.  When I was looking to get
involved with folks in need, indeed, why did I look outside St. Louis?
Why outside my own neighborhood or block or family home?  Why Haiti rather
than an African or Asia country or whatever?  Lots of that has to do with
one's own personal history and the accidents of life.

Like many of you, inside Haiti I have chosen to focus my aid to this place
or that, and not the rest.  Why this village rather than that?  This urban
slum rather than that?  Must each place prove it is the most needy of all?

I've also appealed often to my own inner psychology.  Some things just
move me and others don't.  I am a very introspective person, yet I often
don't know all those complex dynamics that make X motivating for me and
not Y.  But, I have learned that my inner drives are critical motivating
devices, much more important the external "oughts" of reasoned discourse.
Without those inner drives I might well not to ANYTHING for others, but
just focus more wealth, time, energy and resources on myself and family.
Not matter how much I OUGHT to care about such and such, if I don't I
don't.  No matter how much someone else may tell me that X is more
deserving than Y, I may still be drawn to Y and it is that DRIVE more than
the OUGHT which keeps me going.

I am just thrilled not everyone cares about exactly the same issues and
that there is not absolute list of rank.  There are millions of causes out
there, and never enough aid to go around.  I am joyous that different of
us have different interests, thus lots of different sorts of folks get
some aid, while virtually no needy groups every get quite enough.

I am one who applauds the work of those who direct their care and concern
to the bateys of the Dominican Republic; as I applaud those who stuggle to
help the residents of Cite Soley, or some tiny mountain village in the
southern peninsula, or those who suffered hurricane damage in Nicaragua,
or flood damage in Austria.  The nation of Austria may be rich, most
people quite self-sufficient, but who knows about this particular farmer
or that particular city dweller?

What puzzles me more, is why would people want to direct their criticisms
toward those who are sincerely giving of their time and wealth and skills
and energies and care to ANY ISSUE OF NEED?  Rather, let's criticize those
who create need and suffering by their own greed and structural control of
resources or with corrupt politics.

Bob Corbett