Paul Shirley: Haiti Can Go Help Itself!
Paul Shirley, a former journeyman NBA basketball player turned writer, is under fire today for recent comments about earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.
Namely, they put themselves in this mess, so he's not going to be donating any money. He has a right to that opinion, certainly, but his word choice?
In an essay published at FlipCollective, he says he "has not donated a cent" to Haiti and likens it to giving a homeless guy money. It's a lost cause.
"I don't think the people of Haiti will do much with my money either," he says.
The questions posed by his missive as a whole - whether events like the Hope For Haiti telethon are worthwhile, and whether a certain level responsibility for such a disaster lies with the victims of the disaster - are not entirely off base.
However, Paul Shirley might have considered an alternate ending.
In arguing that there should be some discourse on how the millions poured into Haiti will be spent, he writes a hypothetical message from the world to Haiti:
Dear Haitians –
First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded.
As we prepare to assist you in this difficult time, a polite request: If it's possible, could you not re-build your island home in the image of its predecessor? Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy shanty- and shack-towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?
Sincerely,
The Rest of the World
Damn, P-Shir. Was the condom bit necessary? ESPN has already said he won't be back as a freelancer, and we suspect he may find other gigs hard to come by.
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February 6th, 2010 2:54 PM
Haiti is the land that evolution forgot. Average Haitian IQ, 72;
birthrate 4 per woman, roughly twice the birthrate of white Americans. So you have a country of retards who probably are too stupid to figure out condoms. And of course, they're Catholic so even if they could figure out the condom, the church would discourage its use. Subpar IQ + high birthrate + Catholic church = disaster no amount of American money can fix. And when did Haiti become the 51st state? Obama had no business authorizing $100 million in American aid when one in ten americans are out of work and our country is $13 trillion in debt.
January 31st, 2010 4:37 AM
I believe Paul Shirley is satan himself! Of all the insensitive things to say at a time were millions of people are suffering. What type of person makes a comment like that right now. These people loss mothers, fathers, siblings and children which were buried alive under concrete. Paul should show some respect to people who are less fortunate. Yes, Haiti has had a troubled past, but they can not help the country and situation they were born in. If many of these people could leave, they would and believe me, they have tried. Only to be sent right back to their country. I am of Haitian decent and I lost 7 relatives who were not in tin shacks, but in their houses and in school. It was a 7.0 earthquake you idiot! Then he says he doesn't give money to homeless. Yes, it is true, that many times it will be waisted, but it is also true that many homeless have mental illness and lack the capability to take care of themselves. I am so happy he got fired! That is exactly what he deserved
January 30th, 2010 7:43 PM
Wamu, you are such a fucking dipshit.
You want money spent on golf courses instead of peoples lives.
I hope you're being sarcastic because if you're not you're an even bigger idiot that this Shirley guy!
January 30th, 2010 3:47 PM
I'm sorry, but I have to say this to crazygrl; Why do you speak of other religions when it is clear you know nothing about them? You say most people in Haiti practice Voodoo, are satan worshippers, etc. All religions have figures of evil, harm, & corruption. Do not apply your beliefs to other religions as they do not equate. Christianity calls itself a monotheistic belief system, but they recognize saints, & Christ or Mary for that matter which technically makes them polytheistic. But don't tell them that, it makes them crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!! Many religions are polytheistic & openly so. Voodoo, if you were to understand it, is based, in fact, in Christianity. So don't condemn them, as they share your beliefs! They call on the same entities. Same thing with Santeria. And to be honest, why do Christians have such regard for Satan? Isn't he a fallen angel? That's giving him(just semantics) an awful lot of power for one who sinned greviously in God's eyes? Wouldn't t
January 30th, 2010 3:20 PM
Crazygrl, fitting name. JH, I am Karmabringer, don't tell me what I'm going to do. I'm sure you're no saint! Lizz & Actually, actually(!), condoms have been in use for at least 1000 years. Go to any reputable museum with ancient artifacts & look for them. They are there. Just fyi.
January 29th, 2010 5:34 PM
thats wrong...it's not their fault they started out poor. and the condom thing was so out of proportion. we don't know if you probably got like 4 girls knocked up or something so hop off because you have know right to judge any human being that way. just to add it was also not their fault a natural disaster occured. oh and another thing you don't have to give them money because they wouldn't take it with that kind attitude any way..
January 28th, 2010 4:50 PM
Wow, hasn't it occurred to this guy that most of this money is never even going to make it to Haiti? Most of it is going to American organizations and the VAST MAJORITY of it will never leave American hands. You don't have to dig very far to see that most money that goes to international aid organizations is spent on very generous salaries for American "aid" workers, the nice cars and homes they have, and all the perks that go along with "saving the world" (e.g. fully paid weeks-long vacations home). Why do you think there were 10,000 foreign organizations working in Haiti over the last several years and at the time of the earthquake and the place was still an absolute disgrace? The self-serving nature of these organizations is precisely why I left the field after 10 years. (The most egregious offender is UNICEF, where I worked for a few years.) See this New York Times article for more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/opinion/14kidder.html?scp=1&sq=haiti%20mountains&st=cse
January 28th, 2010 3:35 PM
Oh man... this guy is my new hero... I hope he finds another writing gig soon
Rank: D-Lister
January 28th, 2010 1:13 PM
well, his statement was definetly said the wrong way; but, it is not wrong....Haiti is tained with corruption. It is not a country of misguided children that have no idea of right from wrong, people....to blame their condition on ignorance is ignorant....Prior to it's becoming an independant nation, it was one of the most profitable exporting countries in the world. The misappropriated funds and complete lack of control brought this beautiful place into the squalor we all know it to be. It is a sad situation, indeed; but, they cannot simply be handed the money and food. They have proven that they cannot proplerly disperse it...who is starving in the streets? Not the grown men with machetes...it is the women and chilren that are. Who is in the mobs trying to get food, not the women and children...they are threatened to stay out of the way or they will be killed....this is not justa 3rd world country, it is hell...
January 28th, 2010 12:43 PM
He's a basketball player...nuff said.