>what about the millions of dollars in donations
>that are spent each year to support local orchestras or other
>arts within the US? Could these dollars not be better spent
>on assisting people that have real problems instead of just
>helping "rich" people find local musical entertainment or
>other diversions, does this also annoy you?

Yes it does. But only when the ones making the contributions view it as something other than a self-serving gesture.

>My point is,
>people spend money on what they want to spend money on, why
>should it bother me that some people feel it would be valuable
>to assist underdeveloped countries by helping provide laptops
>for their citizens?

Because if they're funding a program that is comparitively less effective, and if they'd be willing to donate the money elsewhere, then the beneficiaries are essentially getting short-changed.

To make the hypothetical even more ludicrous, suppose there was an OIPC program: One iPod per Child. A friend of yours dumps $300 into this charity in order to provide a 80GB video ipod to a refugee in the Sudan. You're telling me that wouldn't bug you just a little bit?