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Top Non-CF Discussion "What Does RL Stand For?" Topic #1573
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IsildurMon 10-Dec-07 05:37 PM
Member since 04th Mar 2003
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#1615, "RE: Essentially... Yes."


          

>1) It's basically a 'teach a man to fish' kind of idea.

Granted, though it can still be compared to other "teach a man to fish" proposals. You could donate books. You could fund a Peace-Corps-esque program that sends teachers to staff free schools in impoverished areas. You could do like Oprah and fund your own school. You could fund a need-based scholarship program to allow students from these countries to attend U.S. universities. Etc. One could argue that these would all be less effective than OLPC; my point is just that the "teach a man to fish" aspect of OLPC doesn't render it immune to criticism.

>2) People are transformed by the ideas they're exposed to --
>even if they're warlord lackies with computers forcibly
>removed from the clutches of starving children.

More kids (and/or adults) hooked on pr0n. Just what the world needs.

>3) Because many people have gotten fired up about the OLPC
>idea and donated that would never donate to the Feed
>the Children fund or what have you, the choice isn't really
>between give starving children food or give starving children
>laptops -- in probably most cases, it's between give starving
>children laptops or give starving children nothing.

Sure. And in that sense I guess I support it. But it still makes me want to slap the people who'll pay $200 bucks to buy someone a crappy laptop, but not to help them in any other (arguably much more tangible) way. It's the "computers are a silver bullet" attitude that irks me.

  

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HOT TopicSo who else is getting one for Christmas? [View all] , Tac, Wed 28-Nov-07 10:56 PM
Reply slate article linked on slashdot. txt, Isildur, 05-Jun-08 07:42 PM, #26
Reply Got it, Tac, 02-Jan-08 09:25 PM, #22
Reply Can they play CF from it? boost player numbers etc?, Abernyte, 30-Dec-07 08:06 AM, #21
Reply RE: So who else is getting one for Christmas?, Isildur, 29-Nov-07 01:16 AM, #1
     Reply RE: So who else is getting one for Christmas?, Tac, 29-Nov-07 10:39 AM, #2
     Reply RE: So who else is getting one for Christmas?, Valguarnera, 30-Nov-07 07:33 AM, #3
     Reply RE: So who else is getting one for Christmas?, Isildur, 01-Dec-07 12:34 AM, #4
     Reply Essentially... Yes., Tac, 01-Dec-07 12:44 AM, #5
          Reply RE: Essentially... Yes., Isildur, 02-Dec-07 05:21 PM, #6
               Reply RE: Essentially... Yes., Elerosse, 05-Dec-07 02:00 PM, #7
                    Reply RE: Essentially... Yes., Isildur, 09-Dec-07 08:52 PM, #8
                         Reply He makes essentially the same argument as you..., Tac, 10-Dec-07 09:08 AM, #9
                         Reply RE: Essentially... Yes., Elerosse, 10-Dec-07 12:31 PM, #10
                         Reply RE: Essentially... Yes., Isildur, 10-Dec-07 05:29 PM, #12
                              Reply One violin per child is moronic, DurNominator, 10-Dec-07 05:52 PM, #14
                              Reply RE: Essentially... Yes., Elerosse, 10-Dec-07 06:00 PM, #15
                                   Reply RE: Essentially... Yes., Isildur, 10-Dec-07 06:46 PM, #16
                                        Reply RE: Essentially... Yes., Elerosse, 11-Dec-07 01:26 AM, #18
                         Reply RE: Essentially... Yes., Daevryn, 10-Dec-07 12:53 PM, #11
                              Reply RE: Essentially... Yes., Isildur, 10-Dec-07 05:37 PM #13
                                   Reply RE: Essentially... Yes., Daevryn, 10-Dec-07 10:03 PM, #17
     Reply RE: So who else is getting one for Christmas?, Eskelian, 18-Dec-07 11:47 PM, #19
          Reply RE: So who else is getting one for Christmas?, Valguarnera, 19-Dec-07 10:16 PM, #20
               Reply RE: So who else is getting one for Christmas?, Eskelian, 16-Jan-08 11:52 AM, #23
                    Reply RE: So who else is getting one for Christmas?, Daevryn, 16-Jan-08 03:40 PM, #24
     Reply RE: So who else is getting one for Christmas?, DurNominator, 18-Jan-08 04:54 AM, #25
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