Comments on: Mac OS X for poor kids’ laptops? http://www.p2pnet.net/story/7000 p2pnet.net - reader powered Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:12:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Reader's Write http://www.p2pnet.net/story/7000#comment-24588 Reader's Write Thu, 17 Nov 2005 06:52:18 +0000 http://www.p2pnet.net/story/7000#comment-24588 Food was commonly and routinely hijacked by the local governments and by militias from Unicef shipments until it was made into a corn gruel that was not so appetizing or worth taking to trade for guns and other luxuries. I somehow doubt this will be much different. Unless they can make the laptops to where they of no value to anyone but the kids then it will be the next hot commodity to show up, offering to be sold on the local blackmarkets. However good intentioned this movement is, the have nots will remain have nots unless this particular type of greed is controlled or made to where it can not be used for other purposes than intended. It is a shame that it will wind up this way. The very best hope that poor kids in third world countries have of breaking out of that cycle is through education and methods to improve their standing by learning. Short circuting that hope by the theft of these goods will do no long term aid to those that need it the worse. Only if these laptops can be made into a nonvaluable, nontradable, and unwanted item will it work. It is not that I am against such help, far from it. Reality must not take a back seat to good intentions. Laptops will do no good unless they reach the hands they are intended for and remain in those hands. Food was commonly and routinely hijacked by the local governments and by militias from Unicef shipments until it was made into a corn gruel that was not so appetizing or worth taking to trade for guns and other luxuries. I somehow doubt this will be much different. Unless they can make the laptops to where they of no value to anyone but the kids then it will be the next hot commodity to show up, offering to be sold on the local blackmarkets. However good intentioned this movement is, the have nots will remain have nots unless this particular type of greed is controlled or made to where it can not be used for other purposes than intended.

It is a shame that it will wind up this way. The very best hope that poor kids in third world countries have of breaking out of that cycle is through education and methods to improve their standing by learning. Short circuting that hope by the theft of these goods will do no long term aid to those that need it the worse. Only if these laptops can be made into a nonvaluable, nontradable, and unwanted item will it work.

It is not that I am against such help, far from it. Reality must not take a back seat to good intentions. Laptops will do no good unless they reach the hands they are intended for and remain in those hands.

]]> By: Reader's Write http://www.p2pnet.net/story/7000#comment-24560 Reader's Write Wed, 16 Nov 2005 21:51:07 +0000 http://www.p2pnet.net/story/7000#comment-24560 Yes, I believe it will actually reach the poor people of the world, and they might even get to play with the technology for a day or two before the government troops come and steal the computers in order to use them to keep power. Everyone will be happy. The MIT people for doing something to help poor people, Red Hat for getting its operating system used, and the governments of these countries for having brand new computers on the cheep. Everyone wins except the poor people and the taxpayers. Yes, I believe it will actually reach the poor people of the world, and they might even get to play with the technology for a day or two before the government troops come and steal the computers in order to use them to keep power. Everyone will be happy. The MIT people for doing something to help poor people, Red Hat for getting its operating system used, and the governments of these countries for having brand new computers on the cheep. Everyone wins except the poor people and the taxpayers.

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