Turn Your Philanthropy Inward

I got a message on Facebook about some call for proposals due sometime this month for $5,000 US - basically the proposal is supposed to fund some new superwhamodyne idea for use of weblogs in cultures... and it just rubbed me the wrong way, it really did, and I must say why.

Most of the problems related to technology revolve around policy - policies related to copyrights and patents, around the internet and network neutrality, and even price control of bandwidth. Any one of these smoking guns has a trail - be it TRIPs, GATT, WSIS in all evolutions (past, present and future) and others - and all of these trails lead to policies which can be changed.

Let us take the OLPC - a bit of a joke, as I've said before - but let us say that all the money spent on the technology around the OLPC was spent on lobbying the appropriate government about policies which adversely affect other countries and hinder them from joining the First World. That, to me, would be a more sensible use of money than building green plastic toaster lookalikes which rob developing nations of 100 million dollars of infrastructure that they could be building instead.

Change has to come from within. You can't buy change. You can encourage it, but every time I see a philanthropist dosing out money for tax breaks I wonder how effective that money could be used within their own country. Heck, mentioning Network Neutrality on the WSIS-PCT list had Richard Stallman lecturing on 'Free Software was here first - they can join us' - when the whole point was that Network Neutrality, an issue in his country, affects the world and the distribution of Free Software itself.

If you want to change the world, start with your own back yard - a sentiment I believe any patriot of any country would agree with. Deal with the problems at home. An example? OK, sure. Look at Ubuntu Linux, then look at where it was developed, then look at who the seed funding came from. Mark Shuttleworth. Where did that work start? Oh.

The intent here is not to demean people who put money out - but it is a wake up call. Supporting bad policies which cause people to spend money on philanthropy and/or funding which forces those stumbling under the weight of the policies to write proposals like trained monkeys is not kind. It is condescending, and lazy. Tossing your yard clippings over the hedge and then asking your neighbor to write a proposal to obtain funding to remove the clippings is detestable and unconscionable.

Go put that funding into lobbying for Network Neutrality, better copyright and patent policies, better education, fair trade and human rights.

If you want to build a new world, stop handing out dollars. Pick up a hammer and forge something in the furnace. Even if you fail, you'll have respect - and maybe even some self-respect. It is a global village, right? Well, help maintain the common area.