Stingy? Part Two

Though often annoying in a new-age colonialist kind of way, Nicholas Kristof can hit the mark. Exhibit A: his recent column on American stinginess:

When grieving victims intrude onto our TV screens, we dig into our pockets and provide the massive, heartwarming response that we're now displaying in Asia; the rest of the time, we're tightwads who turn away as people die in far greater numbers. . . the bottom line is that this month and every month, more people will die of malaria (165,000 or more) and AIDS (240,000) than died in the tsunamis,and almost as many will die because of diarrhea ( 140,000). And that's where
we're stingy.

It's important to note the media's role in prying open our pocketbooks. See related post and a related article by colleague Danny Schechter.