benefit or harm?

wil · 03-21-2007, 01:41 PM

HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- Japanese billionaire Genshiro Kawamoto has selected the first four of eight Native Hawaiian families that will each rent one of his multimillion-dollar homes in the exclusive oceanside Kahala area for $150 a month.....more

Renting a 6,000 square foot home to a low income family in my mind is trouble... The utilities and upkeep could easily exceed what they could afford to pay. Has anyone read 'The Millionaire Next Door'? It describes the issues young parents have when their family has given them money to buy a house in a nieghborhood they can't afford...the house can be given to them, but if they are not ready financially and mentally to afford the neighborhood it is nothing but trouble.

This guy is spending hundreds of millions on his philanthropic venture...if he were to spend that money in educational and motivational programs teaching the children of these kids financial management, entreprenurial spirit, ingenuity, and the benefit of charity and philanthropy...he could create generations of people out of the low income cycle...

Hate to say it but he's forgot the basic tenent...give a man a fish you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish....

Am I seeing this wrong?

17th Angel · 03-21-2007, 02:15 PM

Hell no!!! That is such a great opportunity!! $150 a month!? that's like £90? or so? lol That is awesome!!! So cheap. And you say about the upkeep?? What up keep... The only up keep I have for my home is the usual bills everyone has... If you are a poor low class community your requirements and such should also be quite low... I don't think they would go getting power boats and 400 tvs and so on... ;/ I think that is a great break... I can also only imagine how bad it must be to live in a poor neighbour hood... With that not a problem... You sleep with peace of mind.

Pathless · 03-21-2007, 07:33 PM

I pick "adding insult to injury." Let me do an interprative one-act play of it:

US Government: Hello. We are here to take your land.
Native Hawaiians: No. It is our land. We are doing just fine.
US Government: Well, we need this piece of land. It's pretty and strategically placed. Here, have a cookie.
Native Hawaiians: Please leave.
US Government: Ooooooh, this looks like a nice spot for a military base. Pina Colada, anyone?
Native Hawaiians: Please leave.
US Government: Hey, we'll bring you jobs, whaddaya say?
Native Hawaiians: We don't want your jobs. We were doing great before you showed up.
US Government: Don't make us angry. You wouldn't like us when we're angry.
Native Hawaiians: Yeah, we know.

Some time passes. The "natives" are further and further marginalized. Many die, as do many aspects of their culture.

Years pass. The United States of America is successful in persuading the rest of the world that its culture of consumer capitalism is truly divine and awesomely rad--sometimes by using brute force, but most often using things like advertising, Coca-Cola, and Wrangler Jeans. In the early twenty-first century, an assimilated Japanses capitalist millionaire takes a liking to the tropical climate of Hawaii and the quaint, mysterious indigenous people. Televised for all to see, with a backdrop of majestic Hawaiian volcanoes, straw-skirted dames, and tropical beverages by the pool, he proclaims to all watching:

Genshiro Kawamoto: Hey, Look at ME!!! I'm a philanthropist!!

cheers and applause of television-drenched zombies

Genshiro Kawamoto: Hi, cute native people of Hawaii!! Would you like to rent an awesome house for a little bit of money??? Look, you can have your own swimming pool and servants, if you want!

Native Hawaiians: Please leave! We were doing fine before all of this. We don't want your swimming pools! We used to have the whole ocean! And now there is so much pollution, animals are dying, and our people are confused. We do not want your money or your houses. Please leave.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::

Sure, it's simplified and idealized, but such are one-act plays.

wil · 03-21-2007, 08:44 PM

The swimming pool would cost approximately 2,000 a year to open and close...the landscaping and lawn another thou in maintenance and chemicals to keep up with the covenants of the community association...cooling a house of that size another 400-1200 per month depending on the season...

I could be incredibly naive...but I think he is incredibly naive to think he is providing lasting benefit...

Faithfulservant · 03-23-2007, 10:40 PM

Theres a documentary where they gave a homeless guy $100,000.. He said if he could only get some money he could get on his feet. Well he blew the 100,000 and is still homeless. He resisted all of his family's efforts to get him on the right track.. he was convinced he could do it himself. I think it harmed him in the long run. TBH

YO-ELEVEN-11 · 03-24-2007, 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pathless

I pick "adding insult to injury." Let me do an interprative one-act play of it:

US Government: Hello. We are here to take your land.
Native Hawaiians: No. It is our land. We are doing just fine.
US Government: Well, we need this piece of land. It's pretty and strategically placed. Here, have a cookie.
Native Hawaiians: Please leave.
US Government: Ooooooh, this looks like a nice spot for a military base. Pina Colada, anyone?
Native Hawaiians: Please leave.
US Government: Hey, we'll bring you jobs, whaddaya say?
Native Hawaiians: We don't want your jobs. We were doing great before you showed up.
US Government: Don't make us angry. You wouldn't like us when we're angry.
Native Hawaiians: Yeah, we know.

Some time passes. The "natives" are further and further marginalized. Many die, as do many aspects of their culture.

Years pass. The United States of America is successful in persuading the rest of the world that its culture of consumer capitalism is truly divine and awesomely rad--sometimes by using brute force, but most often using things like advertising, Coca-Cola, and Wrangler Jeans. In the early twenty-first century, an assimilated Japanses capitalist millionaire takes a liking to the tropical climate of Hawaii and the quaint, mysterious indigenous people. Televised for all to see, with a backdrop of majestic Hawaiian volcanoes, straw-skirted dames, and tropical beverages by the pool, he proclaims to all watching:

Genshiro Kawamoto: Hey, Look at ME!!! I'm a philanthropist!!

cheers and applause of television-drenched zombies

Genshiro Kawamoto: Hi, cute native people of Hawaii!! Would you like to rent an awesome house for a little bit of money??? Look, you can have your own swimming pool and servants, if you want!

Native Hawaiians: Please leave! We were doing fine before all of this. We don't want your swimming pools! We used to have the whole ocean! And now there is so much pollution, animals are dying, and our people are confused. We do not want your money or your houses. Please leave.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::

Sure, it's simplified and idealized, but such are one-act plays.

DAPZ ON ALL THAT!!!