I have something political brewing here. You have been adequately warned.

Like you, I have been emotionally steamrolled by the photographs and stories coming out of Haiti. And statistically speaking, you probably also donated through SMS, as millions of people in the United States participated. The outpouring of generosity in these days that feel so economically unstable is pretty amazing.

But why does no one act on behalf of impoverished nations when there is not a spectacular natural disaster to show the need for help? It seems wrong to be rallied by photo-ops of poor people of color sitting amongst rubble. (For the record, I am including myself in this grouping)

Look, I’m not going to try to bombard anyone with Developed World liberal guilt. But as I confirmed my donation to the (now questionable) Yéle Haiti campaign, I was angry with myself: why did it take such a dramatic disaster to compel me to donate? I know of the struggles of the Global South, and I have changed my consuming habits to address my issues with exploited labor and unreasonable IMF lending techniques. But apparently I cannot sacrifice an occasional night out to help out others.

I want to do more. Sadly, I am a poor college kid that works 15 hours a week. But what I do have is some free time that can be put to use. My previous efforts of trying to volunteer have failed (Seattle non-profits seem to be pretty picky), but I will renew my commitment to doing something to give back.

An interesting side note emerging from this story is how simple technologies make donating easier. The ability to text your donation, brag about your donation on Twitter, and posting pleas on Facebook is an interesting model of connecting people to causes. It feels like technology may have just proved its humanitarian value. I don’t know about you, but this effort feels a lot more important than changing a time zone with Tehran to provide communication channels in Iran.

My final thought is that I can only hope that the funds are being spent on the Haitian people and into McGoverns’ several hundred thousand dollar a year salary with the Red Cross.