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Comment by DenisM | Hacker News Reader

What's with the downvotes? The question is asked in good faith and it produced an interesting discussion. Would y'all prefer for the author to remain silent with his thoughts, and for the opposing arguments to remain untold?

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If I had enough clout to downvote, I was going to do so. I was going to do so because the comment is totally ignorant. I don't know who is feeding people around the world this misinformation that African people are all dying of hunger and waiting for food aid.

I don't know who is either, but how is ignorance going to be fixed if we punish people who ask questions?

The bigger problem isn't ignorance here. Lack of emphathy is the main problem. Parent comment, which people are down-voting, is basically suggesting that those African children which were saved are better off dead.

You are right about questions asked in good faith. Media has gotten us used to assertions and allegations made from behind a question: Is Obama and American citizen ? Is your mother a whore ? etc etc

To remove ignorance you need to have a discussion.

> I don't know who is feeding people around the world this misinformation that African people are all dying of hunger and waiting for food aid.

I guess the "Donate money" for African kids with a pictures/videos of malnourished kids in the background.

They are probably the ones responsible. If those charity organisations can change the message to stop sponsoring wars in Africa, there won't be a need to donate to African kids in less than 5 years. Then again they won't have a job because majority of that money ends up in their pockets.

It's pretty uninvestigated, as are many responses, I'm not sure what was gained by asking whether people who intend to have children can feed them in a coy manner. I read the first bit as feigning a doubt as to whether expecting parents would be better off with dead children (even with the following disclaimer)

It was an extremely poorly-worded question that produced a nightmare of a thread.

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