Editorials

Put your money where your mouth is

By Claire DeRoin ~
Does walking around for a day without shoes really help children in third-world countries that cannot afford shoes?

A Day Without Shoes/Morningside

Some Morningside students recently participated in an event that is supposed to raise awareness for those poor souls that cannot afford to put soles on their feet. TOMS, a shoe brand that focuses much of its energy on giving shoes to lesser fortunate children, sponsored the event that they called One Day Without Shoes.

The website www.onedaywithoutshoes.com promotes that by going a day without shoes, one will spark curiosity and conversation, which will lead to the action of others. The action of enough people will lead to change. Ergo, no child (or person, for that matter,) will have to go without shoes ever again.

What’s the problem here? How many of the people who walk around barefoot actually fork over cash or donate shoes to the needy?  How many people will really see a college student walking around without shoes and assume they have a reason or cause? Most people snarl a lip in disgust at the thought of foot fungus spreading.

This makes about as much sense as everyone on campus starving themselves for one day just because there are hungry people out there.

Usually, actions speak louder than words, but in this case, donating money speaks louder than a pointless action.

April 10, 2012

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