64 year old Actress Mia Farrow– who was already about two pounds shy of being in danger of falling through a crack in the floor– engaged in a 12 day long hunger strike in an effort to draw attention to the plight of those living in Darfur.
“I have been instructed by my doctor to stop my fast immediately due to health concerns – including possible seizures,” wrote Farrow. “I am fortunate. The women, children, and men I am fasting for do not have that option.”
Airline magnate Richard Branson says that he will take over the fast for the next three days.
I’m sure the people in Darfur are thinking, “That’s nice and all, but can’t you crazy, rich British people just send us some freaking food?”
I have to question both the efficacy and sanity of a sympathetic hunger strike. It’s like showing solidarity with a co-worker who has cancer by chainsmoking, tanning all day, and eating asbestos sandwiches in an effort to get cancer. I’m sure they’d much rather you just drive them to chemo and make them some soup.
“I’m sure the people in Darfur are thinking, ‘That’s nice and all, but can’t you crazy, rich British people just send us some freaking food?'”
Oh sure. To them we’re all British. If they don’t know that Mia Farrow is an American then by gum they don’t deserve to eat.
you know. I completely agree.
however. I also don’t respect anyone willing to devote ridiculous amounts of time & energy to people suffering across the globe when there is so much to be done in our own backyard.
my father was a vietnam vet and lived in a shithole on $600 a month. of course we did all we could to help him but due to his pride & our own financial struggles, this was his reality for a good number of years until he passed away.
I firmly believe that until we can adequately support every vet & child in this country, screw darfur.
“I also don’t respect anyone willing to devote ridiculous amounts of time & energy to people suffering across the globe when there is so much to be done in our own backyard.”
Well said, I completely agree.
I think a vet living off of $600 a month is a much better situation than people in darfur who are facing starvation and genocide.
when is the last time you were in your 60s and attempting to live in southern california on $600 a month? and I suppose fighting in vietnam, exposed to death and horrible emotional suffering and chemical warfare isn’t enough?
we should help ourselves first or eventually we will be of absolutely no help to others. we cannot save the planet. we just can’t. and I believe it’s arrogant of us to think we can. therefore, let’s help those who are suffering NEXT DOOR before we spend our tears and our fortunes on other nations.
Im gonna stick with what i said, living in southern california off of $600 a month is FARRRRRR better than living in sudan where you are subjected to starvation, rape and genocide..you cant compare the two.
totes agree with you, yeayea. We all share this world. Until everyone recognizes that we aren’t going to get anywhere in this country or anywhere else.
Interesting also is that you are a daughter of a vet but you “don’t respect anyone willing to devote ridiculous amounts of time & energy to people suffering across the globe”…That seems like a contradiction to me.
I agree with yeayea. Before I even read his post, I was going to mention that I thought your line about how you “don’t respect anyone who…” was really harsh. Just because they are benefiting something that you think isn’t as important as something else, you don’t respect them? She’s still making the world a better place! These people are born into poverty and have no choices available to them that would keep them away from genocide and starvation.
There’s not one main problem that needs fixing before any others.
you are so completely uninformed, it’s ridiculous.
your comment actually really bothered me. So you don’t think we should care about anyone who isn’t in this country? Aren’t they people too? We should just turn our back on what other countries do? Should everyone had just let Hitler kill all the Jews and take over Europe, because, you know, they aren’t here?
You know what your father was doing over in Vietnam, right? No, I am not going to be all controversial and accuse him of war crimes. He was over there to supposedly help the South Vietnamese, which… you know… are not American. ” I suppose fighting in vietnam, exposed to death and horrible emotional suffering and chemical warfare isn’t enough?”
I am sure it was bad for your father, but it was also horrible for the Vietnamese.
I don’t know if your father was drafted or not. If he wasn’t… well.. he had an idea of what he was getting into.
We live in a global world. Just because something isn’t happening in our backyard doesn’t mean it doesn’t effect us, and it certainly doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care. We spend BILLIONS of dollar when we feel like being world police (Iraq)… why don’t we care about Darfur?
um, because they don’t have oil?
hahah. good call joan.
:)
Ah yes, the Vietnam war. Another war America started based upon lies their government spread.
Mia Farrow speaks like she is from some other country, so totally understandable mistake.
I think it shows how much impact her fast has had that this is the first I’ve heard of it. It certainly has not been all over the news or anything.
I know. She needs to watch more I Love New York reruns and learn to talk proper American. All them fancy words and complete sentences make her sound like a dayum f’rnr.
“I have to question both the efficacy and sanity of a sympathetic hunger strike. It’s like showing solidarity with a co-worker who has cancer by chainsmoking, tanning all day…” that is not exactly the same thing, these people in Darfur are not only starving but are getting murdered by “Janjaweed” which are basically hit men on horses with machine guns. But that would be one of the kinder ways in which they would kill you, they have also been known break your legs and arms, then proceed to rape you, just because it is easier. What they usually say about the Janjaweed is the only ones who survive are the ones fast enough able to outrun them. (I see now that I would never be able to outrun a man strapped with machine guns on a horse.) I feel really sad for those who think that she is being silly by trying to inform people on a terrible situation that is happening in our world.
I must also agree with yeayea. Recently spent time in Rwanda with families who live in houses made from twigs and leaves. If you ever see a child dying needlessly from hunger you might think differently about helping ourselves first. We are extraordinarily wealthy compared to those in countries like Sudan and Rwanda, where the average lifespan is 42 years. Not to take away from killermodsecretary’s father’s experience, I think that suffering is suffering, but I also think that nowadays our backyard is a global one.
I sort of agree….considering that our poor people (here in America) are fat.
I don’t get the whole “I’m going to go on a Hunger strike by myself deal”. I mean did she end up changing anything at all by doing this? Now if it was huge amounts of people, or cities, or nations, at one time doing this then I could see THAT being majorly effective.
true that!
well, the way I see it, if she goes on with her hunger strike, and get really sick for this; in the the end she’s not gonna be able to actually “do” something about darfur. donate instead!
if she ends up dead because of her hunger strike (well, it sounds harsh, but I’m trying to make a point) people are gonna take notice for awhile then move on with their lives and darfur’s condition will stay unchanged.
Duh.
It’s like the people here (Chicago) and probably other large cities who “march against violence.”
That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!! Marching and chanting don’t solve problems. Starving herself will do nothing either. Idiots.
heeeeey now. I’m not saying we should never ever help people, wherever they are. I’m merely saying that starvation, severe poverty, disease, etc. happens RIGHT HERE and is ignored.
I indeed spoke harshly and in generalities, perhaps that was a knee-jerk reaction. I feel and have felt so much frustration when it took my father months to get a cancerous growth removed from his neck and his inability to afford adequate nutrition after fighting for our own rights and freedoms, only to be ignored and shuffled aside. it can be disheartening when people of other cultures are given preference over people we see every day…
“after fighting for our own rights and freedoms,”
what you talking about? Many wars have been about that, but Vietnam had NOTHING to do with our rights and our freedoms. Puh-lease. Nothing. Your father was actually fighting for the ‘freedom’ of OTHER people. North Vietnam was in zero ways challenging our freedom in America.
I hate when people play the “fighting for our freedom” card, especially when it is NOT applicable.
The point is that her father served his country.
And for that we should be grateful.
I don’t blame her for feeling the way she does.
I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be to have a parent who is sick, and their treatment is delayed because of governmental red tape.
I am grateful to anyone that serves their country, but please don’t say that Vietnam was about protecting our freedom. That’s untrue and just distracting from the argument. People just always use that phrase to applaud ANYTHING warlike, regardless if it is actually relevant or not.
Vietnam wasn’t attacking us (and we should have stayed the F out). We can’t just world police when we feel like it, then turn our backs on other people. Do we care about helping people in distress, or don’t we? Mod’s dad seems like he DID care. And I applaud him for that.
“I firmly believe that until we can adequately support every vet & child in this country, screw darfur.”
“I’m not saying we should never ever help people, wherever they are.”
which one is it?
i agree that we need to help the poor and malnourished in our country, killer. but you act as though compassion is a finite concept, and it isn’t.
“you act as though compassion is a finite concept, and it isn’t.”
Being compassionate is an admirable quality, but at some point you have to draw the line. If I didn’t, every night when I watched the news I would go completely mad from all the injustices and horrible acts going on in the world. Pick your cause and support it. Lord only knows there’s enough to go around, unfortunately.
i am actively involved in 3 different charities…it’s called multi-tasking. not that difficult.
if you spend your time supporting three different charities, why do you get mad when people are trying to help out with Darfur? Couldn’t they do what you are doing, helping vets and helping people from different countries?
anonymous, you’re getting people mixed up. quirkygirlkitten never got mad about people trying to help out darfur.
whoops!!! hahaha my bad!!!! thanks for pointing that out
you need to recognize the innate privilege that Westerners have simply because we are born here. spend some time in Africa. it has nothing to do with what culture these people are of, or their proximity to our homes. help is based on need, and it is needed in Africa.
But, they’re not given preference. That’s the point. And it’s fucked up what happened to your dad and all the other vets who put their lives on the line for a bullshit cause. It just sucks. There is a lot of things that still need to be changed, but we shouldn’t ignore genocide. EVER.
maybe not, but it’s still very fucked up that every person in this country does not have healthcare. why is that? why can we sink millions of dollars into helping other countries and trying to save the world, but the healthcare in this country SUCKS? i’m just sayin’..
free national health care is simply too expensive, really not sure why all medical drugs aren;’t sold at rock bottom prices etc but could it be greed? Even in the UK the free national health service doesn’t cover all drugs for cancer, alsymers and other horrible illness. Prescrition drugs cost around $15 a time. Hospital’s that cater for the elderly have been revelaed to be terryfing places where patients are not kindly or efficently treated at all times and it is just as terryfing.
The horrible anwser seems to be that it is greed that is to blame. Money is made from selling weapons or aquiring oil. It’s a very sad state of affairs, in an ideal world the woman’s father would have a decent pension to live off from the military or a comfortable community housing complex to retire too, at a low cost or free and there wouldn’t be needless wars and lawless behaviour occuring.
peace out !
“asbestos sandwich” OMFG you are on a roll, girl :D
Kelly, you made me laugh again and think about this issue – thanks! I kind of agree with what you say, but I do think that the idea of drawing attention to the situation in Darfur is a valid one, although I’m not convinced that Mia Farrow going on hunger strike is the way to do it. Drawing attention to appalling human rights abuses and atrocities where they are being ignored is important. Letting your government know that you do care, and that you would like them to do something if they can, is important.
Getting attention for people who need help is important – whether they’re a struggling war veteran in America or a Sudanese woman whose husband and baby were beheaded with a machete.
How is going on hunger strike raising awareness of Darfur?? I respect her conviction but don’t understand how she thought that would help