I hate charity

I hate charity. Performing an act of charity makes you feel better about yourself, while having no long-term impact on the life of someone who is an object of charity.

Charity toward a homeless person may enable him to remain on the street while refusing a permanent solution to his predicament. A charitable donation to Haitian earthquake victims may do nothing to undercut the massive suffering caused by the earthquake.

Charity inspires a warm glow of sentimental feeling while accepting the injustice of the world. Charity adds measurably to the quantity of self-righteousness in the world while diminishing the measure of justice. Charity is endlessly sustainable, as are the systemic poverty, hunger, and homelessness masked by charity.

The alternative to charity is compassion in action.