Our Hunger Holocaust
© Richard Parncutt 2011

We are right to accuse those millions of Germans and others who contributed to the murder of millions of Jews and others during World War Two (hereafter WW2), failed to prevent this catastrophe, or failed to reduce its extent. We are right to prosecute those who today like to pretend that the WW2-holocaust never happened.

But there is another holocaust happening right now. We are in a position to prevent it, and we are not. I am not talking about the Ukrainian hunger holocaust 1932-22, which was another unimaginable disaster. I am talking about something even worse. It is so bad that we can hardly comprehend it. You can read about it here and (in German) here.  

Today, one billion people in developing countries, who are mainly black (and overwhelmingly not of European origin) are at risk of death by hunger and preventable disease. 

These people live many countries on three continents, e.g. Somalia, Zambia, Mali, Swaziland, Ethiopia, Haiti, Colombia, Bolivia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, North Korea.

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Like the WW2-holocaust, our holocaust is racist: if the people affected were of European origin, we would have prevented it long ago and we would be more prepared to prevent it now. Our holocaust is also preventable: we merely need to take its main cause and the main solution seriously. 

• The main cause of our climate holocaust in the coming decades will be climate change, but of course there are many other complex historical and economic causes (conflict, unfair trade, AIDS...). Everyone is talking about climate change, but counterstrategies are being implemented so slowly that catastrophe is inevitable. 
• The main solution is and will be international aid, which could sustainably reduce poverty if rich countries gave 0.7% of their gross national product. But the average country is currently giving only about half that amount – just enough to maintain poverty at current levels (more). 
• In the longer term, the main solution is education. In addition to the usual subjects, every child in every school should learn about the religions of the world, their common moral code, the main problems facing the world, how they could be solved, who is preventing solution of these problems, and why. 

Is our holocaust comparable with the WW2-holocaust? We are not murdering people - we are simply allowing them to die, which is a big difference. But in the end the agony and the tragedy are the same, even if we avoid witnessing it and pretend it does not exist. Today, in the rich (“postindustrial”) countries, it is easier to prevent a holocaust than it was for Germans and others during WW2. Our attention is not diverted by the crisis of war at home, and we are fully informed of all details of the holocaust in question, if we bother to seek them out (an internet search takes a few seconds). Moreover, the number of lives that are at risk in today’s hunger holocaust is about about 100 times greater than in Hitler’s. 

The holocaust of WW2 is commonly held to be the biggest crime in history, and those who make this proclamation commonly hold themselves to be innocent. In the light of today's hunger holocaust, both claims are false. Some people think it is extremely bad taste to compare the WW2-holocaust with anything at all. I understand, but make no apologies. The comparison is evidently necessary to make people wake up and realize what is going on. Ladies and gentlemen, a hunger holocaust is happening right now, under our noses, and we are collectively responsible. We may have our heads in the sand today, like many Germans and others during WW2, but the historians of the future will not be so kind.

Whose fault is it?

We are all guilty of this crime, but some are more guilty than others. The most guilty are those with the means to slow, and hence collectively prevent, this tragedy, without significant risk to their own quality of life. The most guilty are also those who are indirectly encouraging this crime by general distortion of the truth. Altogether, these people fall into five categories: the rich, the refined, the rockers and royals, the religious, and the racist. 

The rich: All those with much more money than they need to live happily and comfortably, especially the billionaires, of which there are over one thousand in the world. If Bill Gates can do something, so can the others.

The refined: Those with the best education and freedom of speech, especially those thousands of university professors with tenure in all academic disciplines (the author of this text is one). Every university professor has the opportunity to support or launch projects to make the world a better place. They have relevant skills (writing, networking...) that others don't have.

The rockers and royals: Anyone whose private life is being reported in detail in gossip magazines. Famous musicians and actors, and members of royal families, are right to be offended by such blatant invasion of privacy. But gossip magazines also represent a golden opportunity. "Stars" can easily influence public opinion simply by making the occasional public statement. Millions will listen. If the "stars" understand this opportunity and miss it, something is wrong.

The religious: Extremists and fundamentalists of all kinds, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, whatever. These modern hypocrites are training innocent children (citizens of the future) to believe rather than to think, and to obey rather than to take responsibility. They are clouding  global political discourse with a constant shower of truth distortion.

The racist: Far-right political parties, whose supporters are convinced they are victims of other groups such as “foreigners”, who are considered fundamentally inferior and treated as scapegoats. Populist political parties whose main message is one of hate and greed. The Austrian "Freedom Party" is an example.

Even worse are those groups who simultaneously belong to more than one of these categories. The American Tea Party movement has been campaigning relentlessly to destroy Barack Obama, the first black US president (and surely one of the best, even considering the problematic decisions that every president makes). Every time genuine altruists such as Obama make progress toward solving a major problem in the interest of millions of people (e.g. health care in the US), people calling themselves “conservatives” rise up to prevent progress. It is often difficult to ascertain whether such people are evil or stupid. (Sorry to be so direct.)

There is no god. But if there was one, we would meet her on the Day of Judgment. She would identify members of all the above categories who had no made a significant personal contribution to a solution of these problems, and send them to hell.

Most of these categories are dominated by white men aged 40-80. The author of this text is also a white man aged 40-80. I respectfully ask other white men aged 40-80 reading this text, who are honest and responsible enough and sufficiently free from delusion to understand my main point, to wake up and get active. Stick your neck out in those areas in which you have influence. Exemplify that stereotypically male attribute of courage. Risk losing old friends and gaining new ones. Focus on the big issues and work for fundamental change in the interest of all people with whom you have contact, which in our increasingly globalized world is everyone - all seven billion of us (approaching ten billion by the end of the 21st century). Give your life new meaning beyond the usual material, social and family comforts. Aspire to emulate the wisdom, impartiality and influence of the best tribal elders of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. That is what we older men are supposed to be like - but we are also entirely free to choose the attitudes and behaviors that we will  present to other people.