Give It Away Now: The American Spirit of Giving

[Coco]

So, I'm sure you've heard (and even if you hadn't, you're about to) about Warren Buffet and Bill Gates' Giving Pledge. 40 billionaires from the United States giving away the majority of their fortunes for those who need help the most takes baby steps towards warming one's heart, and coming from a country that seems to get such flack around the world for turning a cold shoulder to the least fortunate among them no less. A casual glance from afar at some of America's often ultra conservative political sentiments regarding not being forced to give one's money to support those in need leaves many with a bad taste in their mouth. However, the actions of Buffet, Gates, and their well-to-do friends is absolutely characteristic of what many have long known to be the American spirit of giving.

You heard me right: America, the nation of givers. Our good friends working on the World Values Survey have shown us data that indicates Americans devote more time to unpaid charity work than the people of other industrialized western nations. Americans also donates more cha-ching ($$$) yo charity than the people of those nations.

Where is this going? Well, we're going to have a discussion about stuff. What stuff? This stuff:

How is it that a nation which gives more of its GDP (by a large margin) to charity than any other industrialized western country has such a bad reputation in the eyes of many around the world for the way it supposedly shuts those with the least out in the cold?

Do you believe in the notion that America's exceptional religiousity is responsible for its charitable nature? Do you feel this is worth the negatives which religion is often accused of bringing to many a society?

 

[RockFan89]

I think there are 2 major factors to consider.

First most other industrialized countries have a higher tax rate and therefore have less of their wealth to give away. Plus, most people in those countries believe it is the government's duty to take care of the poor, not their own.

Second, when you compare charity in the U.S., conservatives give about 15% more to charity then liberals despite making about 7% less (I heard that stat on a John Stossel segment). And the U.S. is a generally conservative country. Now I don't know if that number includes giving to a church, if it does, than the fact that many Christians give 10% of their wealth away would definitely boost that number for this country.