I voted early this morning already, but I’m aware of the reality that my vote doesn’t really matter.

So, since it’s election day today (yay!), I figured I’d share some old but good videos that explain how our votes do and don’t count. (This is mostly for Mark.)

Starting with: TED Talk by Christina Greer — “Does your vote count?”
Good, basic, straight forward explanation of how the electoral college works…

 
But let’s be real. There are some even trickier parts. So here’s a slightly more troubling video by Grey (isn’t he great at explaining things?), explaining how the electoral college works in a bit more detail — including how there’s a good chunk of American citizens who CAN NOT vote. At all. And how some votes are more equal than others.

 
And lastly, another Grey video. Much snarkier, but pretty persuasive. “The Trouble with the Electoral College,” aka why this system needs to be abolished.

 
So there! Happy voting today, everyone. Regardless of what happens, let’s just remember to be responsible citizens of this country and of this earth.

I swear, this is not what I typically spend my weekend nights doing. Really.

Hands down, best video I’ve seen all week. Or month. Or year.

(I originally just titled this “On being wary of NGOs and aid organizations.”)

So a number of my friends are working together to support a major international aid NGO. I have to preface that I don’t dislike this organization. I think they do decent work with good intentions, but as many of us know, good intentions are not always enough. I haven’t had a chance to thoroughly investigate this organization in recent years, but based on its past I do know it’s not the first organization that I would want to throw money at. I’d rather invest in an organization that focuses on long-term impact and in which I value its efforts 100%. Growing up, my parents and I supported said NGO, but between our mediocre experience with it and my continual education on aid and development, we’ve ceased giving money quite a number of years ago.

Because my friends, whom I care for quite a bit, are working so hard to give support to this NGO, I’ve just been keeping my mouth shut about my feelings on its efficiency or effectiveness. I kind of slide out of the conversation whenever it comes up and try to just politely be a bystander. (I do plan to support in some manner, if possible, without going too much against my beliefs.)

However, recently I got cornered. One girl directly asked me to support in a major way. Initially, I made up some other excuses, as I had before when general requests were made to our social circles, but somehow she squeezed out of me the truth: I’d support in a small way (like giving some money to show support for my friends’ efforts), but I couldn’t go and actually advocate on behalf of this NGO or participate in one of the programs that I don’t strongly support.

I was pretty quickly told that I was hard-hearted and arrogant, with implications that I also am closed-minded and enjoy being negative. Despite the fact that I was being antagonized, I was the one that ended up feeling bad. This girl looked like she was going to cry (and punch me). I tried to be diplomatic and tactful, but it didn’t matter. I simply was not as good of a person as I claimed to be because I didn’t want to be a champion for an NGO that gave money to little poor children in Africa. Apologies if that sounded crass.

(I have other theories on why the conversation went so sourly, and it has little to do with the actual NGO, but that’s not something I will blast here.)

Anyways, that conversation made me realize how difficult it is to have the average American really understand what development and social impact really looks like, and how charity and “doing good” needs a huge overhaul.

I’m not super knowledgeable or experienced in this by any means and have much to learn myself, but I do know we need to be investing our money and efforts more wisely. We need to question the institutions through whom we are channeling our giving, and we need to demand more transparency, efficiency, and long-term impact.

I swear I’m not a snob. I just care.

Infographic: The Changing Face of AIDS [via GOOD]

1981

On June 5th, the U.S. Center for Disease Control publishes a report explaining that an unknown cause has stricken 5 gay men in Los Angeles with a rare pneumonia.

The first cases of this mysterious cause are among gay men, and later, injecting drug users. 121 people reportedly die from the disease by the end of the year.

It seems like something I should have really known, but I admit that I had no idea that AIDS was first discovered because of 5 men in Los Angeles.

Reading the 30-year timeline on AIDS that DoSomething put out was informative. Made me also realize how scary it must have been to live in America in the 1980s when this first began.

I found this amazing:

2010

Doctors cure an HIV positive man after five years of bone marrow transplants and radiation therapy. As of 2011, the approach will only work for a small number of people.

There’s amazing progress going on. And with Obama pledging an additional $50 million to combat AIDS, hopefully we’ll have a cure soon.

I had posted this TED Talk a while back on my previous blog but recently came across is again. I think it’s great, and Jacqueline, as I had said in that old post, is an amazing woman.

The video is a bit lengthy but it’s really great, I assure you. Among the many inspiring stories she tells is one of a little girl during the United States’ early stages of desegregation (around 14:25 in the clip), which is a favorite for me.

Jacqueline Novogratz is the author of The Blue Sweater and the founder of Acumen Fund.