Ineffective Altruism for Anti-Racist Causes

Posted: 2 Apr 2016 Last revised: 6 Apr 2016

Date Written: March 31, 2016

Abstract

Effective altruism is a movement that empowers people to donate a substantial portion of their income to causes and charities, often administered by nonprofits, to generally improve the world. Peter Singer has provided a philosophical basis for this movement in his many articles and books. One of the key assumptions is that donations will be effective insofar as they increase human happiness, reduce animal suffering, maximize return on investment, or have the intended effects that the donor envisions. However, not all charitable nonprofits are run for the purposes that their founders proclaim. In some cases, they are fronts for state and non-state actors with ambitious political agendas. In other cases, the donations go to the nonprofits’ employees, rather than to those they are tasked to serve. It is difficult to see through the veil of corruption because powerful actors are often more committed to the symbolic value of the organization’s existence than to the good that the organization actually does. Some effective altruists choose to donate only to local charities and nonprofits on the assumption that this ‘all charity is local’ strategy will ensure greater control over how their donations are spent. To the contrary, some local charities in the U.S. are led by individuals and groups (including entire boards of directors) committed to corruption, secrecy and the avoidance of accountability. Anti-racist charities are some of the worst because while they are outwardly committed to the symbolism of diversity and tolerance, their leaders and administrators encourage the deep-rooted class differences, economic exploitation and rapacious capitalism that ultimately cause the human suffering they purportedly seek to reduce or eliminate. Adolph Reed, Jr., offers some guidance in demystifying these ant-racist Leftist causes. The benefactors of these anti-racist nonprofits often look the other way, refuse to acknowledge how their generosity never brings about desired outcomes and content themselves with the warm, fuzzy feeling of having given, even if to an ethically bankrupt organization. I call this ‘ineffective altruism for anti-racist causes’ and offer an example in the city of Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

Keywords: ethics, corruption, altruism, anti-racism, Marxism, Leftist politics

JEL Classification: Z00

Suggested Citation

Ralston, Shane J., Ineffective Altruism for Anti-Racist Causes (March 31, 2016). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2757176

Shane J. Ralston (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN

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