We don't need billionaire philanthropists: The Korea Herald columnist

An elderly woman sitting inside a store at a border village near the demilitarized zone in Yeoncheon, South Korea, Jan on 8, 2016.


By Justin Hiraga

The Korea Herald/Asia News Network


It's similar to the Red Cross during wartime; they can't stop the war. In many ways, they propagate the dysfunctions because the biggest funders of these temporary resolutions are also the greatest oppressors of our society, from whom these dysfunctions stem.

There are, for example, many people suffering around the world from curable diseases simply because they don't have access to proper medical assistance.


That is to say, this problem is derived from the massive income inequality around the world. If they could earn a sufficient living on their own, they wouldn't need any charitable aid from developed nations.

They don't need rich philanthropists giving them millions of dollars.


Let's look at Bill Gates, who was simply driven to make as much money as possible at any cost. Along the way, he has smothered many smaller companies, copied others' ideas, and snuffed out many innovative competing products.



Another exemplary indication of this problem is Lance Armstrong.




Take a moment to think of the other cyclists who didn't allow themselves to cheat. Where are they now? Can you name them? Are they rich and famous?





The resolution I'm putting forward is not a utopian concept. We simply need more people investigating and adopting business models that can enrich ordinary people's lives, which can free us from a life bound by servitude and dependency.









It's just that we are so busy looking up to iconic figures like the Bill Gates of the world that we can't see them.

* The writer is an assistant professor at the Department of International Business Languages of Seokyeong University in Seoul.