Thursday, February 01, 2007

Ridding the world of poverty... with no socks on

This interesting piece of news was displayed on the front page of the BBC News Web site yesterday.

I am not sure exactly what to think of it. If the man who heads one of the most powerful organizations in the world can't afford to buy (or care to buy) new socks.... well, what does that bode for the "developing countries" he is focused on saving? Just a curiosity I thought I would pass on.

thanks again to ahsan.m--my partner on the lookout for curious news :)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

mind-boggling...he is a typical DC politico, as withdrawn from reality as possible, the World Bank was a cozy exit for him from the mess he created while in the administration.

Anonymous said...

I don’t mean to pile on here but one thing to point out is that to some this could be considered a matter of disrespect. In any religious establishment you are supposed to wear presentable attire. Even those from lower economic classes in developing countries make it a point to wear clean and proper clothes when going for prayers. Here is a man who at any point in time could have asked one of his many underlings to grab a new pair of socks for him. But he didn’t.

Anonymous said...

apparently he's just a sloppy guy, and i don't think that's very appropriate for a man of his position.

what baffles me more though, is that BBC considers this important news.

on another note, the holes in the socks could really be a gesture of support for the poor. for example, singer cesaria evora always performs on stage without shoes, and that's her sign of solidarity to the poor who cannot afford to buy shoes. mr. wolfowitz, however, reveals only a little through those subtle holes...hmmm.

it's kris, who hates not being able to log in, argh.

DJ said...

concerned: yes, he definitely seems like it and those are the kind of people I can't stand in development institutions--hypocritical as can be.

ahsan.m: completely! this is wrong on so many levels. what would be most sad is if he didn't even realize that showing up with holes in his socks was not only socially inappropriate but also completely disrespectful in a mosque.

kris: nice try trying to justify his actions, or rather--appearance, but I don't buy it ;) hmmm i wonder if any of this staff stood up in his defence after this appeared in the news. As as far as BBC goes... yeah, on the one hand it is a little bit sad that they consider this front-page material, but then again the BBC like to have fun every once in a while.

Anonymous said...

i meant the tone of my last paragraph to sounds sarcastic, but i guess i was too sleepy to pull that off.

it is wrong for anyone who can afford to buy a pair of socks to wear socks with holes in them. period. be it a snotty schoolboy or the world bank president.

k.

DJ said...

kris: I know, I know... just pulling your leg. that paragraph reeked of sarcasm, seriously. продължавай все така!