Western Altruism

Recently there was a concert held in Sydney to raise funds for the victims of the Boxing Day Tsunami. There have been many similar such events held around the world for the same purpose, obviously an effective way of raising money; people are more likely to part with their hard earned if they get something in return.
The crowd were all told by the artists that they were "doing a great thing, and should all feel really good about themselves."
Why?
They were paying money to be entertained. The fact that the proceeds were supposed to end up on the muddy shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand is essentially irrelevant. Why should we feel good about ourselves because 300,000 people have died?

The Tsunami has just provided the west with another way to feel good about ourselves. After the disaster it seemed as though all the wealthy countries in the world were scrambling to out-do each other in donations. People get the chance to have that warm, fuzzy feeling inside, that they have made a difference and done their little bit, because they turned up to a rock concert!

Obviously the people affected by the Tsunami are now suffering terrible hardships and wealthy nations should provide assistance; but why are we not organising concerts and cricket matches for the poverty stricken people of Africa, who have nothing for a natural disaster to take away.
Why? Because there are no western tourists there.

For the west it has never been about how we can help the poor, but more about what levels of altruism we can attain without actually affecting our comfort levels. Ultimately, everything has to be about the west!