There used to be a common expression that money used to send men to the moon could better be spent on feeding people down here on Earth. As if in response, funding for space exploration was eventually cut and more money was channeled into so-called development aid, the ultimate aim of which, we were led to believe, was to end poverty in the world.
Men have not returned to the moon for many years and poverty has not only not been wiped out, it has become more widespread and more extreme. The piles of money that rich countries gave to poor countries to help them grow their economies usually ended up in the pockets of dictators or multinational companies, spurring cynicism rather than genuine development. As a result, most citizens of the developed world think that attempting to eradicate poverty is a noble but fruitless endeavor.
Changing this mindset is precisely the impetus behind a series of global campaigns that have emerged recently. The target of these campaigns is the leaders who will attend the G-8 summit in Scotland next month, and the most prominent event among them is the series of Live 8 concerts organized (or, more exactly, summoned into being) by Bob Geldof, the Irish rock star who became a full-time antipoverty crusader after he arranged the Live Aid concert in 1985.