As I read Is Art a Waste of Time? by Rhys Southan for the second time, I noticed a new perspective of the EA’s as described by Southan. When first reading the passage, I passed over a few important details which lead me to believe that maybe the EA is not trying to be harsh towards the arts but the general actions of others. A belief of the EA that Southan states is “Does your preferred good deed make as much of a difference as simply handing over the money? If not, how good a deed is it really?” This statement, and looking at the effective altruism website, helped swayed my view of the EA.
Southan also mentions that “As EAs see it, writing scripts and making movies demands resources that, in the right hands, could have saved lives.” I can relate this idea of the EAs to my life when trying to save money. Sometimes while I am trying to save money I put random amounts of money in my savings account after accumulating over a certain limit in my checking account. I usually will keep a limit in my checking account so I can spend money on coffee, go out to restaurants with friends, or for unexpected activities like bowling or rock climbing. Although I still am saving money occasionally, I am continuously telling myself it is okay to spend money on unnecessary things instead of putting money directly into my savings account every time I get a check. This is like how people spend thousands on making films and television shows when they are overdone, instead of limiting the amount of movies they put out so they can donate money to charity. The use of “glossing” the text was helpful to me in understanding more in the passage leading me to be less likely to get distracted and disinterested. One word I used was “utilitarian” meaning to “promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number” (dictionary.com).
