The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

Brilliant idea.
I must admit I doubt it could work because it would be bound to attract a host of moral, ethical and political complications but I love the concept and I love how you come up with ideas that can benefit multiple parties rather than just one.
Maybe it just needs some adapting or focus on a category that is going to be less controversial, but it does show Google have made the right move 🙂

PS Should I ask about the post you wrote prior to this one?

thats right pete and george, shit on an idea that could help the poor and unprotected get on their feet. now do i mean rob or the people who have to sell their organs for survival? 🙂

and dont forget youre fucking lucky to have me george, i made you and i can destroy you but i wont because im scared of your wife. now lets stop fucking around and think how we can make this idea work because theres a bunch of holes but a great heart.

see rob, i am supporting you in your hour of need, remember that when its “will writing time”

“they” have also figured out how to get Muslims into the act by having the religious council encourage organ donation and tell muslims what a good thing it is and that it is not anti-religious ( harming ones body) and that they should “opt-in” as Muslim organs as a priority will go to help Muslims live etc. Many of the younger muslims are doing so now ! Great idea Rob – now if only it could or would be done ….

oops. I didn’t mean to seem flippant in this context. It’s a great idea. Kazuo Ishiguro wrote a haunting little book about this titled Never Let Me Go that sticks in my mind.

I would just add a +1 element to the scheme: anybody who buys a organ has to automatically put himself on the list when he passes + 1 other person (let’s see how deep the love really goes). so you get some kind of cycle thing going and a muliplier effect..

And by the way…Let’s put the Italian footy team at the top of the list, seems they are missing balls + the part of the brain where creativity resides ;)..thank god the russians beat holland or I would have had to do proper work today to make some money..

I think it’S a very interesting idea though it has one or two lacks here and there. The first is that an organ won’t stay alive until a wealthy Western someone bought it. Though maybe it would be possible to keep the donator’s organs working with CPB (no that’s not Crispin,Porter+Bogusky but Cardiopulmonary bypass). Unfortunately this technique would cost more than the receivers of the organs will pay.

Now, even if it’s cost-effective we still have the biggest problem (that all good ideas have to face) solve: human error. There will always be people finding a way to undermine good ideas with their will milk them for money and power. Socialism itself…what a great idea if it just had worked the way Marx thought it out. Unfortunately some human beings got in the way. With aid organisations it’s the same. A great ideas. Unfortunately the organisation itself devours billions. Or they are simply lead by wrong people (I read an interesting article about a book by ex-UN employees on that topic).

The human factor, that’s the biggest barricade I think (you should know the problem working together with Andy).

Another problem is that it’s not political or ethical correct to buy organs no matter if it’s for a good cause or not. There is still the smell of fat, rich, Western bastards upgrade their health on the shoulders of the poor.

Maybe it would be easier (and not only rich fat bastards can do it) if people take more care of what they buy. If it’s fair produced and fair traded. It’s something everyone can do and maybe it has a big effect on brands to produce fair and therefore a small effect on lifes.

I do sound like a fuckwit, do I?

Hi guys – thanks for the comments, and I do appreciate they’re some flaws however to touch on John’s point for a minute, whilst it is a ‘demand’ based issue – and organs may be rejected by the body, even when deemed a ‘match’- I still believe that as an overall concept it could work because [1] many people who ‘buy’ organs are already prepared to be based in different countries for a period of time whilst waiting for a ‘match’ – infact ‘medical tourism’ is one of the fastest growing categories at the moment and [2] transportation speed and effectiveness is so great that potentially organs could be delivered to anywhere in the World within a 24 hour period [nice idea Lauren – and with TNT a client, we could talk to them too]

I’m not suggesting it would be easy – and the transportation option may have incredible flaws – but just because the UK is ‘awash’ with un-needed organs doesn’t mean that issue is true to the rest of the World … as best exemplified by the number of wealthy people attempting to ‘shortcut’ the system [despite its risks, dangers and flaws] via the ultra poor in China and India to name but 2.

I know what you’re saying John – but the World can’t keep treating the poor as ‘commodities’ and this may be a way to help make people, culture and societies better and that must be worth at least an exploration. [Even though the issues of moral and ethical behaviour is one where there can probably be no definitive solution]

And Niko, I do like the ‘recycling’ addition – though I have no idea if kidneys, like hearts, become less effective as they get older.

Oh and Emily, I’d love to catch up – I’m seeing Matt on Thursday morning so maybe we could meet up after that?

No – the UK isn’t awash with organs – that’s the point. There are very few on the waiting list but the waiting times are huge. Even where the supply side is theoretically unproblematic, the system needs to be revamped,

Sadly there are enough good organs in the world, but it is quite horrid as to how we could get to them:

the ghetto’s of the world are full of people (young especially) who get killed daily, this is fact, they also live in the places Rob would like to help; so there is an untapped (and unregistered as most live under the social radar) well of organs that an organisation like Lauren discribed could get to…and for the communities that suffers those killings to get money to help the neighbourhoods,

plus all the people in jail: give kidney get a chance at smaller sentence?, number of inmates in usa alone is over 2 million, 1 out of 11 serves life sentence. would a chance to provide for their families be incentive to donate?

Unfortunately the longer I think about it the more I think this idea will happen; the math is to good to pass up.

As for the rich having opportunities: well buy two to get one. create two lists; a rich one and a “poor” one. got to buy for someone else in order to get for yourself

Hi John – maybe the donor family could get a ‘cut’ but for me, the beauty in the idea is that they are already helping by giving someone a life as well as facilitating more people to benefit because they are making money [from the wealthy] to give to the poor.

You’re right as regards it being a criminal magnet – but then isn’t everything – and maybe [and I use it more in hope that faith] the wealthy wouldn’t mind paying more as long as they knew the cash was being used for good rather than lining the pockets of dodgy bastards.

As a Vicar once said to me, “if God doesn’t exist, why does everyone ask for him when they die” … by which I mean when you are faced with mortality – and given the opportunity to change/delay that outcome – it’s amazing how your attitude changes so with a bit of luck, that could drive more people to choosing this route than the criminal alternative.

[And given my suggestion is using the Singaporean Government as the pioneers of this venture, you can be sure it would be run clinically effectively 🙂 ]

Thanks to all for the feedback – got some food for thought, but I still think there may be something in it, even if it may require some changes – either in its operation [excuse the pun] or it’s role interms of health care.

Any other comments would be gladly received.