It may seem odd to mention a movie when begining an editorial, but it seems a necessary jumping off point to explain how I became compelled to write it. This evening, I saw director Fernando Meirelles’ (“City of God”) film “The Constant Gardener.” While the film is touted as a political thriller, I was most moved by the footage of Africa used as a backdrop/plot device. What further spurred this editorial was a bumper sticker I saw just two days before reading “Fix America First.”

I will be the first to admit that as a country, America has its problems. Homelessness, disease, poverty, hatred; these are all issues that plague our society on a daily basis. However, if one were to put some effort into the research, they would discover that when put up to comparison on a global basis, America is, in fact, a utopia. For some to say that we need to “fix America first” is to show a complete ignorance to the true state of our planet.

I choose Africa as an example because it is one of the coutries with the most problems, while also being one of the most ignored. Everyone grew up seeing images of starving children and poverty in Africa, but how many have ever looked into the facts of what is truly plaguing the African people?

Of the 38 million people around the globe with AIDS, 25 million are in Africa alone. In fact, each day over 6,000 people in Africa die of the AIDS virus. These are women, men, and children just like those in the US. But while most Americans can afford the drugs to treat HIV in its early stages, most Africans live in extreme poverty (defined as living on less than $1 a day.) This means that they rely wholy on periodic aid from other countries to provide them with medication. Can you imagine America relying on anyone else to provide us with the drugs necessary to survive?

Bottled water in the US can cost anywhere from 99 cents to $3. All the average American has to do for water is turn on a faucet and fill a glass. In Africa, one in seven people does not have access to drinkable/usable water. In addition to a lack of education and food, those in Africa are fighting a daily battle to simply survive.

I am not saying that we need to ignore the problems in America. What I believe is that we need to start realizing that there are problems outside of this country bigger than many could ever imagine. While fixing America should always be a priority, I think that the time has come to realize there will always be others who have it worse than we do.

For more information of global poverty, AIDS, and other issues visit www.one.org or www.netaid.org.