When a large group of otherwise ignorant human beings start acting "morally responsible" because a fairly minor tragedy occurs close to their current location?

sure

Charity has it's benifits.

My favorite one is because I donate money to my local police station every month and raise money through poker games for their charities like giving money to families who have lost their mothers or fathers in the line of duty, I get to go in whenever I'm at home and tour the station and jail. I pretty much get fee reign and get to shoot their guns and play with their tazers. I even get to ride along on calls.

Very.

because places like Haiti and Japan and really close to North America

Bandwagons

were everyone can tap themselves on the back and say, yea we've done some good today.

wut?

forced to be aware? So I suppose you'd prefer the dark ages, where everything outside of our immediately lives is covered up and concealed from us. Where people go to war an die every day over minor differences in religion, instead of caring for each as fellow beings of the same race and empathizing towards another's tragedy.

Really, the reason people react the way they do is because they can afford to. We are in a state in our lives where we can show good will towards others without it really costing us anything.Imagine what the world will be like when it doesn't take some great tragedy for people to show good will and caring? You don't, you're too busy trying to call people out saying, "Hey! You aren't a morally rightous and caring person. You're just pretending to be!" Let people fool themselves into believe they are good people, and this is what they will become.