Crumpty Williams wrote:You guys are definitely right about aid money being misused... Humanitarian intervention has all too often been used as an excuse to promote private and state interests that have nothing to do with helping the people who really need it; and even when it's legitimate in purpose, it usually gets misused ayway, for all the reasons that have been described here.
And yeah, there is a lot of violence over there that has a lot to do with the with colonialism, oppression and destruction of African culture by the Europeans, and other things white-man related. There's also a lot of barbarism going on that has nothing to do with Europeans coming into Africa. But to chalk all the problems and violence there up to tribalism in general or an overarching "they're just lesser and more ingorant human beings" argument is beyond asinine....
Regardless, the level of undeserved human suffering going on on that continent is simply unfathomable and undeniable. You can blame the warring natives and there violent ways all day and night, but you can't blame innocent children for something they were born into (bleeding heart argument or not, its true).
If people want to help (and there are certainly a plethora of ways in which individuals from the west and all over the world can actually contribute to improving the situation over there), why get angry about it?
I mean it's one thing to criticize foreign policy and to call BS on most of those "dollar-a-day" campaigns, but there's a million things that outsiders can do help, or at least try to help, diminish the trauma that's ravaging Africa. There are also millions of people in Africa that (1) can and do need, appreciate, and learn from such efforts; and (2) are doing all that they can to help themeselves, their people, and improve the situation on all fronts. I don't buy the idea that Africa is simply an entire continent full of warring, ingrate, ignorant fools that will never be able to be helped or help themselves.
In any case, Tampa Josh, I think you implied that you've had some personal experience with Africa? I'd definitely be more interested in hearing about the details of that than this endless (and silly) ranting about how Africans are totally worthless....
winner of the thread.
all i have to say is that everyone has said something true and is correct at some point. but to say that it's not worth trying to help the innocent is not compassionate and is completely horrible. there are a lot of groups and organizations that do a lot of good for a lot of people.
and yes, there are a lot of places in africa that are horrible and warring and seem incurable. but we cannot judge all the other parts and all the other people on the basis of the minority.
and fact is, if africa were to eat itself alive and they were to all destroy each other, we can either look back and say that we gave it our best shot to help them or we can look back and say that we let it all happen and didn't care. i'd rather at least try to help than pessimistically let others suffer.
Even today, I can't see a car run a red light without instantly having an image flash into my head of a man's erect penis, penetrating a watermelon.
UGH I SUCK
