Stop Trying To 'Save' Africa - Page 3 - Political Forum

Inan’Ta · 08-06-2007, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W.E.B. Du Bois

You're the only one twisting words in your attack on altruism and charity. Adopting an African child helps Africa, unless you are prepared to now argue that the child's life is irrelevant.

WEB

Care to tell me just how adopting an African child helps Africa? Africa seeks economic growth and prosperity. So, Africa needs to promote economic development, emphasizing on industry over agriculture, economic self-sufficiency, government intervention and trade protectionism, manufacturing being the key here. The problem isn't little african children who live in poverty, but rather debt relief and fair trade, for if Africa had both, they would not need handouts from DCs to feed their poor. In the Doha round for example, few African countries joined together in their opposition to US cotton subsidies and the WTO ruled in favor of these African countries. Although the US is defiant, this joint opposition was a good step for Africans and their struggle to attain fairer trade policies. Again to emphasize my point, Africa does not need aid or their children being adopted but, rather they need fair trade and debt relief.

Inan’Ta · 08-06-2007, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aegis
If Africa doesn't want or need my meager financial assistance let me know and I won't send it.

Keep it......

Sebelius for VP, not Hillary · 08-06-2007, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inan’Ta

Keep it......

@ Aegis Ultimately, the decision to donate to charity should be based upon the people who receive the charity and not the comments made by a random person who is more interested in racial pride than alleviating human suffering.

WEB

Sebelius for VP, not Hillary · 08-06-2007, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inan’Ta

Care to tell me just how adopting an African child helps Africa?

Africa is composed of Africans. Since Africa is composed of Africans, helping an African helps Africa. That's one African that's been helped. That's one less person that Africa has to spend money on for welfare.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inan’Ta

Africa seeks economic growth and prosperity. So, Africa needs to promote economic development, emphasizing on industry over agriculture, economic self-sufficiency, government intervention and trade protectionism, manufacturing being the key here. The problem isn't little african children who live in poverty, but rather debt relief and fair trade, for if Africa had both, they would not need handouts from DCs to feed their poor. In the Doha round for example, few African countries joined together in their opposition to US cotton subsidies and the WTO ruled in favor of these African countries. Although the US is defiant, this joint opposition was a good step for Africans and their struggle to attain fairer trade policies. Again to emphasize my point, Africa does not need aid or their children being adopted but, rather they need fair trade and debt relief.

Your error, aside from the the sheer backwardness of criticizing people who help, is that you see the situation as either your way or no way at all. There's no doubt that Africa needs policies that benefit it on the national level, however that in no way negates the improvement affected by a single act of charity. A macroeconomic necessity in no way negates the morality of a single act of charity.

WEB

Aegis · 08-06-2007, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W.E.B. Du Bois

@ Aegis Ultimately, the decision to donate to charity should be based upon the people who receive the charity and not the comments made by a random person who is more interested in racial pride than alleviating human suffering.

WEB

Certainly. I support one young man in rural Uganda by a small monthly contribution. In addition I write him every two weeks and send him school supplies and other small necessities. The letters which I receive from him are simple expressions of friendship and gratitude.

How Inan'Ta can minimize that is beyond me but apparently she can live with such a callous attitude.

Inan’Ta · 08-06-2007, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W.E.B. Du Bois

Africa is composed of Africans. Since Africa is composed of Africans, helping an African helps Africa. That's one African that's been helped. That's one less person that Africa has to spend money on for welfare.

Adopting an African child and taking him/her to another country, where that child will assimilate into that particular country’s culture will not help Africa in any form or shape. That’s actually one less African child that will grow-up not learning from the mistakes made by his people. Africa apparently isn’t spending adequate money on its people, if it was we won’t have this problem today.

Quote:

Your error, aside from the the sheer backwardness of criticizing people who help, is that you see the situation as either your way or no way at all. There's no doubt that Africa needs policies that benefit it on the national level, however that in no way negates the improvement affected by a single act of charity. A macroeconomic necessity in no way negates the morality of a single act of charity.

I don’t think you’re entitled to comment on how I see things.

That help is only making Africans depend solely on handouts, when they could achieve success by working hard. The attitude of Africa/Africans needs to change from reliance on aid in order to live to reliance on steady and progressive governance. That single act of charity is making one African a lazy handout grapping individual. Are you one of those individuals who think Africans aren’t competent enough to walk on their own feet and need to rely on handouts from those who are capable of success?

WEB[/quote]

Inan’Ta · 08-06-2007, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aegis

Certainly. I support one young man in rural Uganda by a small monthly contribution. In addition I write him every two weeks and send him school supplies and other small necessities. The letters which I receive from him are simple expressions of friendship and gratitude.

How Inan'Ta can minimize that is beyond me but apparently she can live with such a callous attitude.

What's up with the personal attacks? You expect less from my people and I expect more from them. That's the difference between us.

Bradgriff · 08-06-2007, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inan’Ta

The West feels guilty for Colonialism, manipulating African regimes during the Cold War to their political advantage( then providing them with the arms to slaughter their populace), and of course their wealth. Their aid should not be shunned, but neither should it be mindlessly lapped up - for not all help is beneficial in the long term, and may serve to prevent the country from developing required infrastructure, and make it reliant upon others for key resources.

Other than being more selective with the aid they receive, they can take advantage of their vast mineral resources, invest into the huge tourism industry, and tap into numerous niche markets.

Are the Chinese doing things any better than the Yanks at looking the African in the eye as an equal? And thatnks for this thought provoking thread, I'm thinking about Africa in different ways today

Aegis · 08-06-2007, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodog

The West doesn't need to help Africa out of regret for colonialism or their invasion of Iraq nor do they need to do so out of sympathy. In the end their society (or our society rather) is dependent on it. African children don't get paid a whole lot to sheath through dirt in dangerous mines to find copper to feed their families. Accusing people of cultural superiority is pointless. The money is well deserved regardless.

Quite right. The rest of the world needs to help Africa out of respect for human life and in the quest to help people to achieve a higher standard of living.

Helping a country to become economically stable is important but just as important is helping that country's people to become healthy and educated.

Bradgriff · 08-06-2007, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inan’Ta

What's up with the personal attacks? You expect less from my people and I expect more from them. That's the difference between us.

Some poltical parties in the USA here need the rest of the world to seem helpless, leaderless and dependant on the USA, that way they can justify the military conquest/interventions. We're not all that naive. Some of us have traveled