Originally posted by zeeblebotthe goverment of africa is only part of the problem. the bigger issue is the culture of africa, the men in paticular. aids is rampit there simply becouse the men believe(strongly)that it is unmanly and wrong to use condoms. that is it. any goverment on the face of the earth would happily supply the continent of africa with a lifetime supply of condems rather then spend the billions it will take to care for all the aids victems, if they would only use them. yes i know this sounds ethnocentric. i souldn't judge another culture by that of my own, but in this case it is fitting. in america the term "aids awareness" is redundant, becouse everyone is aware of aids. i see t.v. ads asking for my money to help this poor; starving, emaciated women and her many children. i don't care what country your from IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO FEED YOURSELF...STOP F$#KING. why does this women so frail from starvation, so frail as to not even be capable of producing breast milk have so many children? these problems have nothing to do with culture but with logic. if you live in a country where 1 in 3 peaple have aids use condoms. if you can't feed yourself, do not bring children into this world.
Thomas Sowell has a couple of new columns on "The Tragedy of Africa".
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20050712.shtml
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20050713.shtml
"The official declarations coming out of the G8 meetings in Scotland, as well as the raucous demonstrations surrounding those meetings, talk about s ...[text shortened]... common sense of the African masses and the technological and economic experience of the West."
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Originally posted by jared gallegosOK, firstly:
the goverment of africa is only part of the problem. the bigger issue is the culture of africa, the men in paticular. aids is rampit there simply becouse the men believe(strongly)that it is unmanly and wrong to use condoms. that i ...[text shortened]... you can't feed yourself, do not bring children into this world.
God man! Punctuation, indentation, spelling, grammar. Please, make an effort.
You raise some valid points, but you write like an idiot.
OK, here goes.
Many people in Africa are aware of HIV/AIDS, but just don't give a damn.
It's weird, I know, but they just don't care.
Hell, here in SA woman have unprotected sex with their partners to "show them how much they care".
Grown men who know they are HIV+ rape small girls and even babies because some traditional healer told them it would cure their AIDS.
Christ.
The big problem with AIDS is education. AIDS awareness means nothing to an uneducated person who doesn't understand this strange virus that you don't know if you have it or not (no syptoms like flu).
Billions spent on AIDS awareness campaigns mean nothing if not paired with other education programs.
Also, basic health care does not exist in most African states which just makes detection and care almost impossible.
The culture here is a problem. Families have many children because many children means many hands to help in the fields, tending the sheep etc.
This was the case in all cultures at one stage. Hell, it actually makes sense!
Africa is so far behind development-wise because this continent has been the whore for the more developed countries for hundreds of years.
This is why you (First world countries) are paying for it now in the form of foreign aid. Deal with it.
Unfortunately the whole continent is rife with corruption, meaning the aid gets shared by a select few politicians, their families and cronies.
Chiming in...
It is an unfortunate fact that the ideological rift between First & Third World countries has led many Africans to believe strange things--that AIDS is a fiction; that AIDS is a plague from the Great Satan the USA; that AIDS can be prevented through diet; the list continues.
At least one of these notions has substance. People who live on a poor diet are more likely to fall victim. After all, there are people who've been living with HIV for many years (a friend of mine, going on 12 now).
The images you see on TV are distorted. In Zimbabwe, for example, AIDS is less of a concern than a maniacal dictator who is currently bulldozing the houses of people who live in cities because the cities voted against him in the last election. Zimbabwe has a very high level of education but education isn't much good against AK-47s.
You'll find that the famine in Ethiopia and other places (as seen on TV) was preceded by ruinous civil war. Africa does not suffer from overpopulation, contrary to what you might think.
It comes back to redefining Africa's place on the world stage.
Originally posted by zeeblebotAh, the big bundle of Africa. One-size-fit-all solutions are rarely the way in such a diverse number of problems and realities.
Thomas Sowell has a couple of new columns on "The Tragedy of Africa".
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20050712.shtml
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20050713.shtml
"The official declarations coming out of the G8 meetings in Scotland, as well as the raucous demonstrations surrounding those meetings, talk about s ...[text shortened]... common sense of the African masses and the technological and economic experience of the West."
Originally posted by CrowleyThey don't need to come up with one, the solution exists: elimination of debt, tied aid and trade barriers (particularly agricultural ones, in the case of Europe).
First world countries should stop just throwing guilt money at Africa and really come up with a sustainable solution.
Much like global warming, the solutions are there, but the political will is lacking.
(Has Live Aid been forgotten in the wake of the London blasts? Thought so...)
Originally posted by CrowleyPerhaps they would if they weren't constantly being accused of not helping Africa. Like this most of the solutions are of the type "let's help the poor Africans who don't know better".
First world countries should stop just throwing guilt money at Africa and really come up with a sustainable solution.
First and foremost, people should stop treating Africans like infants. Politicians in Africa need to be held accountable for their actions. Until that is done, nothing can be done.
After that, it should be treated case by case.
Originally posted by PalynkaThe standard hypocritical patronising self-serving attitude towards Africa prevalent since colonial times is indeed sickening, and solutions stemming from this outlook (the begging bowl approach) are doomed to failure.
Perhaps they would if they weren't constantly being accused of not helping Africa. Like this most of the solutions are of the type "let's help the poor Africans who don't know better".
First and foremost, people should stop treating Africans like infants. Politicians in Africa need to be held accountable for their actions. Until that is done, nothing can be done.
After that, it should be treated case by case.
I think the process of accountability has begun. South Africa has at least demonstrated accountability in removing a popular deputy president on grounds of corruption. And then, as you say, it's case by case.
Originally posted by Bosse de NageWith a little patience, Africa will be just fine. I expect many places in Africa are fine now. When I was a kid many people in the USA talked about India (the begging bowl approach) much the same as Africa is talked about today. Now our family doctor is Indian, many of my x-rays and medical tests are evaluated in India, and I talk to an Indian if I dial up a computer help line. AIDs and civil wars skew the picture of 60 years ago but those problems will eventually be solved.
The standard hypocritical patronising self-serving attitude towards Africa prevalent since colonial times is indeed sickening, and solutions stemming from this outlook (the begging bowl approach) are doomed to failure.
I think the process of accountability has begun. South Africa has at least demonstrated accountability in removing a popular deputy president on grounds of corruption. And then, as you say, it's case by case.