Africa is giving nothing to anyone -- apart from AIDS [ARTICLE]

I would be very interested in what people thought of this article I found in a local newspaper website. Please discuss but dont attack anyone because of there opinion.

Africa is giving nothing to anyone -- apart from AIDS



By Kevin Myers

Thursday July 10 2008

No. It will not do. Even as we see African states refusing to take action to restore something resembling civilisation in Zimbabwe, the begging bowl for Ethiopia is being passed around to us, yet again. It is nearly 25 years since Ethiopia's (and Bob Geldof's) famous Feed The World campaign, and in that time Ethiopia's population has grown from 33.5 million to 78 million today.

So why on earth should I do anything to encourage further catastrophic demographic growth in that country? Where is the logic? There is none. To be sure, there are two things saying that logic doesn't count.

One is my conscience, and the other is the picture, yet again, of another wide-eyed child, yet again, gazing, yet again, at the camera, which yet again, captures the tragedy of . . .

Sorry. My conscience has toured this territory on foot and financially. Unlike most of you, I have been to Ethiopia; like most of you, I have stumped up the loot to charities to stop starvation there. The wide-eyed boy-child we saved, 20 years or so ago, is now a priapic, Kalashnikov-bearing hearty, siring children whenever the whim takes him.

There is, no doubt a good argument why we should prolong this predatory and dysfunctional economic, social and sexual system; but I do not know what it is. There is, on the other hand, every reason not to write a column like this.

It will win no friends, and will provoke the self-righteous wrath of, well, the self-righteous, letter-writing wrathful, a species which never fails to contaminate almost every debate in Irish life with its sneers and its moral superiority. It will also probably enrage some of the finest men in Irish life, like John O'Shea, of Goal; and the Finucane brothers, men whom I admire enormously. So be it.

But, please, please, you self-righteously wrathful, spare me mention of our own Famine, with this or that lazy analogy. There is no comparison. Within 20 years of the Famine, the Irish population was down by 30pc. Over the equivalent period, thanks to western food, the Mercedes 10-wheel truck and the Lockheed Hercules, Ethiopia's has more than doubled.

Alas, that wretched country is not alone in its madness. Somewhere, over the rainbow, lies Somalia, another fine land of violent, Kalashnikov-toting, khat-chewing, girl-circumcising, permanently tumescent layabouts.

Indeed, we now have almost an entire continent of sexually

hyperactive indigents, with tens of millions of people who only survive because of help from the outside world.

This dependency has not stimulated political prudence or commonsense. Indeed, voodoo idiocy seems to be in the ascendant, with the next president of South Africa being a firm believer in the efficacy of a little tap water on the post-coital penis as a sure preventative against infection. Needless to say, poverty, hunger and societal meltdown have not prevented idiotic wars involving Tigre, Uganda, Congo, Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea etcetera.

Broad brush-strokes, to be sure. But broad brush-strokes are often the way that history paints its gaudier, if more decisive, chapters. Japan, China, Russia, Korea, Poland, Germany, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in the 20th century have endured worse broad brush-strokes than almost any part of Africa.

They are now -- one way or another -- virtually all giving aid to or investing in Africa, whereas Africa, with its vast savannahs and its lush pastures, is giving almost nothing to anyone, apart from AIDS.

Meanwhile, Africa's peoples are outstripping their resources, and causing catastrophic ecological degradation. By 2050, the population of Ethiopia will be 177 million: The equivalent of France, Germany and Benelux today, but located on the parched and increasingly protein-free wastelands of the Great Rift Valley.

So, how much sense does it make for us actively to increase the adult population of what is already a vastly over-populated, environmentally devastated and economically dependent country?

How much morality is there in saving an Ethiopian child from starvation today, for it to survive to a life of brutal circumcision, poverty, hunger, violence and sexual abuse, resulting in another half-dozen such wide-eyed children, with comparably jolly little lives ahead of them? Of course, it might make you feel better, which is a prime reason for so much charity. But that is not good enough.

For self-serving generosity has been one of the curses of Africa. It has sustained political systems which would otherwise have collapsed.

It prolonged the Eritrean-Ethiopian war by nearly a decade. It is inspiring Bill Gates' programme to rid the continent of malaria, when, in the almost complete absence of personal self-discipline, that disease is one of the most efficacious forms of population-control now operating.

If his programme is successful, tens of millions of children who would otherwise have died in infancy will survive to adulthood, he boasts. Oh good: then what?I know. Let them all come here. Yes, that's an idea.

 

A very cruel article. I may agree with the basic premise that we must work to reduce population which puts a burden on scarce & limited resources, but abandoning Africa is not the right way. Africa will change... just give it some time, a bit of patience, and resources. Change will come... People will prosper... There will be peace...

 

25 years is enough time for every other country why not African countries? While we all spend most of our charity money in Africa what about all the other 3rd world countries that would actually prosper if we helped them out instead. IMO Africa had its chance and blew it on greed and violence. Lets help out south America or somewhere else instead. Are they not as deserving as African nations?

 

Its the african leaders that are greedy, not necessarily the african people. As long as the African leaders have food on there plate they don't care about the rest of them.

 

The poor Africans never had a chance... never... First they were plagued by slavery... then colonialism... then corruption. They have never had a fair chance. They have the poorest diet, the fiercest weather, very little food grows there... water is hard to come by... the most dangerous diseases can be found in that continent...

IMO... we must not abandon them... for the sake of humanity.

 

Exactly, great post - That country has been raped by most, it is time to repay for the damage we caused.

The people who would write such an article are either ignorant, evil or simply racist.

 

What are you all talking about? This is an Irish article. Your countries may have raped Africa but ours certainly didn't! Also Ireland went through 800 years of English invasion (were still fighting by the way) and a famine that practically wiped out our culture and our population and we still have not regained our previous population level. Yet we still managed to turn our country around without the sickening amount of money African countries are getting.

The article is about African countries not pulling there own weight and the close minded people that keep sending money over to pay for there fathers sins. Also if you had all read the article you would have seen that Ethiopia's population has doubled in 25 years. What the hell! Are you people blind? If they can double there population they can build a stable economy but they never will as long as the bleeding heart self haters keep sending money over to pay for the Kalashnikov's.

Stop for the love of God with the race card. I presume your white? Therefore your one of the bleeding hearts I previously mentioned. Can we have a conversation about Africa or black people without the same tired knee jerk reactions? The race card is getting old fast! They have a responsibility as much as the rest of us to not act like animals.

Are you serious?

. That is the most ignorant statement in this thread! They are not animals or fools they are people and well capable of taking care of themselves. That is the exact attitude the author of the article is talking about. They are not poor because of me or you, they are causing most of there own problems for the last 20 years. Child rape is more wide spread than aids! How do you look at these countries and think poor people? Poor children definitively but people no. Also not all African countries are 3rd world.

Sure we can educate them to stop the mass rapes and genocide but again why not put our focus on countries that aren't causing such atrocities and are still 3rd world. They deserve it more. Any population that needs to be thought not to butcher people and not to consistently rape, pillage and murder there own people doesn't deserve such an unfair amount of attention.

What about other 3rd world countires that would actually put our charity money to good use? They deserve a chance now. African countries have let themselves down. They cant keep blaming the past. If Ireland, Germany, France, Russia etc had done the same they would all still be living in poverty. Instead they all built or rebuilt. Even with old whitey trying to keep them down

It should be other countries turn but it will never be as long as you all feel guilty for your forefathers sins. They did it not you! Seriously you two should listen to this author because hes trying to tell you your the problem.

 

I can't say this article is surprising.

It betrays an ignorance that indulges in self-congratulation and conceit that is hard to counter with logic and reason.

The writer has determined they know-it-all so there is no reasoning with a person like this.

Don't be surprised if the article is written by a neo-nazi, skinhead, white supremacist, or sympathizer of these causes.

The ignorance in this article is just beyond imagining.

 

Africa is a deeply troubled continent. There is a population problem, as well as a dearth of education.

As noted above, these problems are partly due to colonialism and partly due to corrupt modern leaders. Africa shares these issues with every continent on Earth, including Europe, where the Kalashnikovs come from in the first place.

There are valid points here, but they are made without reference to compassion or fairness.

It ought to be possible to address this without slandering the population of an entire continent.

 

Well said.

 

I guess a better question is...

"What has the writer contributed to the world to demean a whole continent?"

 

Condoms.

They need them like we need razor blades for Emos here.

It's a win win. Its also a basic idea. Free condoms, and simple to follow instructions.

Free razors here, with simple to follow instructions.

It eliminates the issue of too many births there, and too many depressed people here. But there is only one thing standing in our way.

Dun dun dun...

Ye Olde Pope and his pointy hat.

 

18 kids, 1 grandkid: Duggars announce pregnancy

 

I gave you 3 reasons, you decided to jump on race, not me!

You only have to read the title to know that the writer is a moron, it's not complex.

 

Somebody tell the parents. If you don't have enough food for yourself how you gonna feed your children?
Have 1 or 2 children at the most.
Otherwise your irresponsible behavior will bring tremandous sufferings on you offspring.... some of them may even become "pirates".

 

It must be easy for Kevin Myers to write such a spiteful peice of bial from a comfy armchair in his study.

Let's hope he never needs help, Because id take great satisfaction in rubbing his face in this "article" and explaining why it would be best, for me, if i left him to rot in the curb.

 

You brought up race here. The author may sound like hes venting at times but "Ignorant, evil (lol) or simply racist"? Again read the article without your knee jerk, bleeding heart reactions.

I posted it for a discussion not an opinion fest. When it comes to poor baby Africa there's nothing but opinion. People are brainwashed on the issue. I know 3 Nigerians and 2 Congolese people (we work together) and talking to them they say the same thing (especially the Congolese) as myself and to a degree this author. These countries need to grow up! Also they hate charity much like myself. It promotes a lack of self respect and discipline when its the only solution being used for a problem.

If the title tells you that the author is a moron then you either never read it through or had your mind made up from before reading. Sad

 

I agree with you here but you have to remember these people are uneducated and nobody seems to want to educate them on the basics. The prevailing mentality seems to be just send them money, that will make ME feel better

Also centuries of warfare and famine will destroy any peoples common sense. Plus I think the massive populations is a natural reaction to death and disease. I could be wrong on that one though.

 

The ignorance in your post is beyond imagining.

The exact attitude the author talks about. Don't mention Africa in any negative manner or you will be labeled an extremist. Again I'm trying to open a discussion. This is like when the Pope dared to talk about the Muslims

Please read the post with an open mind.

 

people label him an extremest because his article was essentially;
"let them starve, their lives are shit anyway. And even if they do survive, what do i get out of it!?"