Africa’s World of Forced Labor, in a 6-Year-Old’s Eyes

[one...two...tree 2,762]

so what do you propose, Steven?

I propose that people in 3rd world countries should not be allowed to have children

unless they start taking responsibility for their well-being.

Their main reason for having 10 kids is "that 5 of them will die", so why not have

5 kids to begin with (or better still, 1 or 2 kids) and make sure they don't die?

You do understand the historical impact colonialism had on self sustaining societies?

[mawilson 2,133]

You do understand the historical impact colonialism had on self sustaining societies?

It was.... negative?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

You do understand the historical impact colonialism had on self sustaining societies?

It was.... negative?

Do you think that Third World countries have always been on the edge of existence? That would be amazing considering many of them have thrived longer than this country has existed. To suggest that they stop making babies as if that is the problem is oversimplifying the issue. History has a lot to tell us about the present.

[Alex+R 0]

You do understand the historical impact colonialism had on self sustaining societies?

It was.... negative?

Do you think that Third World countries have always been on the edge of existence? That would be amazing considering many of them have thrived longer than this country has existed. To suggest that they stop making babies as if that is the problem is oversimplifying the issue. History has a lot to tell us about the present.

Interesting. I always thought 3rd World countries lived that way because God preferred Americans to them.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

You do understand the historical impact colonialism had on self sustaining societies?

It was.... negative?

Do you think that Third World countries have always been on the edge of existence? That would be amazing considering many of them have thrived longer than this country has existed. To suggest that they stop making babies as if that is the problem is oversimplifying the issue. History has a lot to tell us about the present.

Interesting. I always thought 3rd World countries lived that way because God preferred Americans to them.

Sam Kinison tapped into people's ignorance and arrogance when they laughed wildly at his statement, "There’d be no starving people in Africa if they’d just move where the food is. ..."

Edited October 30, 2006 by Steven_and_Jinky

[mawilson 2,133]

Do you think that Third World countries have always been on the edge of existence? That would be amazing considering many of them have thrived longer than this country has existed. To suggest that they stop making babies as if that is the problem is oversimplifying the issue. History has a lot to tell us about the present.

When I hear about starving African children and families, I ask myself -

why did they have a family in the first place? A lot of their problems (not all)

are due to excessive and irresponsible breeding. Sending them aid money

just puts off the day of reckoning when starvation, disease and violence must

inevitably counteract these irresponsible breeding practices.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Do you think that Third World countries have always been on the edge of existence? That would be amazing considering many of them have thrived longer than this country has existed. To suggest that they stop making babies as if that is the problem is oversimplifying the issue. History has a lot to tell us about the present.

When I hear about starving African children and families, I ask myself -

why did they have a family in the first place? A lot of their problems (not all)

are due to excessive and irresponsible breeding. Sending them aid money

just puts off the day of reckoning when starvation, disease and violence must

inevitably counteract these irresponsible breeding practices.

When you're asking yourself that, how about looking at the history leading up to present day conditions? How is it that a country that is so rich in natural resources such as Africa ever have to deal with dire poverty and starvation? Was it always this way? Self sustaining societies existed in Africa long before the U.S. existed.

Colonialism destroyed the cultural patterns of production and exchange by which traditional societies in "underdeveloped" countries previously had met the needs of the people. Many precolonial social structures, while dominated by exploitative elites, had evolved a system of mutual obligations among the classes that helped to ensure at least a minimal diet for all. A friend of mine once said: "Precolonial village existence in subsistence agriculture was a limited life indeed, but it's certainly not Calcutta." The misery of starvation in the streets of Calcutta can only be understood as the end-point of a long historical process-one that has destroyed a traditional social system.

http://sa.ncsu.edu/S&A/people/lecturer..._themselves.htm

[mawilson 2,133]

When you're asking yourself that, how about looking at the history leading up to present day conditions? How is it that a country that is so rich in natural resources such as Africa ever have to deal with dire poverty and starvation? Was it always this way? Self sustaining societies existed in Africa long before the U.S. existed.

Colonialism destroyed the cultural patterns of production and exchange by which traditional societies in "underdeveloped" countries previously had met the needs of the people. Many precolonial social structures, while dominated by exploitative elites, had evolved a system of mutual obligations among the classes that helped to ensure at least a minimal diet for all. A friend of mine once said: "Precolonial village existence in subsistence agriculture was a limited life indeed, but it's certainly not Calcutta." The misery of starvation in the streets of Calcutta can only be understood as the end-point of a long historical process-one that has destroyed a traditional social system.

http://sa.ncsu.edu/S&A/people/lecturer..._themselves.htm

That's one theory from the "let's blame the white man" school of thought.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

When you're asking yourself that, how about looking at the history leading up to present day conditions? How is it that a country that is so rich in natural resources such as Africa ever have to deal with dire poverty and starvation? Was it always this way? Self sustaining societies existed in Africa long before the U.S. existed.

Colonialism destroyed the cultural patterns of production and exchange by which traditional societies in "underdeveloped" countries previously had met the needs of the people. Many precolonial social structures, while dominated by exploitative elites, had evolved a system of mutual obligations among the classes that helped to ensure at least a minimal diet for all. A friend of mine once said: "Precolonial village existence in subsistence agriculture was a limited life indeed, but it's certainly not Calcutta." The misery of starvation in the streets of Calcutta can only be understood as the end-point of a long historical process-one that has destroyed a traditional social system.

http://sa.ncsu.edu/S&A/people/lecturer..._themselves.htm

That's one theory from the "let's blame the white man" school of thought.

You're the one blaming the people for their own dire poverty by suggesting they need to stop having children they can't feed and thereby ignoring the history as to how they got into the situation they are in the first place. For one, in many countries your children are your social security when you are too old to work. Infant mortality rates are exremely high and if you survival depends on children that will be able to care for you. Yeah, just tell them to stop having babies - that's going to solve these issues.

Do you support fair trade?

Child labour 'fuels commodity trade'

A high proportion of globally-traded commodity crops such as cocoa, coffee and tea are produced by child workers, according to a new United Nations (UN) report.

"Child labour often assumes serious proportions in commercial agriculture associated with global markets for cocoa, coffee, cotton, rubber, sisal, tea and other commodities," the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO) said.

Particularly high numbers of children work in agriculture, fishing, hunting and forestry, the ILO said.

"Studies in Brazil, Kenya and Mexico have shown that children under 15 make up between 25% and 30% of the total labour force in the production of various commodities," the ILO report said.

Danger

Globally, one child in eight is at risk because they carry out work that could cause them physical or mental harm, the UN agency said.

About 246 million children worldwide are involved in unacceptable forms of child labour, the ILO said

More than two thirds of them carry out hazardous work such as mining, fishing and construction, and most of these children are below the age of 15.

And about 8.4 million children are forced into the worst forms of child labour including slavery, prostitution and pornography, or are forced to fight as child soldiers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1970563.stm

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

When you're asking yourself that, how about looking at the history leading up to present day conditions? How is it that a country that is so rich in natural resources such as Africa ever have to deal with dire poverty and starvation? Was it always this way? Self sustaining societies existed in Africa long before the U.S. existed.

They had slavery long before we were around too (and still have it).

[one...two...tree 2,762]

When you're asking yourself that, how about looking at the history leading up to present day conditions? How is it that a country that is so rich in natural resources such as Africa ever have to deal with dire poverty and starvation? Was it always this way? Self sustaining societies existed in Africa long before the U.S. existed.

They had slavery long before we were around too (and still have it).

...and that justifies what? Accepting imported goods from countries made with child labor? We realized that slavery was a bad thing. Outlawing slavery in this country doesn't mean much if we do business with countries that still use forced labor, particularly children.

Edited October 30, 2006 by Steven_and_Jinky

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

That's one theory from the "let's blame the white man" school of thought.

Who else would you blame? Who were the dominant imperial powers before the US came on the scene? Who turned Africa into a huge strip mine?

Take the Rwandan genocide for example, which was rooted in ancient tribal animosities. Those were exacerbated by a Belgian imperialist administration who made the Tutsis a sort of 'slave ruling class'. Seeing as the European powers didn't swing the machete or fire the guns in the conflict during the 1990's, I guess our collective conscience is clear

Edited October 30, 2006 by erekose

[Carol&Marc 0]

When you're asking yourself that, how about looking at the history leading up to present day conditions? How is it that a country that is so rich in natural resources such as Africa ever have to deal with dire poverty and starvation? Was it always this way? Self sustaining societies existed in Africa long before the U.S. existed.

They had slavery long before we were around too (and still have it).

...and that justifies what? Accepting imported goods from countries made with child labor? We realized that slavery was a bad thing. Outlawing slavery in this country doesn't mean much if we do business with countries that still use forced labor, particularly children.

If people quit buyin the products the kids are out of work! I will let you figure out what happens next. Catch 22!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

When you're asking yourself that, how about looking at the history leading up to present day conditions? How is it that a country that is so rich in natural resources such as Africa ever have to deal with dire poverty and starvation? Was it always this way? Self sustaining societies existed in Africa long before the U.S. existed.

They had slavery long before we were around too (and still have it).

...and that justifies what? Accepting imported goods from countries made with child labor? We realized that slavery was a bad thing. Outlawing slavery in this country doesn't mean much if we do business with countries that still use forced labor, particularly children.

If people quit buyin the products the kids are out of work! I will let you figure out what happens next. Catch 22!

Most of the US' electronic media (CD's DVD's etc) are manufactured in Mexico. That doesn't seem to stop them wanting to cross the border.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Most of the US' electronic media (CD's DVD's etc) are manufactured in Mexico. That doesn't seem to stop them wanting to cross the border.

You've proven C&M's , meaning that US is only-too-willing to buy products made with slave labour--rather than disproving.

Classic example is with energy (oil)--most of the workers in oilfields are noncitizens of oil-producers (typically from Sub-continent or Philippines) who take much humiliation (camplike living conditions, passport taken when they enter the country, having to get EXIT VISA to leave--when they cannot permanently settle, WFT?).