It doesn't make sense. On one hand, we should stay out of everybody's business, but on another hand, we should be Superman and save the day. People can't make up their minds.

Reply #1 By: Messy Buu - 10/1/2004 12:11:20 AM It doesn't make sense. On one hand, we should stay out of everybody's business, but on another hand, we should be Superman and save the day. People can't make up their minds.

Thank you, Messy Buu.....
I suppose that when it benefits us, it's wrong...but when it benefits someone else, it's okay.

It's because of this unfortunate myth that sex with young virgin girls will cure Aids.

That and heavy sigma on Aids in their culture is resisting the changes we are trying to foster on them.

That and heavy sigma on Aids in their culture is resisting the changes we are trying to foster on them.

This is exactly what I'm saying; they're not getting it, for whatever reason. We need to just forget it. All the money we're spending to fight AIDS in Africa could be redistributed to fund AIDS research here. We could maybe cure the disease. Wouldn't that be better?

It's because of this unfortunate myth that sex with young virgin girls will cure Aids.

Then someone needs to tell the young virgin girls to say no.

I have been dying to reply to this, except that I didn't know how to post a reply, since I'm not familiar with this website. Anyway, since you seem to be puzzled about why we should help Africa, I will make a list. Please, don't be insulted, since I'm not here to hurt anyone's feelings.
First, I am currently taking a political science course and I've learned that what affects a part of the world affects us all. AIDS may not seem like a big thing to you, but it can wipe out a lot of people. One day, you can have individuals who are so bitter about having AIDS that they start spreading it around. I do not want to see that day. Second, I don't know if you've ever heard that the poorer people are, the more likely they are to have sex (it’s a way of relieving stress). I hate the fact that you refer to African people as “them.” They are human beings. I don't think that teaching people how to use condoms should suffice. It’s not as though people don’t have AIDS in the U.S. There are so many things that you are overlooking. You overlook women who are raped, you overlook that not everyone gets those so called condoms that you speak of, and you overlook a lot of things. How much do you think other countries contribute to Africa? I think that more money is spent each year on other countries. We don't send them anything, unless you're talking about the Red Cross which helps every country. So what if the U.S. did send money to Africa. Do you know history? Do you know that Africa is probably the richest continent in the world, but people are starving there? Why? I'll tell you why, colonialism and imperialism. You may think that hundreds of years have passed. Countries do not recuperate as quickly as that. The U.S. for example has prospered for years, but nothing lasts forever, look at the Great Depression, for example.
I am a black woman. I don't usually speak in terms of race. However, your article hurt my feelings. AIDS is very serious right now. Even if you do not care about Africa, you should worry about AIDS in terms of the U.S.

GV: Not to condescend, but I've told you in the past to stop for a moment before getting a wild hair and writing before researching your subject.
http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aabushaidsplan.htm

As I said in my article (which was not, by the way, intended as a statement of racists beliefs...sorry if you took it that way), we've been helping the human beings (hmmm...sorry, but "them" is a much simpler term, and I think I'll stick to it)in Africa for what, two decades now, and they just don't seem to get the message.
Okay, they're poor; poor people have more sex....we've been telling them over and over again for years what happens when you have AIDS and have unprotected sex. Still, after all this time, the disease spreads like crazy. We're running in place, throwing money into a hole that could be used in other, more productive ways.
Did you read my whole article and replies? I said that we should cut Africa loose, and turn all the money we spend on condoms, education and other efforts that have proven fruitless for so many years in Africa toward fighting AIDS here, where people will be more likely to listen, or especially toward research for ultimately finding a cure.
Let some other country take up our slack in Africa. Maybe France...they're big talkers.
It's not that I lack compassion for them....I feel for them and their plight. There just comes a time when you should just throw up your hands and walk away.

Actually the AIDS problem in Africa is something that we (as non-Africans) really can't do that much about. We are outsiders and interlopers. Of course our money, supplies and food are welcome, but because the problems of distribution are political, not medical, those who need the aid are the last people to get it.

Picture the scene with me. Let's say there is a terrible epidemic in the US, and aid comes from all over the world (ok, may imagine the scene, if picturing that is beyond the scope) ;~D)

When the aid reaches our shores, the port authorities take a cut as "duty". After the aid gets unloaded and put on the highway, each county and city the along the way has "checkpoints" where money, or supplies are taken. Once the aid reaches a state that isn't as affected as others, that state shoots or mortars the convoys.

The states that need the aid start fighting with the states that are preventing aid from reaching them, so you have more fighting, which places the aid workers in harms way (Collateral damage).

Once what is left of the convoys reaches their destinations, the cities confiscate the relief supplies, and tell the workers that whatever they need to complete their tasks, they can request from the government people who just confiscated it.

Ok, now, once you set up a system of educationa and distribution, the people look at you and say, "are you kidding, what planet are you from if you expect that to work.

That is pretty much Africa where foriegn aid for AIDS (and pretty much anything else) is concerned.

Of course, if we do nothing then Americans who love to trash the US for anything they can find an excuse for will condemn us, and get the UN to do so also.

Very well put, PT2K.....I said something similar in the article, but you went into detail. Thanks for posting.

You too, GV; thanks for posting.

Do you know that Africa is probably the richest continent in the world, but people are starving there?

What is the basis for this statement? I'd like to see it verified.

Africa is a backward swamp of disease, civil war and barbarism. There haven't been any colonial influences in Africa for years. Things were much better for them, all told, then.
Were the tribes butchering each other over centuries-old, mostly-forgotten squabbles? No. Were the different religions killing each other over how to worship? No. Was there Communism and Marxism, dividing the people and kidnapping children and forcing them to fight for a cause they don't even understand? And with little or no military training, at that? No.
Say what you want, but at least European colonialism, bad as it was, maintained the peace. It kept the natives under control and in line. Have the people of Africa truly benefitted from their independence? No.
They've done what all backward peoples do when left to their own devices: turned to violence and chaos rather than trying to make peace. They return to the same old tribal feuds or find new political reasons, but the result is the same.
We recuperated from the Depression in a little over a decade, thanks to WW2, but it was easing as early as 1936. The last colonial influence (Belgium) left Congo in the mid-1960s. They've had forty years. Going by your example, they've had adequate time to recover. Why haven't they?
Call me racist, which I'm sure you will, but that's how I see it.

You know, if it's true that poor people have more sex, then hell, maybe I'll quit my job!

“What is the basis for this statement? I'd like to see it verified.

Africa is a backward swamp of disease, civil war and barbarism. There haven't been any colonial influences in Africa for years. Things were much better for them, all told, then.
Were the tribes butchering each other over centuries-old, mostly-forgotten squabbles? No. Were the different religions killing each other over how to worship? No. Was there Communism and Marxism, dividing the people and kidnapping children and forcing them to fight for a cause they don't even understand? And with little or no military training, at that? No.”

I didn’t call you a racist. I go to college, so I am a lot more open minded than you think. I am only questioning the fact that you call people “backwards” and “barbarians.” I have taken African history and these are the same words used to describe Africans in the books. Maybe, you are misinformed. I didn’t mean to insult you. I think that you not giving Africa the kind of credit it deserves. A regular citizen like you think this way of Africans, how do you think politicians view Africa? I am not sure that people deliberately self-destruct just for the fun of it, there has to be something more. Maybe, Africa needs a helping hand.
I like what you write, but I feel as though I am walking on egg shells when I reply. My statements are meant to be read as plainly as they are written.
People behave differently. Suppose that someone dropped you in France and you did not understand the culture, would that make you “backward “and “barbaric?” No, I didn’t think so. Believe it or not, a lot of the food was introduced to the world by Africans, and so much more.

Maybe, Africa needs a helping hand.

But Gerlyne, this is my problem....we've been giving Africa the "helping hand" it needs for decades, and it hasn't gotten any better. Why? Who knows?
There comes a time when you have to cut the cord. AIDS in Africa continues to be out of control, despite everything we, and the rest of the world, do to counter it. They're not responding to anything we do.
We send untold tons of supplies that are stolen by corrupt officials and warlords who use them to supply their fighters (furthuring the barbarism I was talking about), we try to instruct the people on how to fight and avoid disease, and yet nothing works. We're throwing good money after bad.
As far as France goes, yes, they would quite probably consider me a barbarian simply because I did not come from France. Poor example to use, dearie.