Africa

by zagor 14 Replies latest jw friends

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  Satanus

  The divide and conquer technique is about as old as the hills. Britain brought it to the level of an art form. Tried it in the budding usa. Abe lincoln w his dream of 'the union' put a stop to that.
  
  As you noted, it takes next to nothing for it to work in africa. Actually, tribalism is so strong there, and has been going on for so many centuries that divide and conquer tactics aren't even needed. According to the 'out of africa' theory, africans are supposedly the oldest culture on the face of the earth. We are supposed to have descended form them. Kind of ironic, don't you think?
  
  S
• 

  zagor

  I agree with you S, which just goes to show we cannot take our way of doing things as a blueprint and impose it on other people. Bush thought as much that democracy will bring peace to Iraq. Not everyone flourishes under democracy. Reminds me of this caw I saw as a kid someone keep all her life inside the barn, one day she somehow got loose and ran out almost killing a child and kept running through the field as if struck by madness. It took people some two hours to get her back. People are like that too, sudden introduction of anything "good" can be just as destructive and shit they've been stuck with before. What we are seeing in Africa are remnants of colonization (mainly by Britain) and of course, these people are now pissed, what did we expect? Unlike us they have long-term memory and are reminded of it everywhere they look. It is only through gradual education and availability of the same information people have in the west that they will be able eventually, I hope, to turn things around. Mind you there are some good businesses who invest money into Africa, few people here have probably heard of Rolex Award that awards innovative idea for new businesses across the globe but many times it ends up in Africa.
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  mrsjones5

  Omg sistergirl down there needs to do something about that hair!
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  FlyingHighNow

  Some years ago there was a documentary about Latin Americaon PBS. It was pointed out that in subtropical and tropical countries, it is easy for the military and governments to push the citizens around and subdue them. Why? Because a good majority of them suffer from tropical diseases such as malaria. They don't have the health and vitality to fight for themselves. This is something to think about when you consider Africa and third world nations.

  Note that most third world countries are located in the subtropics and tropics.

  
• 

  FlyingHighNow

  Tropical diseases can cause the same problems in the USA as well:

  Tropical disease still common in poor areas in the US By Sue Mueller Jun 25, 2008 - 11:13:52 AM

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  WEDNESDAY June 25, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- A group of germs, viruses and parasites that are typically associated with tropical developing countries are still plaguing poor areas of the United States, according to a new study published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
  
  In the group are 24 "neglected infections of poverty" including schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection found in Africa; brucellosis, a bacterial infection from tainted dairy products; and dengue fever, a viral infection commonly seen in tropical Asia and South America, Los Angles Times reports.
  
  These 24 diseases affect possibly up to million people in the country, according to Dr. Peter Hotez, the study author and professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Disease of George Washington University, cited by the times.
  
  Ascariasis, caused by the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides living in the intestine alone, affects 4 million people in the South and Appalachia in 1974, according to the last survey, cited by Reuters.
  
  Other notable infections include Strongyloidiasis caused by a threadworm that lives throughout the body and affects 68,000 to 100,000 people, Cysticercosis caused by the pork tapeworm and giardiasis caused by a common parasite.
  
  These 24 diseases can cause trouble to child development and reduce worker productivity, and worsen poverty, the study says.
  
  For instance, toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can pass from mother to infant at birth, causes mental retardation in the child. The disease is mostly found in inner cities and poor Southern areas posing a 10 times higher risk to many newborns than phenylketonuria.
  
  Another risk for newborns comes from cytomegalovirus, which is estimated to infect 27,002 newborns each year, causing deafness and mental retardation.
  
  The commonly neglected diseases often result from poor sanitationor inadequate healthcare and they may be brought to the country from overseas or have been existent in the country for a long time. They primarily affect people in the poverty-stricken regions such as Appalachia, inner cities, Mississippi Delta and the border with Mexico, the report says.

  Inadequate healthcare. Interesting that healthcare is becoming a luxury, even among the insured.