back of a spreadsheet; back of the net

Whilst being mildy irritated that The Patriarchy meant that I’m not manly for liking beer with a taste I came across this article on the Recolonsation of Africa. 

The article is bad enough. The comments appalled me. (1)

I’m not sure which offends me most; the fact-free rhetoric that Africa is getting worse and is ultimately doomed or the explicit statement that this is because black Africans are genetically inferior to white men.

The debate in the comments seemed to be about whether colonising Africa for the good of the Africans or just leaving them to die was the greater kindness.

 Nah, what actually offended me was the lack of dissenting voice. No one suggested that actually black African IQ’s didn’t average out at 85 or that some African countries have GDP growth rates that Barack Obama would give his left bollock for. Or that maybe invading a whole country to help its people might be an ethically complex issue.

Africa surely has a lot of problems but I think the idea that it is a hopeless and irredeemably broken place just doesn’t fit with the evidence of places like Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana and Namibia. Or with the general trend on infant mortality. Or the progress made on democratising politics.

(1) My favourite comment was one that boldly asserted that if the whole continent was properly run it could, maybe, support a billion people easily. Current population of Africa is 1.1 billion people.

Or perhaps my favourite was “that an important part of altruism is the what’s-in-it-for-me element.”