Steven White
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There are some obvious things Africa needs that we (the U.S.) can provide or promote. One is flexibility to develop its own strategy for development without the U.S. burdening it with bad conditions, demanding repayment for odious debt, setting the agenda at trade talks and ignoring their needs, and demand they never use compulsory liscensing even in emergency situations like this AIDS pandemic.We can obviously provide money where it will help, esp. for roads, subsidies to develop indusry, developing health infrastructure, things we like that. We can provide technical advice in developing these plans. We can provide troops or military equiment to end violent conflict if need be.People are too pessemistic and don't realize how much their fate is tied to Africa's. AIDS has killed 500,000 Americas, about 50x what 9/11 and Iraq have combined. Now that is nothing compared to lack of health insurance or car crashes or saturated fat or smoking, but its worth noting that if we fear terrorists we should fear disease and fear the root causes of terror even more. … Read More
May 13, 2008 |
Steven White commented on What needs to change in academia? on February 21, 2008, 12:55 PM
I think she is right in general--historians and sociologists do tend to study race in detail in a highly theoretical way, but race does in some small ways influence our lives. I'm disturbed though by the fact that every example was negative and about black people. That needs to change in academia too--when a black cop pulls over a white person its a different relationship too. Another point that needs to be made is that I don't think academia is really the place for people who are interested in these practical moral issues. If it were I think they would wield there massive influence and be up in arms over the expierience of those "black bodies" deteriorating from malnutrition in Africa more than the black body on the train in Mississippi. But it seems mostly just Jeff Sachs and Paul Farmer who are doing that in the "elite" academy.
Steven White commented on Do opportunities for minorities still exist? on January 17, 2008, 2:15 AM
I was tutoring at a local high school which is, I believe 99% minority. Both kids I was working with were in 7th grade but neither could do simple divison in their head and one seemed to struggled with multiplication and even got an addition problem wrong. But it wasn't because he was black that he struggled with math--there is no evidence that black people are inherently dumb. The problems were a bad school system that didn't teach him the skills he needed, parents who seemed to not have him focused on his education or under control (and maybe ADHD). These failures are correlated with poverty and likely, as in Bob's case, caused by poverty.This idea that minorities need to be targeted because of the color of their skin is absurd and racist. Maybe it could be justified if it improved education for people in an optimal way, but I'm sure we can find a non-race based system of improvement and empowerment.
Steven White commented on Are two parties enough? on January 17, 2008, 2:06 AM
The two parties aren't enough. But even if the Democrats ran to the left and the Republicans ran to the right ideologically and ditches the corporate control, we would still have majors problems. Many of these issues have become ideological failures not so much structural failures.Look at Kucinich. He wants to give black people reparations for slavery, which ended over one hundred years before I was born. Look at affirmative action in general and who benefits and who loses. Look at abortion which Dennis knows is wrong, esp. after the fetus is viable and could just be taken out of the womb and live. But the Democrats insist on being pro-third trimester abortions.I'm on the far left too on most issues. But trade is a difficult issue and we have to consider the foreign poor. Abortion of viable fetuses is just wrong. And continuing to live in the past with reparations is just absurd and wrong and frankly racist. Those issues prevent me from voting for him.
Steven White commented on What needs to change in academia? on February 21, 2008, 5:55 PM
I think she is right in general--historians and sociologists do tend to study race in detail in a highly theoretical way, but race does in some small ways influence our lives.I'm disturbed though by the fact that every example was negative and about black people. That needs to change in academia too--when a black cop pulls over a white person its a different relationship too.Another point that needs to be made is that I don't think academia is really the place for people who are interested in these practical moral issues. If it were I think they would wield there massive influence and be up in arms over the expierience of those "black bodies" deteriorating from malnutrition in Africa more than the black body on the train in Mississippi. But it seems mostly just Jeff Sachs and Paul Farmer who are doing that in the "elite" academy.