It's funny: for those of us in the Western world, we think that we are the civilised ones. We have (or dominate) scientific and technological advancement. We have a more developed (or consistent) education system. We have better medical facilities and medications. We have more stylish cars (and without dents) and our roads are made with tarmac. We eat our food with knives and forks (mainly) and there's a napkin close to hand.
The civilised West!
And we often feel a sense of duty to spread our ways to those 'less fortunate' than us.
In other words, where white people used to dominate the world by conquest, we now do it through 'charity'. Some people out of a sense of guilt because of how these 'less fortunates' have been treated throughout history; others out of compassion for anyone who is 'less fortunate' than themselves.
It's the arrogance that gets me. It's that we think that 'our way' is superior. So many people (myself included) have been to these 'less fortunate' places and seen with our own eyes... that material wealth is not what brings happiness. And yet we still celebrate our 'civilised' victories of providing water pumps, electricity, finance, clothes, school books, computers and so on to these 'poor unfortunates'.
We've polluted the world with a 'West is best' mindset.
At this point it's easy to start thinking that providing housing, medication, schools and the like is surely a good thing... and it is... to an extent.
But the real difference to 'impoverished' blacks and 'enlightened' whites is that it's the whites who are losing their humanity. (Of course, I'm speaking in generalisations.)
It's white people who label a child who thinks differently or needs more exercise than sitting in front of a TV can provide. It's white people who take a pill at the first hint of bodily pain. It's white people who say you're a failure if you just miss the grade. It's white people who drive on by when someone's broken down.
In the UK, they say that 1 in 4 of the current teenagers will have depression. 'Civilised' society has done that. You won't find that statistic in Africa.
Whites are more disconnected from their communities.
Whites are more concerned about their access to technology than their friends' wellbeing.
And we say that we (the whites) need to help them?!?
What education! What enlightenment!
As if the white conquest of the world wasn't enough, followed by our current tendency to import our groceries from Africa, taking their best produce and thereby contributing to their poverty (because it's cheaper for us, and anyway we're entitled to bananas and other fruit we can't grow ourselves or isn't in season, aren't we?)... we now have to destroy them with our 'civilised' society.
We need to take a lesson from them.
Then work together to make a better world.
For us all.
The civilised West!
And we often feel a sense of duty to spread our ways to those 'less fortunate' than us.
In other words, where white people used to dominate the world by conquest, we now do it through 'charity'. Some people out of a sense of guilt because of how these 'less fortunates' have been treated throughout history; others out of compassion for anyone who is 'less fortunate' than themselves.
It's the arrogance that gets me. It's that we think that 'our way' is superior. So many people (myself included) have been to these 'less fortunate' places and seen with our own eyes... that material wealth is not what brings happiness. And yet we still celebrate our 'civilised' victories of providing water pumps, electricity, finance, clothes, school books, computers and so on to these 'poor unfortunates'.
We've polluted the world with a 'West is best' mindset.
At this point it's easy to start thinking that providing housing, medication, schools and the like is surely a good thing... and it is... to an extent.
But the real difference to 'impoverished' blacks and 'enlightened' whites is that it's the whites who are losing their humanity. (Of course, I'm speaking in generalisations.)
It's white people who label a child who thinks differently or needs more exercise than sitting in front of a TV can provide. It's white people who take a pill at the first hint of bodily pain. It's white people who say you're a failure if you just miss the grade. It's white people who drive on by when someone's broken down.
In the UK, they say that 1 in 4 of the current teenagers will have depression. 'Civilised' society has done that. You won't find that statistic in Africa.
Whites are more disconnected from their communities.
Whites are more concerned about their access to technology than their friends' wellbeing.
And we say that we (the whites) need to help them?!?
What education! What enlightenment!
As if the white conquest of the world wasn't enough, followed by our current tendency to import our groceries from Africa, taking their best produce and thereby contributing to their poverty (because it's cheaper for us, and anyway we're entitled to bananas and other fruit we can't grow ourselves or isn't in season, aren't we?)... we now have to destroy them with our 'civilised' society.
We need to take a lesson from them.
Then work together to make a better world.
For us all.
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