Alternatives to ' just butting out'
It isn't just the no fly zone or military intervention that provokes international outrage - I have had a few people tell me recently that there is no way that the evils of colonialism can be fixed by white people, or people from the USA and Europe getting involved. our involvement can only make it worse, they argue.
Our involvement does more harm than good, argue my opponents on this, and they mainain that I should 'just butt out' - but I wonder what they have to say on these proposals:
1) Zeerpots. Ok, we make them and we give them to people in developing countries.
Go here if you don't know what a zeer pot is and tell me why I shouldn't be involved in this.
ok, any other similar form of low tech self help is also fair game - anti mararial netting, IFAD, you name it. however, I will draw the line at adopting a child and buying a goat , because I am well aware of the pifalls of eco-management and favouritism. It is not about goats or kids, ok? It is about giving low tech solutions, low cost solutions. You tell me why I mustn't .
http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/296/1/Cooling-food-without-electricity.html
2) We could go and join Amnesty International and get involved that way, and again , I want anyone who favours the ' just butt out' philosophy to highlight the problems of ' butting in on world affairs this way'. i am not alowed to name them , but we all know who they are, and they have not responded to my questions. I hereby give them an opportunity to shoot my ideas down if they want to.
3) one of the big problems of Colonialism is that the European Powers set up the economies in their dependent states for the benefit of the colonialists. And even though countries like Ghana are now ostensibly free, they are not able to benefit from it because they do not have an economy that helps *them* - we gave them an economy that helps *us*. Now this does not mean that we giv Ghana more Foriegn Aid - we need to ensure that they and other conties get a fair deal in the international market place.
I would argue that we should write to our elected representatives, demanding -
an end to EU and US Farming Subsidies
an end to unfair protectionalist tarriffs on developing countries produce
an end to western corporations interfering and controlling the natural resources of developing countries and an end to attempts to undermine their economies and open their markets on terms unfavourable to themselves.
In practical terms , this would mean that the idigenous people anywhere would not have to open their forests to forighn logging concerns, or their mines, or any other resources to foreingn investors if they did not wish to.
Again , I challenge those who say 'just butt out' to show us why I am wrong to make these demands. Trade justice is definitely on for me until I declare that I'm pulling out.
4) The Fair Trade Movement.
We don't have to sit back and wait for our elected reps to get off their butts and get things sorted. Yes, it would be great if they did, but we can start tommorrow , or even today , if we want.
Do you buy tea, coffee or drinking chocolate? or use sugar in your tea? wll, if you want to 'just butt out', and do nothing to help people in developing countries, just carry on doing that. however, you can help farmers in the developing world by going fair Trade.
Under the colonial system , the workers get paid a pittance, and the plantation owners get a good profit from thier labour.
Under Foriegn Aid policies, money goes to the corrupt governments and does not reach the poor.
Under Fair Trade, the workers organise a workers co op, Fair trade organisations like TraidCraft buy the goods off them at a fair price, and the workers decide how they want to spend the extra income.
The result is that there are no corrupt officials, and the money goes direct from me to guys who grow everything from coffee to bananas- and they decide wether they want to spend their income on a new clinic, or a villag school, or a new irrigation project.
Well,what is not to like?
Of course, maybe other people may have ideas of their own on how we can help people in developing countries. And I would be happy to listen. However, these are my ideas for undoing the harm that colonialism did.
Help people get political representation and establish self determination.
Trade Justice
Fair Trade, not Foreign Aid.
none of this is encouraging dependency on us, none of this is taking from them and making them poorer. so, why are we not doing it more often ? Why do it's critics not support these initiatives, but insist that we 'just butt out' ?
Our involvement does more harm than good, argue my opponents on this, and they mainain that I should 'just butt out' - but I wonder what they have to say on these proposals:
1) Zeerpots. Ok, we make them and we give them to people in developing countries.
Go here if you don't know what a zeer pot is and tell me why I shouldn't be involved in this.
ok, any other similar form of low tech self help is also fair game - anti mararial netting, IFAD, you name it. however, I will draw the line at adopting a child and buying a goat , because I am well aware of the pifalls of eco-management and favouritism. It is not about goats or kids, ok? It is about giving low tech solutions, low cost solutions. You tell me why I mustn't .
http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/296/1/Cooling-food-without-electricity.html
2) We could go and join Amnesty International and get involved that way, and again , I want anyone who favours the ' just butt out' philosophy to highlight the problems of ' butting in on world affairs this way'. i am not alowed to name them , but we all know who they are, and they have not responded to my questions. I hereby give them an opportunity to shoot my ideas down if they want to.
3) one of the big problems of Colonialism is that the European Powers set up the economies in their dependent states for the benefit of the colonialists. And even though countries like Ghana are now ostensibly free, they are not able to benefit from it because they do not have an economy that helps *them* - we gave them an economy that helps *us*. Now this does not mean that we giv Ghana more Foriegn Aid - we need to ensure that they and other conties get a fair deal in the international market place.
I would argue that we should write to our elected representatives, demanding -
an end to EU and US Farming Subsidies
an end to unfair protectionalist tarriffs on developing countries produce
an end to western corporations interfering and controlling the natural resources of developing countries and an end to attempts to undermine their economies and open their markets on terms unfavourable to themselves.
In practical terms , this would mean that the idigenous people anywhere would not have to open their forests to forighn logging concerns, or their mines, or any other resources to foreingn investors if they did not wish to.
Again , I challenge those who say 'just butt out' to show us why I am wrong to make these demands. Trade justice is definitely on for me until I declare that I'm pulling out.
4) The Fair Trade Movement.
We don't have to sit back and wait for our elected reps to get off their butts and get things sorted. Yes, it would be great if they did, but we can start tommorrow , or even today , if we want.
Do you buy tea, coffee or drinking chocolate? or use sugar in your tea? wll, if you want to 'just butt out', and do nothing to help people in developing countries, just carry on doing that. however, you can help farmers in the developing world by going fair Trade.
Under the colonial system , the workers get paid a pittance, and the plantation owners get a good profit from thier labour.
Under Foriegn Aid policies, money goes to the corrupt governments and does not reach the poor.
Under Fair Trade, the workers organise a workers co op, Fair trade organisations like TraidCraft buy the goods off them at a fair price, and the workers decide how they want to spend the extra income.
The result is that there are no corrupt officials, and the money goes direct from me to guys who grow everything from coffee to bananas- and they decide wether they want to spend their income on a new clinic, or a villag school, or a new irrigation project.
Well,what is not to like?
Of course, maybe other people may have ideas of their own on how we can help people in developing countries. And I would be happy to listen. However, these are my ideas for undoing the harm that colonialism did.
Help people get political representation and establish self determination.
Trade Justice
Fair Trade, not Foreign Aid.
none of this is encouraging dependency on us, none of this is taking from them and making them poorer. so, why are we not doing it more often ? Why do it's critics not support these initiatives, but insist that we 'just butt out' ?