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A collection of some classic Lemmy memes for your enjoyment
Most of Africa's nations are younger than 30 years. Several African countries still pay taxes to France. Nearly every African country doesn't have sovereign control over their natural resources. So Ya, not to even mention the millions of people stolen from their countries. Africa is poor purely because of outside influences
The other side of that debate is that .... the outside influence could work with Africa to make the continent self sufficient and capable on its own. Several studies and research has shown that if properly set up and organized, the African continent has more than enough resources to produce its own food supply, clean water supply and energy production.
Unfortunately, instead of the outside world helping Africa to get to this point .... the world instead uses Africa as just another place to exploit and make money out of. In the short sighted vision of the first world ... it's more lucrative to make a bunch of money now by taking advantage of poor dying people than it is to help them become productive members of the global economy.
It's a prime example of how as a civilization we build and maintain our world on exploitation, coercion and death
Unfortunately, instead of the outside world helping Africa to get to this point … the world instead uses Africa as just another place to exploit and make money out of. In the short sighted vision of the first world … it’s more lucrative to make a bunch of money now by taking advantage of poor dying people than it is to help them become productive members of the global economy.
I would argue it's more complex than that. The very conditions created by European colonization have resulted in extreme instability and corruption in the resulting, mostly-arbitrarily drawn states, which heavily discourages investment from rational (though amoral) actors. It's not that the rest of the world market doesn't want Africa to be more "Developing Southeast Asia" than "Place we get raw resources from", it's that the conditions European colonization foisted upon it make getting there from this point very difficult.
Which African states do you think should be redrawn?
Honestly, I'm not sure that there is an optimal solution there. All I'm certain about is that the European powers didn't give a shit about anything other than resolving their own claims in an ideal fashion when releasing their colonial vassals piecemeal.
Africa is poor purely because of outside influences
This is simplistic and naive to the point it feels like propaganda.
Your view is going to be unpopular with people here. Most on Lemmy would rather blame the outsiders for problems in Africa. However, I don't see anyone mentioning China investing hundreds of millions into infrastructure of African countries and attempting to lift many African countries our of poverty only for these countries to remain where they were. At some point it becomes hard to continue blaming hundreds or dozens of years old events for the current situation when the current people contribute to the presently poor state of things.
You are literally voicing the white nationalist "honorary whites" and the "model minorities" that pits Asian cultures and communities against African cultures and communities. To simplify the African continents experience with colonial exploration to Asias is laughable at best and out right racist at worst.
Similarly, I love when Europeans complain about the Americas having no distinct culture or ancient structures when they kinda killed and burned the ones that existed here for thousands of years.
WTF are you talking about? The Europeans that "killed and burned" the natives mostly stayed, they call themselves Americans now. Look at a map of America at the time of the revolution, and you'll see there was a lot of killing and displacing natives after the USA's independence. Don't blame this on modern day Europeans, blame this on your ancestors (assuming you're american).
I don’t disagree, but I feel like 600 years ago is too close to call them ancestors. Dunno the word, but ancestors makes me think of ancient humans from 7500+ years ago.
Though I do call them European Americans, because just Americans would be the indigenous peoples.
Native person here. Europe does not just get to absolve itself from the genocide that happened in North America. By upholding the systems that enacted the colonization in genocide of indigenous folk, the world over, you perpetuate and uphold the harm caused. This is your history, so this is your fault.
This place was beautiful when we stole it.
We're the ones that turned it into a cesspool of cheeze whiz and strip malls.
We, the descendants of Europeans that is
Who's gonna leave tho'? Nobody. That's who.
Only out of the devil we know. There are better far better countries to be a citizen in, but you have to have an in. They are the happiest in the world according to the world happiness index. We should worship at their ideological altar ror that, instead we villify them as all the right wing curse words that right wingers don't even understand.
I'd think anyone worried about righting the genocide would prioritize getting tfo, not "how can I better myself"
I'm European so I might be biased, but I haven't really heared anyone "complaining about the Americas having no distinct culture or ancient structures".
It's just white Americans trying to shift the blame to Europeans that stayed
Alt caption: "Why do we have so many refugees and economic migrants?"
Beginning to think that if we helped Africa prosper, we wouldn't have whole fleets of boats and dinghies crossing the Mediterranean.
After we killed Gadaffi in 2011 suddenly everyone from Lybia started hopping on boats to Europe. Don't they like their new ~~war-torn country~~ freedom?
Same shit with the American "border crisis"
Oh, why are they fleeing countries we couped and refusing to stay in Mexico, where the cartels dress like the military but with better gear?
"We did nothing but exploit them and let them be exploited by our companies. Why can't they help themselves???"
Lots of people on here who seem to be under the bizarre impression that colonialism ever ended.
Wounded Africa gets up: .... hey Europe, give me a hand
Europe: .... takes a baseball bat to Africa's knees .... why can't Africa stand up for itself?
Subsaharan Africa: "Oh no! These Turkish and Arab invaders are terrible! Surely Europe, which also fights with the Turks and Arabs, will help us?"
Europe: "Actually, we've decided to make it worse."
Africa: "Oh no"
Europe: "MUCH worse."
Some rare exceptions, particularly in the earlier period, aside
Yeah Czech Republic did immense damage to poor Africans. Finland too.
Same goes for South America and the US.
Those motherfuckers are plotting to make economies that serve their societies?! We can't have that, have to keep those markets open for our owner's exploitation!
Take em out!
If your blood isn’t boiling yet from what the west is sponsoring in Gaza, you can have some fun learning of what Belgium (and the US) did in the Congo after they “left”.
Looking anti-meme to me lol
See * The Looting Machine: Warlords, Oligarchs, Corporations, Smugglers, and the Theft of Africa's Wealth*