Africa

[TrueBlue]

Can somebody explain why this continent never seems to be going anywhere? why there no infrastructure being built and they seem to always be at war?

Its hand out after hand out in aid, why do African nations find it so hard to lift out of this? Is this going to go on forever?

Again I beg the question as I have on this site many times - is it something in our genes that different races attribute different strengths and weaknesses? Why in my eyes does it seem that the 'white man' has dominated the globe through infrastructure and drive yet I cant think of the top of my head a nation of the world fully developed WITHOUT influence of white men (I could be wrong but I cant think of a nation)

How can you have equality when (if true) each race has a handicap e.g Why are 99% of the best runners of black origin?

I throw the floor open to some good (clean) debate

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Are you mad?Read some history books.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Millions and millions spent on educating Africans on birth control

Millions and millions spent on helping them build schools etc etc

This will continue forever because of human nature to want to help. Why should Africans try and help themselves when they know they are going to get handouts, either in their own country or even better for them, in Britain.

 

[TrueBlue]

Are you mad?Read some history books.

Mate who are you suppose to be?

 

[pickledseal]

Scott, I'll try and find some time tomorrow to give you a detailed response. Much of it currently comes from climatic problems... I'm not convinced totally by global warming but temperatures seem to be increasing (but this happens every now and again right?) and it's the poorest that get hit hardest and first. When agriculture is still your primary industry drought hits pretty damn hard.

Why did they not develop like us? While we were having an industrial revolution, we were also tryin to rape and pillage every natural resource we could! Colonisation didn't really concern itself with the countries development. Had it, thongs may have been quite different.

Nations such as China and Japan seem to have developed without the 'white man' you refer to. Please be careful not to sound supremist, given the chap in Norway, we could end up in dodgy territory.

As I said I'll try to write something better for you tomorrow on the history of Africa.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Are you mad?Read some history books.

Mate who are you suppose to be?

I'm supposed to be me I think.Who you?:unsure:

 

[Crawliano]

History of Africa in a nutshell.

[video=youtube;zMIByD3mTiQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMIByD3mTiQ[/video]

 

[pickledseal]

This is also a decent article, albeit a few years old:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8215083.stm

 

[TrueBlue]

Scott, I'll try and find some time tomorrow to give you a detailed response. Much of it currently comes from climatic problems... I'm not convinced totally by global warming but temperatures seem to be increasing (but this happens every now and again right?) and it's the poorest that get hit hardest and first. When agriculture is still your primary industry drought hits pretty damn hard.

Why did they not develop like us? While we were having an industrial revolution, we were also tryin to rape and pillage every natural resource we could! Colonisation didn't really concern itself with the countries development. Had it, thongs may have been quite different.

Nations such as China and Japan seem to have developed without the 'white man' you refer to. Please be careful not to sound supremist, given the chap in Norway, we could end up in dodgy territory.

As I said I'll try to write something better for you tomorrow on the history of Africa.

Cheers mate look forward to it

 

[Crabby Shrimper]

Scott, I'll try and find some time tomorrow to give you a detailed response. Much of it currently comes from climatic problems... I'm not convinced totally by global warming but temperatures seem to be increasing (but this happens every now and again right?) and it's the poorest that get hit hardest and first. When agriculture is still your primary industry drought hits pretty damn hard.

Why did they not develop like us? While we were having an industrial revolution, we were also tryin to rape and pillage every natural resource we could! Colonisation didn't really concern itself with the countries development. Had it, thongs may have been quite different.

Nations such as China and Japan seem to have developed without the 'white man' you refer to. Please be careful not to sound supremist, given the chap in Norway, we could end up in dodgy territory.

As I said I'll try to write something better for you tomorrow on the history of Africa.

One could argue that this isn't the case, and it was the British influence of the 19th Century that kick started these two countries. As a counter argument though, I'd say to Scott that before the white civilisations, there were many others. The Aztecs built a civilisation, and the mongols did pretty well for themselves too. Closer to the place in question how about the ancient Egyptians?

Also, isn't it accepted that modern man evolved from a species settled around what's now Africa?

Point taken though about the different make up of races, anyone who thinks the only difference between black, white and any other colour is just the colour is living in a fantasy land.

 

[TrueBlue]

One could argue that this isn't the case, and it was the British influence of the 19th Century that kick started these two countries. As a counter argument though, I'd say to Scott that before the white civilisations, there were many others. The Aztecs built a civilisation, and the mongols did pretty well for themselves too. Closer to the place in question how about the ancient Egyptians?

Also, isn't it accepted that modern man evolved from a species settled around what's now Africa?

Point taken though about the different make up of races, anyone who thinks the only difference between black, white and any other colour is just the colour is living in a fantasy land.

Interesting debate

 

[pickledseal]

Prob not going to have time to sit down today for you Scott but I'll add it to my list of to do this week. I need an hour or so free and that ain't gonna happen today!

Interesting that there are quite a few factors involved and there are some physical. Also I remember in Ethiopia that as it is at such high altitude that training there puts you in very good stead for running long distances - not sure if Kenya is also largely at altitude too?

 

[TrueBlue]

Prob not going to have time to sit down today for you Scott but I'll add it to my list of to do this week. I need an hour or so free and that ain't gonna happen today!

Interesting that there are quite a few factors involved and there are some physical. Also I remember in Ethiopia that as it is at such high altitude that training there puts you in very good stead for running long distances - not sure if Kenya is also largely at altitude too?

Hence why runners do high altitude training?

 

[osymandus]

One could argue that this isn't the case, and it was the British influence of the 19th Century that kick started these two countries. As a counter argument though, I'd say to Scott that before the white civilisations, there were many others. The Aztecs built a civilisation, and the mongols did pretty well for themselves too. Closer to the place in question how about the ancient Egyptians?

Also, isn't it accepted that modern man evolved from a species settled around what's now Africa?

Point taken though about the different make up of races, anyone who thinks the only difference between black, white and any other colour is just the colour is living in a fantasy land.

Sorry but that's rubbish China developed far more technological and social developments while most of Europe was running around crusading :P (also never heard of teh Silk Road )http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_inventions . You are correct about the Mongolians mind , though they were also teh ones who helped develop teh long lines of Dynasties. As im sure everyone knows the Egyptians are of course in Africa , and many of the other areas of Africa also around the Egyptians (remember their civilisation lasted for around 1200 years ) adding to Athena greek and Roman empire .

Most differnces in "race" for human beings from a evolutionist and genetic viewpoint are fairly asthtic are based on environmental survivial traits there's little in the way that says one branch is less intelligent (hence most varieants of humanity have teh capacity to develope the traits of others ). Neccesity breeds this so if you live within your environment (native Ameicans Australian natives etc ) you simply don;t have the need of certain parts of civilisation.

 

[Crabby Shrimper]

Sorry but that's rubbish China developed far more technological and social developments while most of Europe was running around crusading :P (also never heard of teh Silk Road )http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_inventions . You are correct about the Mongolians mind , though they were also teh ones who helped develop teh long lines of Dynasties. As im sure everyone knows the Egyptians are of course in Africa , and many of the other areas of Africa also around the Egyptians (remember their civilisation lasted for around 1200 years ) adding to Athena greek and Roman empire .

Most differnces in "race" for human beings from a evolutionist and genetic viewpoint are fairly asthtic are based on environmental survivial traits there's little in the way that says one branch is less intelligent (hence most varieants of humanity have teh capacity to develope the traits of others ). Neccesity breeds this so if you live within your environment (native Ameicans Australian natives etc ) you simply don;t have the need of certain parts of civilisation.

I did say "it could be argued" in deference to the original post about civilisations without the influence of the white man. The same could also be said of Japan who had developed sociologically during the Shogun era (around the time we were building castles in Wales). As you concurred, the Egyptians were a good example from Africa, but also let us not forget the Carthagians, and slightly further afield the Mesopotamians.

In fairness to Scott's original post, I believe by civilisations he meant on a global scale, which is harder to judge as the effective world to each of these nations would've been far smaller than today.

 

[osymandus]

I did say "it could be argued" in deference to the original post about civilisations without the influence of the white man. The same could also be said of Japan who had developed sociologically during the Shogun era (around the time we were building castles in Wales). As you concurred, the Egyptians were a good example from Africa, but also let us not forget the Carthagians, and slightly further afield the Mesopotamians.

In fairness to Scott's original post, I believe by civilisations he meant on a global scale, which is harder to judge as the effective world to each of these nations would've been far smaller than today.

Opps yup missed that . And remember the level or importance of civilisation is judged by ... the prevailing civilisation.
Global influence is probably the biggest judge of that and of course in our lifetimes America has been king , though of course China and Russia have had their's in the 20th centre . Mesopotamia , (Babylon and Sumeria) are the grand mummies and daddies of civilisation (which of course now are Iran , Iraq and

Again in the past trade (Venince post fall of Roman empire) , England are both examples of control from tiny islands on a global scale

 

[sufc_tom]

More importantly when am I going to stop getting emails from solicitors saying I have received $100million because some African guy has died?

 

[maninasuitcase]

Can somebody explain why this continent never seems to be going anywhere? why there no infrastructure being built and they seem to always be at war?

Its hand out after hand out in aid, why do African nations find it so hard to lift out of this? Is this going to go on forever?

Again I beg the question as I have on this site many times - is it something in our genes that different races attribute different strengths and weaknesses? Why in my eyes does it seem that the 'white man' has dominated the globe through infrastructure and drive yet I cant think of the top of my head a nation of the world fully developed WITHOUT influence of white men (I could be wrong but I cant think of a nation)

How can you have equality when (if true) each race has a handicap e.g Why are 99% of the best runners of black origin?

I throw the floor open to some good (clean) debate

A rather myopic view of the world if I may say so.

Europe could equally have been described as a continent always at war just 65 years ago, and not long before that most europeans led a hand to mouth existence where disease was rife and infant mortality was extremely high.

You could also argue that europeans have 'inflicted' their view of what civilisation means to the greater population of the world that were getting on fine on their own.

 

[number11]

Are you mad?Read some history books.

I pity your students.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

yet I cant think of the top of my head a nation of the world fully developed WITHOUT influence of white men (I could be wrong but I cant think of a nation)

I think the Japanese, the Chinese and the South Koreans might beg to differ.