🚀 go-pugleaf

I've often wondered this myself...

**I've never been to Africa but I know that it's a more culturally and 
politically diverse place than we in the West often give it credit for. 
We say "African" as if it accurately, or at least adequately, captures 
everything about that vast continent. I understand the complaint. 
Liberals and conservative alike do it. We can talk about it at length if 
you like. But...


Why on Earth do Hillary Clinton et al. think that Africa � never mind 
African "tribes" � are a compelling philosophical and political role 
model for the United States of America? Africa? Africa? At least when 
they invoke Europe as a public policy North Star they have in mind a 
first world economy and government. But Africa?

On what conceivable grounds is it warranted to say, "What would the 
Africans do?" Even on the wishy-washy proverbial terrain Clinton is 
usually dealing with � "children," "villages," etc � is there any 
empirical basis for arguing that the African Way is superior to our own? 
Maybe there are studies that show "Africans" are happier than Americans 
� when the former aren't dying of malnutrition or medieval health care, 
or desperately trying to emigrate to the West, no doubt. But even if 
such studies exist, I doubt that any of the Africaphiles have that sort 
of thing in mind when they talk about the ancient Wisdom we should 
borrow from over there.

Even more fascinating: why do so many people uncritically accept these 
appeals to African wisdom?

http://tinyurl.com/27vnlq

-- 
America controls the wind, and we broke it.