1. SPS Accounts:
    Do you find yourself coming back time after time? Do you appreciate the ongoing hard work to keep this community focused and successful in its mission? Please consider supporting us by upgrading to an SPS Account. Besides the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from supporting a good cause, you'll also get a significant number of ever-expanding perks and benefits on the site and the forums. Click here to find out more.
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
You are currently viewing Boards o' Magick as a guest, but you can register an account here. Registration is fast, easy and free. Once registered you will have access to search the forums, create and respond to threads, PM other members, upload screenshots and access many other features unavailable to guests.

BoM cultivates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We have been aiming for quality over quantity with our forums from their inception, and believe that this distinction is truly tangible and valued by our members. We'd love to have you join us today!

(If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you've forgotten your username or password, click here.)

African AIDS Pandemic

Discussion in 'Alley of Dangerous Angles' started by drowling, Jun 16, 2005.

  1. drowling Gems: 4/31
    Latest gem: Sunstone


    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2004
    Messages:
    80
    Likes Received:
    0
    I'm sure none of you need to be reminded of the apalling condition in which many africans live today, so I had a thought... and I know some of you will hate me for this, but here goes.

    Here's an idea: people who are born in the poor states, with virtually no life prospect and often with inherited HIV, are basically born into constant misery. How do the rich countries deal with this? Well, they send money, and some of the smarter ones send contraceptives. Okay... here's my idea... deep breath... sterilisation!!!

    This may sound like a nazi germany tactic, but put aside your prejudices and think for a second... do these people have a moral right to give birth to children who will have no future? I don't think so. So why not put an end to reproduction altogether, or at least limit it?
     
  2. Cúchulainn Gems: 28/31
    Latest gem: Star Sapphire


    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2004
    Messages:
    2,956
    Likes Received:
    1
    How about castration!

    Actually I think education would be best to offer. There are reports on BBC that some people are raping young babies as this grants them immunity to Aids - putting sexual urges before human life.

    Though I do agree that its selfish to reproduce when you know that your child will most likely be born HIV positive.
     
  3. Darkthrone Gems: 12/31
    Latest gem: Moonstone


    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2004
    Messages:
    490
    Likes Received:
    1
    Hm, let's think about this for a second.
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...

    No. Sounds still like nazi germany tactic.
     
  4. The Great Snook Gems: 31/31
    Latest gem: Rogue Stone


    Adored Veteran

    Joined:
    May 15, 2003
    Messages:
    4,123
    Media:
    28
    Likes Received:
    313
    Gender:
    Male
    The entire problem with Africa is everyone wants to use band-aids (not an intended pun) to fix an entire continent. I believe that we only have two choices when it comes to Africa. The first option is to ignore the entire continent and let them kill, starve, rape, infect each other until they either all die or until they "mature" enough to join the rest of world. The second option is to just invade (with U.N. blessing of course so no one violates international law :lol: ) and govern them until they are more able to do it themselves (which may be never.)
     
  5. Morgoroth

    Morgoroth Just because I happen to have tentacles, it doesn'

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2003
    Messages:
    2,392
    Likes Received:
    45
    The second option is doomed to fail since the population is too much for the western world to handle and the weaponry there today is a bit more advanced than the spears they fought with against the Brittish troops (and even then the Zulus managed to put up some serious resistance). So I'd go with the first option.

    We should remember though that all nations in Africa are not in a complteley desperate situation and some are making serious progress, so labeling all African nations as savage, warmongering dictatorships that don't care about the spreading of AIDS is an attitude born out of ignorance.
     
  6. Cúchulainn Gems: 28/31
    Latest gem: Star Sapphire


    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2004
    Messages:
    2,956
    Likes Received:
    1
    Name an invasion of a country that was for the 'good'?
     
  7. T2Bruno

    T2Bruno The only source of knowledge is experience Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

    Joined:
    Nov 12, 2004
    Messages:
    9,766
    Media:
    15
    Likes Received:
    440
    Gender:
    Male
    Wow, this sound a lot like 'Nuke 'em 'till they glow and shoot 'em in the dark.'

    A bit extreme even for me.
     
  8. LKD Gems: 31/31
    Latest gem: Rogue Stone


    Veteran

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2002
    Messages:
    6,284
    Likes Received:
    271
    Gender:
    Male
    By that logic, there are a number of complete losers in the Western world who should also undergo forced sterilization -- my brother being one of them! :p

    Drowling does have a point in that some "outside the box" thinking may be necessary when dealing with some sections of Africa, but forced sterilization is just too easy to pervert. I advocate, once again, a system that either brings the decent people to countries where they can thrive, or doing something drastic to make where they are a viable, thriving location. You'd have to kill a lot of zealots (somehow) to do that, though, and we just don't have the stomach for that, or (sadly enough) the techniques to differentiate between the zealots and the decent people.
     
  9. Darkthrone Gems: 12/31
    Latest gem: Moonstone


    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2004
    Messages:
    490
    Likes Received:
    1
    But, LKD, how to distinguish the decent people from the zealots? Is there some kind of secret sign no one has told me yet? A tatoo in the left armpit, something like that?

    I think that Ruanda (oh, and nazi germany, right) told us that decent people turn into monsters too easily. Sad but true.
     
  10. Rallymama Gems: 31/31
    Latest gem: Rogue Stone


    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2002
    Messages:
    4,329
    Media:
    2
    Likes Received:
    11
    Darkthrone, LKD already said that we can't do that:

    Otherwise, I'd've beaten you to that punch. ;)
     
  11. LKD Gems: 31/31
    Latest gem: Rogue Stone


    Veteran

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2002
    Messages:
    6,284
    Likes Received:
    271
    Gender:
    Male
    Bang! Well, at least it nice to know people are reading my posts! ;)
     
  12. Darkthrone Gems: 12/31
    Latest gem: Moonstone


    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2004
    Messages:
    490
    Likes Received:
    1
    Damn, I'm faster than myself! Cool. Or rather not.
     
  13. AMaster Gems: 26/31
    Latest gem: Diamond


    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2000
    Messages:
    2,495
    Media:
    1
    Likes Received:
    50
    "Nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure"
     
  14. Gnarfflinger

    Gnarfflinger Wiseguy in Training

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Messages:
    5,423
    Likes Received:
    30
    Cesard has one part of the answer: Education. Give them a bowl of rice and they have a meal. Teach them to farm and they have means to grow their own food. Teach them to be productive and they have goods to trade.

    Also, there has to be a way that education and any aid given reaches the people you want to help. It's no good to set up a school only to have most of the children excluded for whatever reason, or to feed the starving if that food is confiscated by gune toting bullies. If a military presence is needed to ensure that this is done, then that may be the obligation of the UN. As long as HIV is allowed to remain unchecked in lands where conditions are rife for it to spread, then the whole world is yet at risk.

    In those places, the Death penalty for Rape may be necessary. No forcing someone into a marriage either. If a guy contracts HIV, don't force a woman without it to marry him. Some elements in that culture must be changed or else that situation will continue to fester and worsen, ultimately spiraling out of control...
     
Sorcerer's Place is a project run entirely by fans and for fans. Maintaining Sorcerer's Place and a stable environment for all our hosted sites requires a substantial amount of our time and funds on a regular basis, so please consider supporting us to keep the site up & running smoothly. Thank you!

Sorcerers.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.