For blacks, to somewhat paraphrase Kristoff, that's African tribalism for you. For whites, it's simply guilt. I often imagine a white person actually experiencing gut wrenches when he or she must condemn the bad behavior of blacks or any other dark skinned minority. The sweat develops on the eyebrows, the voice begins to stutter, and palms become wet--it's an uncomfortable feeling for a white person to break a taboo, which explains why so few whites do so in the first place.

Indeed. What is often overlooked, but what is implicit in that "Content of their character" line of the famous speech, is the tacit unspoken acknowledgment that there ARE people who have little to no character or integrity. If it is one thing that exists across all social strata, culture, and racial lines, it is that some people in every group are worthless shits.

But at least Mugabe has created a whole new class of rich people, trillionaires, all by himself. Except they're not that rich...

A trillion Zimbabwe dollars is what, $20?

I am following the whole Zimbabwe debacle for the last few years and I am not surprised by the reaction of the other African states

For them, Robert Mugabe is a bona fide hero. That guy led a revolutionary army to victory against the "Evil Whites Colonialists". More recently, he seized (stole) the land of rich, white farmer and gave it back to those in need (Cronies). This stupid stunt sent his country into the mess it is in right now.

Of course, it look bad from the outside but if you take into account the resentment of many Africans about anything European (White), the African love affair with socialism and desire for many Black leaders to keep on oppressing their people in the same way, Mugabe's situation is quite rosy.

Let's all remember that when someone ask us to give money for the poor Africans...

Oh, Amy, for your info, here's the current rate for the Zimbabwean dollar this morning:

1.00 USD=10,594,701,303.45 ZWD

Have a nice day! ;)

Mugabe's racist:

The president told the Johannesburg Star newspaper: "After land, now we must look at the mining sector ... At the end of the day black people must be able to say 'Ah, the resources are ours. Our people own the mines. Our people own the industry'." -- http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4030069,00.html

In other words, what you can do in Zimbabwe depends on the colour of your skin.

Here is an interesting article from TIME:

Come Back, Colonialism, All Is Forgiven

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1713275,00.html

Another good article:

Where will we go when SA is destroyed?
Nomfundo Xulu

http://www.thetimes.co.za/Columnists/Lifestyle/Article.aspx?id=772105

(Writing from South Africa) It's crucial to realise that Mbeki isn't just "doing nothing" about Mugabe, he has been helping Mugabe in the form of hard cash (courtesy of South African taxpayers), military supplies, logistic support (e.g. attempting to help bring in weapons supplied by the Chinese), allowing millions of hungry refugees to flood into our country as illegals - many of whom become violent criminals, as well as political support e.g. actively blocking a UN resolution to declare the farce of an "election" illegitimate. Meanwhile political violence and murders and rape etc. are going on on a massive scale in Zim. The whole thing is truly sick. One wonders what this will mean for South Africa, now tenuously the breadbasket of Southern Africa, if our own president actively supports totalitarian rule and the violent overthrow of democracy itself.

These are interesting articles. They're also slightly scary. I've often thought that whole societies exist in one of several stable states, such as theocracy, democracy, and so on. The point is, once one of these states is established, it can persist for centuries or millennia and be very resistant to change. It looks like a kind of anti-civilization lassitude syndrome is another stable state, where people just sit around gossiping and complaining about the state of things, and corruption is rife. No-one can get anything done because no-one can get anything done. Warlordism is another common state, as exampled by Afghanistan. In this state, your best bet is to join a gang. The best gangs offer you prestige, protection from other gangs, etc.

I didn't say what's scary - it's the thought that the democracy which I value is at risk of sleepwalking into some other state that would be far less friendly to me and my friends and family, and entering some kind of dark age for what would seem like an eternity.

The point is, once one of these states is established, it can persist for centuries or millennia and be very resistant to change.

Norman, you are right. Many societies will resist any change unless if it is engaged by themselves. Democracy dint came from nowhere. It started in ancient Greece and was transported to us through millenias of hesitation, bloodshed, tyrannies and intense struggles. This ended-up as a strong system, here in the western world.

The problem in the Sub-Saharan Africa is that the system of choice for millenias was Tribalism. Since the Rwandan genocide (THE most pathetic excuse for "White Guilt" I have ever heard") no-one can deny the return of that barbaric system. It is time for the "Civilized" world to take notice of that fact and stop to send money into that black-hole that is Africa.

Tribalism - that's the word I was looking for. Yet another stable state to avoid.

First they come for the farmers, then the businessmen.

Check out what is going on to SA's farmers. Hundreds killed each year.

Thank god SA got rid of its nukes.

Excellent web pages Successes and prosperity to you!