quote:
Originally posted by Aelia Jusa:
Was that what I said? I didn't mean to say that. I was referring to your comment that you saw a documentary showing that the third world is better off than we are. What I meant was, you can make anything seem postive, and anything seem negative if you show the right bits. I could make a documentary showing what a super happy paradise the west is if I wanted, making sure I didn't include any negative aspects, just as I could make a super postive documentary about developing countries as well. There are extended families, fresh air etc in the west just as there are in developing nations. And yes there might not be youth suicide and anorexia in developing nations, but how much female genital mutilation occurs in the west, how many people die of starvation and diseases caused by unfresh water? The show you saw showed some aspects of the west, and some aspects of the third world, as did the show I saw. But at least in the case of the show I saw, it was biased towards the aims of the producers.
That's a fair call. I wasn't using the doco as gospel though, but rather as a way of bringing up a point. A way of looking at situations differently. You're quite right about bias, except that African spokesmen for example complain that ONLY the negatives are shown in Western Media, and this hampers investments for starters.
Famine hits, headlines hit. Famine goes, no-one knows.
How many are aware of Mali's developments in growing food from salt ocean water for example. Fighting back the desert and reclaiming the sahara, making more food for it's people?
Has anyone heard how Congo(Zaire) is doing after they got rid of their dictator?
Good news from the third world is hard to find, so when docos against the grain like this come out I think it's a healthy rebalance, and due to it's unsensationalist agenda, can be taken somewhat truthfully.
("Easy life" Surfers were interviewed in the west too BTW)
(Oh, and Genital mutilation. is limited to some Muslim areas in Africa. There are plenty of non-muslims in Africa, Asia and Catholic South America.)
My issue is not that there are not hardships in the third world. Of course there are! Hardships that should not have to exist. There's more than enough food to go around. The rich - nations and individuals - need to be prepared to share, or risk playing on an even field. It's not in say Britain's interests for the third world to be wealthy, because the island can't feed itself.
My issue is making the mistake of thinking we are happier as a result of the so called creature comforts and easy ride. The statistics speak for themselves. High youth suicide, rampant drug use, the aforementioned eating disorders, family breakdowns, stress disorders. The
mental health of the west, despite the riches and seeming lack of hardship is falling apart.