Global Events & Politics Überthread

Jaw said:
The government has been turning their heads while the farm owners were attacked, robbed, tortured, and killed.

The government has said they are "going to cut the throat of whiteness."

The government is now forcing a sell at one tenth of value.

This is beyond being fraught with difficulties. This is vengeance.
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Seriously, that is some pretty emotionally-charged language. How do you feel about apartheid? On a relative scale?

I think that nsacpi’s point about recency is crucial here. This happened in my adult life, and presumably yours. Today’s land owners are not the distant descendants of the original sin, but just a generation or two removed.

So I’ll stipulate that the violence is abhorrent (even as I think you’re telling or being told a misleading story about it) but you still seem to be arguing it there should be no compensation. Is that correct?
 
Julio3000 said:
Seriously, that is some pretty emotionally-charged language. How do you feel about apartheid? On a relative scale?

I think that nsacpi’s point about recency is crucial here. This happened in my adult life, and presumably yours. Today’s land owners are not the distant descendants of the original sin, but just a generation or two removed.

So I’ll stipulate that the violence is abhorrent (even as I think you’re telling or being told a misleading story about it) but you still seem to be arguing it there should be no compensation. Is that correct?
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I would inform the landowners that the government will purchase their land at market value either from the landowners at any time of their choosing, or from the estate at the time of their death. That scours the South African countryside of rich whites without punishing anyone for the sins of their fathers, and should ease the tensions of the black South African citizens who want the whites gone.

That isn't perfect, and I'm sure smarter people can come up with better, but it's certainly better than the current shenanigans.
 
Jaw said:
I would inform the landowners that the government will purchase their land at market value either from the landowners at any time of their choosing, or from the estate at the time of their death. That scours the South African countryside of rich whites without punishing anyone for the sins of their fathers, and should ease the tensions of the black South African citizens who want the whites gone.

That isn't perfect, and I'm sure smarter people can come up with better, but it's certainly better than the current shenanigans.
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I agree that the price needs to be improved (from what I've read on the matter) and the current owners need to be given more time. This shouldn't be done with a gun pointed at people's heads. There are sensible and less sensible ways to redistribute the land. Btw I wouldn't characterize the attitude of black South Africans as one of wanting the whites gone. There are some with this view, but I'm pretty sure it is not the view of most black South Africans.
 
We can discriminate against anyone as long as they're white. And anyone who says otherwise is simply a privelidged white guy who need to shut up
 
sturg33 said:
We can discriminate against anyone as long as they're white. And anyone who says otherwise is simply a privelidged white guy who need to shut up
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if it makes you feel any better I view Chinese government policy of encouraging Han Chinese migration into areas inhabited by Tibetans and Uyghurs as similarly problematic as the land policies that led to white South Africans getting the best farmland
 
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sturg33 said:
We can discriminate against anyone as long as they're white. And anyone who says otherwise is simply a privelidged white guy who need to shut up
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From Wikipedia: “From 1960-1983, 3,500,000 Non-White South Africans were removed from their homes and forced into segregated neighbourhoods, in one of the largest mass evictions in modern history.”

Non-white South Africans were disenfranchised, stripped of their passports, declared ineligible to join trade unions or practice skilled trades. All public spaces were segregated. Black South Africans has it worst, but mixed-race, Asian, and other racial minorities were similarly sanctioned. Corporal punishment (i.e. whipping) was a common punishment for political crimes. This all happened in the latter half of the 20th century. This is not ancient history.

You really think that there should be no legal redress for this?
 
cajunrevenge said:
yeah it would be really petty for Cuba to do this. Interesting part to me was that they listed China of doing it too.
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China I can understand the motives. They want us to know they won't be pushed around and this is a sneaky and deniable way for them to send that message.
 
Julio3000 said:
This story is not getting the play it deserves.
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Actually, there have been some pretty big articles written about it. But I think anything these days that is not Trump-related gets lost in the dross.

And also around here there are certain topics that don't get anyone exercised and subsequently don't get discussed much. Doesn't mean they are not important.

There is another Asian story that has some pretty big implications but that doesn't get the attention it should: the Philippines moving into China's orbit. It isn't necessarily an irreversible development, but still it could be part of an important shift in power and influence in the region.
 
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