Stereotyped, but rings true - Earth Summit

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 07 Sep 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Diana	07 Sep 2002
The Earth Summit is over. As expected, nothing much came out of it. :mad: The following is not an actual poll - it is just a "joke". Just before the Earth Summit held recently in South Africa, a poll was carried out amongst the attending members. The question was: "Please give us your opinion on the solution to the food shortage in the rest of the world". The poll was a failure because: The Chinese didn't know what "opinion" meant. The Africans didn't know what "food" meant. The South Americans didn't know what "please" meant. The Western Europeans didn't know what "shortage" meant. The Arabs didn't know what "solution" meant. And the Americans didn't know what "rest of the world" meant. :(

Maan	07 Sep 2002
Hi Diana I was really dissapointed about the summit too. Not that i had great expectations but i had hoped that maybe some where people would finally started to worry.:( Guess not...there has to happen more before whe can give up power:( The "joke" is really good... a while back a friend of mine emailed it too me but i did not think of putting it up here! Good of you! Love and light Maan

wavebreaker	07 Sep 2002
I too was disappointed and angry about the lack of results of the summit. Just a few cowardly compromises that won't change anything... :mad:

jema	07 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Diana The Chinese didn't know what "opinion" meant. The Africans didn't know what "food" meant. The South Americans didn't know what "please" meant. The Western Europeans didn't know what "shortage" meant. The Arabs didn't know what "solution" meant. And the Americans didn't know what "rest of the world" meant. :( pardon my daftness, but i just don't get it. south americans didn't know what "please" meant?? i don't know much about the earth summit - but perhaps one of the reasons it failed was beacuse people viewed eachother with distrust and fear instead of really trying to get down to business. so enlighten me - where can i read up about the earth summit?

Diana	07 Sep 2002
Actually jema, when I first read this thing that's going around on the internet, I found it really stupid. Especially the South American thing (I considered leaving it out when I copied this here, but then I thought as it's part of the original thing, I'd leave it in and not censor it.) I mean, the whole thing doesn't make sense if you read it as it is. The whole of the African continent is not starving (although there are signs of serious problems in Southern Africa); the Chinese don't have an opinion only because they're not allowed to; there are also poor people in Western Europe; etc. etc. But still, if you think of it, there is a message here, if the words are not taken at face level. Especially in the context of the Earth Summit. I suppose one can find all sorts of things on Google on the Earth Summit. I've been reading about it for weeks and weeks in the press. It was a world summit to talk about the state of the Earth and how to find measures to solve important problems. This is perhaps not the most intelligent post I have ever made, but I was so mad about the lack of any concrete measures at the summit, that I posted this anyway.

DarkElectric	07 Sep 2002
It embarrasses me as an American that our most voiceferous "Fearless Leader" doesn't feel as if the summit was important enough to merit his illustrious presence, and so he sent Colin Powell instead. Not that Mr Powell isn't a good guy. He really is. It's just that apparantly someone was too busy entertaining visiting Shieks on his dude ranch, at the same time his second in command was insulting Saudi Arabia by insinuating that they might not be our friends. Why? Because they disagree with the assinine assumption on the part of our administration that the American Government has the right to dictate who is in power (besides us, that is) and who is not. I'm gonna get labled a traitor for saying this, I'm sure. But I'm not. I'm a patriotic American who can't stand to see this great country of ours discredited, and run into the ground by secret agendas, bully boy tactics, and strong arm politics. I'm sorry, but that is NOT my vision of the American Dream.

Pollux	07 Sep 2002
DarkElectric, I really... "appreciated" your post, as far as that can be the right verb. :) I must admit that whistles and abuse to Powell were a bit too much but... hem... anyway... I am very disappointed too. But seemingly not as much as I thought I'd be - and it DEFINITELY is cos I am getting used to it. This is really sad if you think about it... I won't talk politics here - will I Diana? ;) *LOL* But I liked the joke, and I would have never read it if it was not here. Honestly, I am really scared for the present situation. And also because there's a very fallic (excuse me the vulgarity) man as head of the government in Italy, who's so willing to please Dubya. This sucks, and it disgusts me. Berlusconi, I hate you. I was thinking that, from nex YULE, I would start celebrating Sabbats properly. Now I know what my International Intent can be. Maan, we could share it in our rituals! :) Light, Light, Light, the REAL one, not the one blinding, the one ENLIGHTENING, the one MORTIFYNG, the one making WHITE what is WHITE, and BLACK what is BLACK. Light wrapping up the globe.

Lee	07 Sep 2002
Just to provide another perspective, I read a newspaper column recently in which the author expressed the opinion that a lot of what was going on at the Earth Summit was third world countries trying to embarass Western countries into giving more money, while at the same time these third world countries are ignoring discussions on how they could truly change the ways things are done in their countries so as to prevent the root causes of poverty. This columnist says that many of these countries demand foreign aid, but much of that aid ends up in the pockets of the politicians without providing much benefit for the general public. The columnist mentioned a recent occurence where a shipment of food from the U.S. to a South African country was indignantly turned away. The food had been irradiated, and the South African country's leaders were accusing Americans of trying to poison them, which is silly because we in the U.S. eat irradiated food too. I don't know enough about the situation to say which position is right or wrong, but I do think that it's a large, complex situation and probably shouldn't be characterized as the U.S. being the bad guys and everyone else being the good guys. (Edited to say) There's probably plenty of bad guys on all sides. By the way, I hate Dubya just as much as Pollux hates Berlusconi! :) -- Lee

Melvis	07 Sep 2002
I like the joke, Diana! Unfortunately, it is too true about many Americans... ...but not all! ;) Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

wavebreaker	07 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Lee I don't know enough about the situation to say which position is right or wrong, but I do think that it's a large, complex situation and probably shouldn't be characterized as the U.S. being the bad guys and everyone else being the good guys. (Edited to say) There's probably plenty of bad guys on all sides. Of course there are plenty of bad guys on all sides and it certainly is a complex situation. But what worries me is that a few countries apparently have so much influence that time and again agreements are changed and toned down and we end up with compromises that are only intended to keep "the big guys" happy instead of actually changing something. If my country, which is only a small country, would say they don't agree with a specific treaty, the rest would just say "fine, then don't sign it". If one of the big guys says they don't agree, they change the treaty... These summits always give me the idea that the world is ruled by a handful of powerful nations and that the rest of the world will just have to comply with whatever they want, especially the poor countries, because they are dependent on these powerful countries. IMHO, there should be more of a balance... PS Here's the official website of the summit for those who want to read more about it.

jema	08 Sep 2002
it is NOT that i liked or didn't like the joke it is that i didn't get it. ok? no offense meant. you are all entitled to post whatever jokes you want to. but why did it say that about south americans? i do not understand. most of the south americans i have met, well all of them really, is the kindest and most polite people i have EVER met in my whole life. so i thought it can't mean that they are viewed as rude, so what does it mean that they don't know the word "please" since i am not english speaking, i might be missing something here. i won't even get into the politics here, i am afraid my views would label me as a troublemaker and i like this place too much for that. i am tired of getting into "fights" on the net and then have to leave.

jade	08 Sep 2002
jema, i speak english and i don't understand it either. personally, i dislike racial jokes.......at anyone's expense. :( jade

Laurel	08 Sep 2002
I became very angry the other day when I was reading an article on how elaborate the "feasting" was at the Summit- the expensive wines/champagnes, lobsters, etc., that the Summit attendees were being wined and dined on (via taxpayer money) in South Africa. I consider the summit a perfect example of "Armchair politics". I'd have been a lot more impressed if the Summit had been served meals that represented the "standard" fare from various 3rd World nations so they could appreciate ~why~ they were there. Laurel

Diana	08 Sep 2002
Laurel: I agree with you that these things usually end up like a big circus and are often a waste of time. They needn't be and that makes it even more shameful. As I expected (but I took the risk wittingly), my posting could have made me sound xenophobic and racist. People who know me obviously realise that this is not the case. For the new members, I state it here. I did not write that thing. It was sent to me, and just about everyone I speak to seems to have read it somewhere or have had it sent to them. If you take it at face value, it sounds dumb and xenophobic. It is not meant to be read on that level, obviously. If taken on another level, it says much about the state of the world today. It is time to do something about it. State our opinions and encourage in all ways, the Chinese (and other nations) to allow their people to as well; pay decent prices for food imports from poorer countres; those who have abundance must learn how to share it wisely; those who don't know where the rest of the world is, it is now time to try and reach out and learn about it; those who refuse to find humane and wise solutions, ways and means must be found to encourage them to do it. (For the South American thing, I haven't a clue why the person addded that sentence. It may have something to do with their debts, but I can't figure it out.) It can't be so hard to make the earth a decent place to live in.

Pollux	08 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by jade personally, i dislike racial jokes.......at anyone's expense. Personally, I dislike Racial jokes too. Yet I see no racial joke there. Quote: Originally posted by Diana (...) my posting could have made me sound xenophobic and racist (...). If you take it at face value, it sounds dumb and xenophobic. It is not meant to be read on that level, obviously. If taken on another level, it says much about the state of the world today. I don't intend to discuss the meaning of "xenophobic" or "racist" here. I am not the most appropriate person as well. Yet I seriously DOUBT the joke is either of them. I think it is satyrical. That is the word. No Races implied, but "just" politics.

zorya	08 Sep 2002
perhaps had the joke named the actual players responsible for those qualities, rather than the nationalities they each, supposedly, represent... it might have sat better with me.

Pollux	08 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by zorya perhaps had the joke named the actual players responsible for those qualities, rather than the nationalities they each, supposedly, represent... it might have sat better with me. Zorya, I agree with you. But as Diana says, you can't read it literally. It is understood it is pointing at the "PLAYERS" as you call them, and not at races or peoples.

The Stereotyped, but rings true - Earth Summit thread was originally posted on 07 Sep 2002 in the Chat board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Chat, or read more archived threads.