How does colonialism apply to Sudan today? to understand this question we must first figure out what happened in Sudan and how Great Britain and Egypt have made their impacts on this country. Back in the 1880's the area known today as Sudan was colonized and ruled by Britain. Almost twenty years later Egypt entered the scene when Britain and Egypt decided to rule Sudan jointly and things stayed that way until the "Closed door" policy to separate the Arab peoples in the Northern parts of Sudan and those of African descent and this worked fairly well until 1956 when Sudan earned their Independence from both ruling nations. Sounds great right? not really, the people were still extremely divided from all those years of living the "Closed door" policies so two major groups emerged, the Africans in the south and the Arabs in the north. Now the two groups could have just split off into two separate nations at this point and everything would've been just peachy. Things don't work that way though instead the stronger of the two halves (Arab groups in the North) took control of the entire country and began to force their beliefs and traditions upon the African groups of the south. All other ideals, traditions and beliefs were suppressed and people were punished if they openly supported them. The Africans weren't going down without a fight though, and this has resulted in civil war throughout Sudan.
The best Solution to this problem in my opinion would be a strong, but peaceful intervention by stronger nations like the US, Britain, or Canada. They could bring some sort equality to all the people. Easy to say though, those countries have their own problems that need dealing with let alone taking the problems of other nations upon their shoulders, and even if they were to step in reversing the damage would take many many years.
Overall Colonialism has had a very interesting and negative effect upon Sudan. But I believe the real mistake here was splitting the two cultures up and having the "Closed door" policy in the first place, the people should have been forced to learn to live with each other and accept their differences long before gaining Independence.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sudan
Colonialism has played a major role in the history and development of Sudan. To understand the situation you need to know what the back story is. In the 1880's, Good 'ole Great Britain began to colonize and rule over the area known as Sudan. They had issues with the neighbouring nation Egypt. in 1899 they agreed to rule the Country jointly divided into a northern half ruled by Egypt and a southern half ruled by Britain. Now the northern half contained people of Arabic descent and the south had the African natives. This kept the two peoples lived on without even really knowing that the other half even existed.
There wasn't really a problem with that until the 50's when both halves of Sudan achieved independence from their mother countries and suddenly had to deal with each other for the first time in 100 years. Now the basic principle is that whoever was the stronger of the two sides would take over and make the government and that side was the Norther Arabic side. This wouldn't have been a problem except that they quickly began to force their religion and traditions on the Sudanese people, not wanting to give up their own beliefs they fought back and civil war ensued. But since the North was much stronger the southern half soon began to lose and suffered from depopulation and forced movement.
A simple solution to this problem would be that the two halves could split off into their own separate nations entirely, but this probably would not end up working out as the stronger of the two nations would feel that the other half should belong to them and war would continue. A more likely solution would be the intervention of the situation by a much stronger nation, (The US most likely) but even then reversing the damage done will take a long time, but its still better late then never I say.
There wasn't really a problem with that until the 50's when both halves of Sudan achieved independence from their mother countries and suddenly had to deal with each other for the first time in 100 years. Now the basic principle is that whoever was the stronger of the two sides would take over and make the government and that side was the Norther Arabic side. This wouldn't have been a problem except that they quickly began to force their religion and traditions on the Sudanese people, not wanting to give up their own beliefs they fought back and civil war ensued. But since the North was much stronger the southern half soon began to lose and suffered from depopulation and forced movement.
A simple solution to this problem would be that the two halves could split off into their own separate nations entirely, but this probably would not end up working out as the stronger of the two nations would feel that the other half should belong to them and war would continue. A more likely solution would be the intervention of the situation by a much stronger nation, (The US most likely) but even then reversing the damage done will take a long time, but its still better late then never I say.
Potlatch
A Potlatch is a social event where a certain family would host a party of sorts. During the party the family would give many marvelous gifts to their guests. While the reason behind this was supposed to be to redistribute the wealth throughout the community but many just used it as a clever way to make they look good to others. Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest Coast mainly practiced this event of its own.
There are some similarities between Potlatch’s in the past and lots of charity work today. Both are supposed to be Redistributing the wealth and they are, but most people who do charity work are simply put trying to boost the way they look to others. It’s sad but true that many wealthy celebrity figures take this generous act and twist it into a way to just end up making themselves more money. It would seem that the Wealthy of the northwest Pacific tribes have the same pride in them that celebrities today do. We can look on the bright side though, at least they are doing a little good for others in this selfish act, and the same thing probably happened to the less than wealthy people of the past with Potlatchs.
There are some similarities between Potlatch’s in the past and lots of charity work today. Both are supposed to be Redistributing the wealth and they are, but most people who do charity work are simply put trying to boost the way they look to others. It’s sad but true that many wealthy celebrity figures take this generous act and twist it into a way to just end up making themselves more money. It would seem that the Wealthy of the northwest Pacific tribes have the same pride in them that celebrities today do. We can look on the bright side though, at least they are doing a little good for others in this selfish act, and the same thing probably happened to the less than wealthy people of the past with Potlatchs.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Residential Schools
Residential schools have influenced those that went to them quite heavily. But what are they and why are they considered so controversial? How did this controversy start? What really happened in those schools? How are we dealing with this issue today? I will try and answer these questions.
First let's talk about what these schools were and what happened within their walls. Residential schools were used by the British to assimilate the First Nations people into European society and ways. In the schools, nothing was like home for the students as they were not allowed to speak their own language or honour any traditions of their fathers. Students caught doing such things were usually disciplined severely. Students did not return home either, for if they did they might begin to live the ways of the Natives, So they stayed and were abused by most of the teachers physically, mentally, and sexually. This is where the controversy has arisen from, the unfair treatment that first nations people received at the hands of their European teachers.
An effect of these residential today is the billions of dollars that have been spent in compensation for the abuse that they suffered. I'm not going to say that they shouldn't be getting compensated because they should, some though did not actually receive any abuse and went through residential school perfectly fine. Yet they still get the same money that those who were abused simply because they went to school. I believe that we need to be more through in checking this, We cannot afford to waste any money during these times on unnecessary things.
First let's talk about what these schools were and what happened within their walls. Residential schools were used by the British to assimilate the First Nations people into European society and ways. In the schools, nothing was like home for the students as they were not allowed to speak their own language or honour any traditions of their fathers. Students caught doing such things were usually disciplined severely. Students did not return home either, for if they did they might begin to live the ways of the Natives, So they stayed and were abused by most of the teachers physically, mentally, and sexually. This is where the controversy has arisen from, the unfair treatment that first nations people received at the hands of their European teachers.
An effect of these residential today is the billions of dollars that have been spent in compensation for the abuse that they suffered. I'm not going to say that they shouldn't be getting compensated because they should, some though did not actually receive any abuse and went through residential school perfectly fine. Yet they still get the same money that those who were abused simply because they went to school. I believe that we need to be more through in checking this, We cannot afford to waste any money during these times on unnecessary things.
Why were these schools started in the first place? why did the British think it so necessary to assimilate the Natives into their society? The British believed that theirs was the only proper way for things to be done, so they really thought they were doing the natives a favour because they must have not known any better. This kind of behaviour was actually pretty common in that day. Luckily people have been taught better since then and widespread acts like this are relatively unheard of.
Overall, Residential schools are a small part of Canada's history that we aren't proud of. It was a cultural genocide that dramatically effected the lives of many people involved with them. We are now paying for our mistakes of the past and hope that they will heal and then forgive us. A valueble lesson was learned though and such things will never be heard of again.
Overall, Residential schools are a small part of Canada's history that we aren't proud of. It was a cultural genocide that dramatically effected the lives of many people involved with them. We are now paying for our mistakes of the past and hope that they will heal and then forgive us. A valueble lesson was learned though and such things will never be heard of again.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Marginalization
In Cape York Australia a national holiday is celebrated called "National Sorry Day"
This Unofficial holiday was established to apologize for the way the government had treated the indigenous people of Australia. They are mainly apologizing for the "stolen generations" of children that were taken by both the government and religious organizations for their own purposes. This also includes the seizing of aboriginal lands and many damaging policies made by Parliament against them.
As a result of this holiday treatment of the Indigenous people has much improved with increased rights that allow them to make the necessary negotiations for their ancestral lands. Some compensation money has also been given, although many argue that not nearly enough has been given to rightly make up for what was done. The Australian government has never stated an apology though, and what needs to be done will most likely not happen until an apology is made.
Back in Canada, the Lubicon people face a touch challenge ahead of them. Oil companies are clearing the forests to drill for oil, the Lubicon need these forest and the wildlife inside to make their living. They have made many pleas to the federal government but have failed to grab their attention through peaceful protest, instead they have turned to more "active" ways to make the government pay attention. Mostly by taking the logs of the trees the oil companies have chopped down and blocking the road with them preventing the oil companies from getting their workers to the oil wells. This has made the feds listen a little as negotiations are now hit and miss.
The major problem the Lubicon face is the fact that their livelihood is being destroyed right before their eyes and as hard as they try to get help, no one will listen to them. they have tried negotiating through peace, violence, and every manner they can think of. However because the federal government has never actually ceded the land to the Lubicon officially they may not get the help they need until it is to late.
A simple solution to this problem would be to compensate the Lubicon people for the land and work that is and has been taken from them, this should be done by the oil companies as they are the ones that have destroyed these parts of the Lubicon life. This would also get the lubicon off the governments back so they could focus on other very important tasks.
This Unofficial holiday was established to apologize for the way the government had treated the indigenous people of Australia. They are mainly apologizing for the "stolen generations" of children that were taken by both the government and religious organizations for their own purposes. This also includes the seizing of aboriginal lands and many damaging policies made by Parliament against them.
As a result of this holiday treatment of the Indigenous people has much improved with increased rights that allow them to make the necessary negotiations for their ancestral lands. Some compensation money has also been given, although many argue that not nearly enough has been given to rightly make up for what was done. The Australian government has never stated an apology though, and what needs to be done will most likely not happen until an apology is made.
Back in Canada, the Lubicon people face a touch challenge ahead of them. Oil companies are clearing the forests to drill for oil, the Lubicon need these forest and the wildlife inside to make their living. They have made many pleas to the federal government but have failed to grab their attention through peaceful protest, instead they have turned to more "active" ways to make the government pay attention. Mostly by taking the logs of the trees the oil companies have chopped down and blocking the road with them preventing the oil companies from getting their workers to the oil wells. This has made the feds listen a little as negotiations are now hit and miss.
The major problem the Lubicon face is the fact that their livelihood is being destroyed right before their eyes and as hard as they try to get help, no one will listen to them. they have tried negotiating through peace, violence, and every manner they can think of. However because the federal government has never actually ceded the land to the Lubicon officially they may not get the help they need until it is to late.
A simple solution to this problem would be to compensate the Lubicon people for the land and work that is and has been taken from them, this should be done by the oil companies as they are the ones that have destroyed these parts of the Lubicon life. This would also get the lubicon off the governments back so they could focus on other very important tasks.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Credit Crisis
The Credit Crisis began with the “Dot com” bust that supposedly forced the Federal Reserve into lowering the interest rates causing wall st. to borrow endless amounts of money and then proceed to loan it out to irresponsible citizens that were completely in capable of paying back their mortgages. Bankers themselves though are unwilling to admit their mistake and fork over the necessary funds to pay off the debts they’ve collected.
The Federal Reserve made the first and biggest mistake when they lowered the interest on loans and investments to just 1%. This drove the investors away from the reserve and in search of new safe investments. It also brought the bankers in to loan out billion upon billions of dollars, where did all this money come from exactly? The Federal Reserve printed it out of course, inflating the economy by doing so, why? To make a few extra bucks, and it only cost them the economy as a whole.
The next mistake was made by brokers that sold sub-prime mortgages to people who wanted to live the American dream, but was in no financial position to do so. But they sold the mortgages anyway, thinking they could sell them off before they defaulted thus passing the problem off to someone else and making themselves a pretty dollar. But their little scheme came back and bit them where it hurt when hundreds of thousands of homeowners defaulted, most because they couldn’t afford it but some also who were sick of making payments on something that was worth maybe only a third of what it was now worth. With this investors lost their trust in the bankers, refusing to buy any Collective Debt Obligations because even the safe ones were too risky to put their money on it.
Finally bankers stubborn attitudes and unwillingness to pay for the less then brilliant decisions they made is not solving any problems, it only delays any possible solutions. The N word (Nationalization) is only spoken of in whispers when it should be openly embraced, sure its not exactly what this country was built upon but none of these ideals will matter when we are unable to feed our people or protect them from any eager nations waiting for the US economy to fully crash, when they will be at their weakest point, and then they will strike. What will your free economic ideals mean when your countries defenses crumble upon themselves, what will that say about a free economy? They will say that it failed and Communism was the better form of government, that at least tyranny was stable enough to hold itself together.
In closing I would like to say that the absolute largest factor of this crisis is greed. Almost all of these mistakes were made in an effort to exploit someone else and take their money. If people would just be satisfied with what they had then the federal reserve wouldn’t have loaned money to banks that couldn’t afford to pay them back, bankers wouldn’t have sold mortgages to people who couldn’t afford a cardboard box let alone a house. But all they thought of is, “ if I can just get this to the next guy ill be safe, it’s his problem now.” You’re wrong, it’s our entire problem and we all need to step up and fix it, it wont be easy but it is still possible.
The Federal Reserve made the first and biggest mistake when they lowered the interest on loans and investments to just 1%. This drove the investors away from the reserve and in search of new safe investments. It also brought the bankers in to loan out billion upon billions of dollars, where did all this money come from exactly? The Federal Reserve printed it out of course, inflating the economy by doing so, why? To make a few extra bucks, and it only cost them the economy as a whole.
The next mistake was made by brokers that sold sub-prime mortgages to people who wanted to live the American dream, but was in no financial position to do so. But they sold the mortgages anyway, thinking they could sell them off before they defaulted thus passing the problem off to someone else and making themselves a pretty dollar. But their little scheme came back and bit them where it hurt when hundreds of thousands of homeowners defaulted, most because they couldn’t afford it but some also who were sick of making payments on something that was worth maybe only a third of what it was now worth. With this investors lost their trust in the bankers, refusing to buy any Collective Debt Obligations because even the safe ones were too risky to put their money on it.
Finally bankers stubborn attitudes and unwillingness to pay for the less then brilliant decisions they made is not solving any problems, it only delays any possible solutions. The N word (Nationalization) is only spoken of in whispers when it should be openly embraced, sure its not exactly what this country was built upon but none of these ideals will matter when we are unable to feed our people or protect them from any eager nations waiting for the US economy to fully crash, when they will be at their weakest point, and then they will strike. What will your free economic ideals mean when your countries defenses crumble upon themselves, what will that say about a free economy? They will say that it failed and Communism was the better form of government, that at least tyranny was stable enough to hold itself together.
In closing I would like to say that the absolute largest factor of this crisis is greed. Almost all of these mistakes were made in an effort to exploit someone else and take their money. If people would just be satisfied with what they had then the federal reserve wouldn’t have loaned money to banks that couldn’t afford to pay them back, bankers wouldn’t have sold mortgages to people who couldn’t afford a cardboard box let alone a house. But all they thought of is, “ if I can just get this to the next guy ill be safe, it’s his problem now.” You’re wrong, it’s our entire problem and we all need to step up and fix it, it wont be easy but it is still possible.
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