Where the West went Wrong

I recently read a review in a newspaper for The Fear – The Last Days of Robert Mugabe by Peter Godwin, the account of one man’s journeys and observances whilst travelling around Zimbabwe. The review piqued my interest, and I had a flick through some bits of the book, and it really hits home the horrors in this world that we in the West seem content to overlook.

In The Fear, Godwin relates his experiences in clinics, hospitals, safehouses for MDC refugees, and so on, relating their accounts of the terrible violence inflicted upon them. The Zanu PF, led by Mugabe, has inflicted terrible wounds on not only the people of Zimbabwe, but the nation itself. And the MDC and other opponents of the brutal regime had no way to fight back, save for telling their story, at least, not whilst Chinese weapons are placed in the hands of Zanu PF thugs and Chinese Yuan lines the pockets of Mugabe and his henchmen in government.

Why, then, do we allow this do continue? Why does the West not take a stand, not only against the actions of the dictatorial master of Zimbabwe, but against Chinese weaponry being sold to Zimbabwe? Why do Zimbabwe’s neighbours stand idly by whilst politicide and the murder of all opponents to Mugabe’s regime are slaughtered or tortured? The governments of the West are, regrettably, driven more by a desire for wealth and influence than the desire to do good. We are more interested in expelling Saddam Hussein from Iraq than Mugabe from Zimbabwe. We are able to put aside the fact that Mugabe is a much more violent dictator than Saddam was, and that Saddam was a counterweight in the Middle East to radical Islam and Iran, due to the simple fact that Iraq is host to 11.34% of the world’s proven oil reserves. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, holds no real economic significance.

And Zimbabwe’s neighbours, particularly South Africa, are likewise reluctant to involve themselves in the affairs of Zimbabwe beyond commenting occasionally on the violence and plundering of the country, though their reticence is more due to apathy or a sense of obligation due to Zimbabwe’s support of the end of apartheid or fostering the image of a united Africa.

And so we are left with a situation where Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs are allowed to continue ruthlessly destroying their own country whilst the world stands by and does nothing, and troops fight in other conflicts, not because their governments believe the fight to be right, but because where they fighting is of value to their government. And as long as we are driven by our despotism and desire for power, influence, and so on, and are unable to truly help our fellow man, millions the world over will continue to suffer, as the people of Zimbabwe do, unhelped and ignored by the government’s of the world.

Welcome to the Classroom

Once upon a time, in the magical kingdom of the internet, a small group of sophisticated young men decided that the world was severely lacking. They could have done any number of things to fix that, say, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or planting a tree, or helping build wells in developing nations. They decided all of those were too much work, and decided to write a blog instead.

Or at least that's what I'm assuming happened, since I wasn't there. I was too busy saving a bus full of orphans from a freak bear attack, as us Californians are wont to do. What can I say? We like our orphans alive and our bear steaks.

And so, our small circle of classy dudes had reached the conclusion that we had way too much class. It was only fair that we share it with the rest of the world. From each according to his ability, and to each according to his need. And according to our abilities combined:

John Hunt: Resident Briton and commenter on all things British from his pleasant little Johnny's Shop of British Curiosities. From meatpies to Buckingham Palace, cockney flower-girls to the Beatles, John covers it all, and with a delightful accent to boot. Of course, you'll have to imagine it, but I'm sure his imagined accent is a lot classier than his actual one anyway.

William Rogue: Is apparently talking about society and politics, though he's not entirely sure yet. Make note of that, kids. That's some veiled commentary right there. Make sure you're ready, because we're in for some Class Conflict.

Michael Maddox: Of Red Wings and Things, will cover the Detroit Red Wings. And sometimes other things related to hockey. Also, for some reason, style tips. Because you should look to hockey fans to tell you how to dress.

Joseph Grace: Is a pretentious little hipster. In fact, he's such a hipster, he wears a Mao shirt instead of a Che one. He's just the kind of person you want telling you what music to listen to. Tune into Modest Mao's Music Mix: the best music you've never heard of.

And rounding it off, Ryan Koyanagi: Your guide to classy art in the modern entertainment industries. Because when you sift through piles of crap, there's always some diamonds in the rough. Who needs the classics, when there's Art in Unexpected Places?

So, here you have it. By our powers combined, we are Pretension - the gift that tut-tuts all other gifts.