oh wow, this is just horrific...

[rvg]

The latest travesty from South Africa: lesbians getting gang-raped in order to "cure" them from lesbian behavior.


horrifying...

[CountArach]

Utterly disgusting.

[naut]

Not surprised in the slightest, if it was somewhere else I'd be shocked and disgusted. But, since I have roots in Seth Efrica, and have had first hand experience with what it is like there all I can muster is a meh. After all this is the place where old Showerhead Zuma can rise to become a leading politician, and tell us that if we have a shower after raping a woman we won't get AIDs.

[Monarch]

I watched a Louis Theroux documentary on crime in South Africa. The place is a complete mess. One such case involved a gang hijacking a building and collecting the rent.

[Aemilius Paulus]

Hey, at least it could have been worse for the lesbians: they could have been albinos. In Africa, it is believed that having sex with albino cures one of AIDS. Poor albinos... They get raped all the time, and they all have AIDS by now. Very sad story.

EDIT: I remember reading that they have chastity belts in South Africa and South-East Asia. To protect the women from getting raped. The belts have a combination lock on them.

[seireikhaan]

What a horrific state of existence it must be.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

This is a terrible story.

On the other hand, it has proven to be a valuable learning experience. I now know that nobody questions the veracity of an article in the Daily Mail if the topic is not unfavourable to them.

[Fragony]

Hey, at least it could have been worse for the lesbians: they could have been albinos. In Africa, it is believed that having sex with albino cures one of AIDS. Poor albinos... They get raped all the time, and they all have AIDS by now. Very sad story.

EDIT: I remember reading that they have chastity belts in South Africa and South-East Asia. To protect the women from getting raped. The belts have a combination lock on them.

It's much worse then that actually, they are used in energy drinks. Before you make drinks out of them you have to cut them up first naturally.

[HoreTore]

This is a terrible story.

On the other hand, it has proven to be a valuable learning experience. I now know that nobody questions the veracity of an article in the Daily Mail if the topic is not unfavourable to them.

Bah. I don't "question" articles in the daily mail. What question would that be? I already know that everything they they write is half-arsed half-made-up shocker stories with only a tiny fraction of truth in them at best.

I don't think I'll even bother to click the link on this one.

[HoreTore]

Okay, so couldn't stop myself, I did click the link.

And here's the shocker: The report they're referencing can't be found on actionaid's homepage.... I'm shocked!

EDIT: Ah, I'm so sorry, I made the mistake of thinking that the Daily Mail is a newspaper, not an oldspaper. The report was released last November. 4 months ago.... Good going with the outrage yet again, Daily Mail. Always right on top of things

Now, could someone dig up a more intelligent article on this subject?

[tibilicus]

South Africa made their bed, let them sleep in it.

If they, as the electorate are stupid enough to vote for Zuma these things are going to continue to happen. The incident is disgusting but South Africa will only get worse.

[Banquo's Ghost]

EDIT: Ah, I'm so sorry, I made the mistake of thinking that the Daily Mail is a newspaper, not an oldspaper. The report was released last November. 4 months ago.... Good going with the outrage yet again, Daily Mail. Always right on top of things

Now, could someone dig up a more intelligent article on this subject?

Perhaps The Guardian is more to your taste?

[Major Robert Dump]

South Africa made their bed, let them sleep in it.

If they, as the electorate are stupid enough to vote for Zuma these things are going to continue to happen. The incident is disgusting but South Africa will only get worse.

Kind of hard to blame the citizens when the rulers of the continent come to power through force, fear and corruption.

Officials are treating them as hate crimes, not rapes. And hate crimes don't get priority.

While this is indeed a sad story, it's nothing but another excuse for the savages in Africa to rape women and girls. If all the lesbians left tomorrow, the rapes would continue with a different justification. Africa is the saddest place on earth, and I hope in my lifetime I get to see a major military power go in, kick the **** out of the warlords, and set up a clean, sterilized, civilized colony. Funny that hasn't happened yet, considering all the oil underneath it.

Africa is truly the last untamed frontier

[Banquo's Ghost]

Africa is the saddest place on earth, and I hope in my lifetime I get to see a major military power go in, kick the **** out of the warlords, and set up a clean, sterilized, civilized colony. Funny that hasn't happened yet, considering all the oil underneath it.

You are aware of what happened in the 19th century?

It gives me goosebumps when I read Americans appealing to imperialism. Replace Africa with America in the above paragraph and you will have a pretty good paraphrase of many British opinions of the 13 colonies, expressed again when you all went through your civil war.

Africa has many problems to solve, not least those imposed on the continent by past and continuing imperialism.

[rasoforos]

Africa is the saddest place on earth, and I hope in my lifetime I get to see a major military power go in, kick the **** out of the warlords, and set up a clean, sterilized, civilized colony. Funny that hasn't happened yet, considering all the oil underneath it.

Yes that's what we did to Africa in the first place. It is the reason its the way it is today.

Clean and sterilized as in apartheid?

[rvg]

Yes, let's blame the whitey for the cultural degradation of South Africa. After all, it was us who instilled these values in the locals. I mean, heck, corrective rapes are norm in both Europe and North America.

[Lemur]

From the country that gave us Rapex, the anti-rape condom ...

[Aemilius Paulus]

From the country that gave us Rapex, the anti-rape condom ...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hehe, I was going to mention that in my previous post, but I decided against it, since it was you after all who introduced this phenomenon to the Backroom some time ago. It would be unfair to steal your "intellectual info" .

[Lemur]

Aemilius, as much as I would love to claim ownership of Rapex, the anti-rape condom, I cannot. I gots no dibs on any news items I bring to NotW.

[Thermal]

More an excuse for all the dirty old men to get there fun legally if you ask me.

[Major Robert Dump]

You are aware of what happened in the 19th century?

It gives me goosebumps when I read Americans appealing to imperialism. Replace Africa with America in the above paragraph and you will have a pretty good paraphrase of many British opinions of the 13 colonies, expressed again when you all went through your civil war.

Africa has many problems to solve, not least those imposed on the continent by past and continuing imperialism.

i am very well aware of it, and it obviously didn't work, but it was also about money and empire, not about helping people. the tools are available today to do it more effectively, but my point was that it won't be done unless there is profit to be made for someone

seriously, though, somalia. it's not recognized by anyone. it sucks. exactly how much of an international outcry would ensue if, say, Bill Gates raised a private army, took the region by force, set up a giant city with giant walls and only let in women, children and men who were decent.

[Banquo's Ghost]

i am very well aware of it, and it obviously didn't work, but it was also about money and empire, not about helping people. the tools are available today to do it more effectively, but my point was that it won't be done unless there is profit to be made for someone

On the contrary, the White Man's Burden was a well established mission of the "enlightened" Empires. Siphoning off resources was considered "commission".

seriously, though, somalia. it's not recognized by anyone. it sucks. exactly how much of an international outcry would ensue if, say, Bill Gates raised a private army, took the region by force, set up a giant city with giant walls and only let in women, children and men who were decent.

Given Bill Gates' record in operating systems, I'd say Somalia already suffers enough from random crashes.

[KukriKhan]

On the contrary, the White Man's Burden was a well established mission of the "enlightened" Empires. Siphoning off resources was considered "commission".



Given Bill Gates' record in operating systems, I'd say Somalia already suffers enough from random crashes.

Nevertheless, I agree with the Major: give them thar layabouts real jobs, doing real work, making real product, earning real money, realizing real dignity, then voting in a real government that will help that cause, not hamper it.

Then, all they'll have to deal with are the few remaining crazies in their midst.

The question is: do it for them (to speed it up)? Or wait 'til they do it for themselves?

HSBC, General Electric, Toyota, Microsoft, AT&T, WalMart, Ford. Those seven companies alone could change the face of Africa in 5 years or less, and put it on-par with at least India & China.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Really? Ford?

[KukriKhan]

Really? Ford?

Just an example, but sure; why not? Make an African Model T, that the workers who build/assemble them could afford to buy and maintain, as well as export.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Well, I'd pick a car company that wasn't on the ropes.

Of course, I don't think an alliance of corporations would do any more for Africa than the current governments or even a shiny US-led invasion. I don't think any would help (or at least not in a way that avoided over-sterilization).

[Banquo's Ghost]

Nevertheless, I agree with the Major: give them thar layabouts real jobs, doing real work, making real product, earning real money, realizing real dignity, then voting in a real government that will help that cause, not hamper it.

Then, all they'll have to deal with are the few remaining crazies in their midst.

The question is: do it for them (to speed it up)? Or wait 'til they do it for themselves?

HSBC, General Electric, Toyota, Microsoft, AT&T, WalMart, Ford. Those seven companies alone could change the face of Africa in 5 years or less, and put it on-par with at least India & China.

Your suggestion requires a number of caveats to progress from the situation already pertaining (ie multinationals already exist throughout the continent where it suits them).

First, these companies would have to agree not to repatriate the profits to their homelands/tax havens.

Second, you'd have to lift the extensive trade barriers that already prevent African produce from finding US and European markets.

Third, you'd have to find some way of placating the existing layabouts in the home countries from their usual protestation that "their" jobs are being extinguished in favour of Africans.

Fourthly, real government actually comes first, and that government must be largely corruption free. Business can't survive without a reasonably stable legal framework, whatever the total free-marketers think. Unless of course, corporations pay the local warlords/power brokers "protection insurance" - which is exactly how it operates now, and why much of the continent is in tatters and excludes the "layabouts" so effectively.

(There are many other factors at work, such as rampant tribalism, devastating health impacts and grinding poverty exacerbated by desperation agriculture, non-existent infrastructure, overwhelming illiteracy levels and so on, but I'm sure you took that into account in your proposal )

[KukriKhan]

I must admit: though similar plans worked well in Germany and Japan, both required fighting and winning wars first before such "American Way" improvements could be made.

Maybe we can trick Zimbabwe into declaring war on the US?

And I wouldn't want my Army to have to stay there 30-40 years to make it work.

It's just that the current "way" hasn't worked yet, and shows little prospect of doing so in the foreseeable future. I'm just brainstorming other "ways" out of the morass, and the murders, and the mayhem.

Venture Capitalism seems an option, in both the Middle East and Africa. I'm sure there are even better ideas.

[Major Robert Dump]

I, like the pope, blame condoms in Africa on their problems. If people would practice abstinence there would not be so much rape!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle5923927.ece

[Idaho]

Hey, at least it could have been worse for the lesbians: they could have been albinos. In Africa, it is believed that having sex with albino cures one of AIDS. Poor albinos... They get raped all the time, and they all have AIDS by now. Very sad story.

There is a common belief that sex with a virgin will cure you of AIDS.

Strangely enough this belief was also prevalent in Victorian Britain. People thought that sex with a child prostitute would cure them of syphilus.

Africa's problems, and the cause of those problems are legion. African leaders and other world leaders have for centuries made a great show of how much they give to the people of Africa, whilst quietly taking three times as much with the other hand.