The divide between the west and the rest has never been greater than it is now. Throughout history the west has been the top of economics, healthcare, education, and politics. The west was considered the best. But, by analyzing the past, the conclusion that can be drawn, is that the west has gotten where it is today because they have oppressed the rest. Time after time, the west can be seen pushing the rest of the world down, simply to further themselves.
The west has a long history of oppression, but, for the purposes of this report, I will begin in the 1880s, with the scramble for Africa (David). The fact that the scramble for Africa coincides with the time period of the industrial revolution is not a coincidence. To fuel the new industrial society of the western world, they needed to find resources, and a large work force, to harvest those resources (David). The west wanted to get rich, and so they looked to Africa. They began to make colonies, and force the native people to conform to western ideals, while using them as a new labour force. The following video summaries the scramble for Africa, and the results that followed.
As it can be seen from the video, the intention was never to help the rest rise up and become equal to the west, but the intention was to push them lower than ever before. The western countries, from Europe, used a divide and conquer method to exploit the Africans, and then leave them at the worst of times (A Brief History of European). As the video explains, there are countless examples of the oppression that the west created, from Britain and Sudan to Belgium and the Congo, from the Italians in Libya to the Germans in Namibia, and many more (A Brief History of European). Therefore, the colonization that happened during the scramble for Africa was the west oppressing the rest, and the results of this time period are a stronger west and a weaker rest.
Another product of this time period was the development of the slave industry. Just like with colonization, slavery was another way that the west tried to propel itself forward, while leaving all other places behind. The slave industry was a way for the west to gain authority over the rest, in an effort to oppress and subdue them ("Slave Trade: The African"). As many people should know, the slave trade of the 1800s and beyond, was terrible ("Slave Trade: The African").
 |
| Agriculture was booming in the west and they needed a larger work force, so they decided to go to the rest of the world, kidnap people, treat them brutally, and then sell them into slavery (Slavery, Resistance & Rebellion). |
Dr. Alexander Falconbridge served as the surgeon aboard a number of slave ships, and, from his first hand experiences, he said, “I was told by a Negro woman that as she was on her return home, one evening, from some neighbors, to whom she had been making a visit by invitation, she was kidnapped; and, notwithstanding she was big with child, sold for a slave” ("Slave Trade: The African"). This is just one example of the many injustices that were committed by the western people to the rest of the world.
 |
| Iowa Pigs (Davey) |
 |
| Creole Pig ("PIGS: Haitian Peasants 'Bank Account'") |
So, in the past the west has been oppressive, and has not allowed the rest to develop into prosperous nations, but they have also been oppressive in more recent history. A good example of this is the Creole Pig Crisis that happened in Haiti in the late 1970s (Ridgeway). Creole pigs are a special breed of pig that are only found in Haiti, and are an extremely resilient animal. Paul Farmer, the physician and anthropologist legendary for his work among Haiti's poor, says, “Pigs were once a centerpiece of Haiti's peasant economy, providing a reliable source of income and an insurance policy against hard times” (Ridgeway). That is, until the Creole Pig Crisis. American agricultural experts found a strain of swine flu in a couple of creole pigs, and began to fear that the disease would be spread to the large American pig farms (Cassamajor). So the United States began to implement an "extermination and restocking program" (Ridgeway). All of Haiti’s Creole pigs were killed by 1984, and so, just as they promised, the U.S. began to send Iowa pigs down to replace the Creole pigs (Ridgeway). Although the U.S. had promised that they would replace the Creole pigs for free, when it can time to actually do that, it was a different story (Ridgeway). They would only give pigs to Haitian farmers who had pigsties that met American standards, and only if they could demonstrate that they had enough money to care for the pig (Ridgeway). Because of this, many farmers who had relied on their pigs in the past, did not receive new pigs from the U.S. government, and therefore they lost their livelihood (Cassamajor). Shortly after the pigs were given out, “the peasants who could afford these "free" pigs found that they couldn't flourish under Haitian conditions” (Ridgeway). These new pigs required expensive food and purified water, something that most Haitian people can not even afford for themselves (“Haiti”). Not to mention that they had fewer litters, and got sick more often (Ridgeway). The U.S. soon abandoned this project, and left the Haitian farmers. And, in the end, the Iowa farmers were wealthier, and the Haitian farmers were poorer than ever before (Ridgeway). That is why the Creole Pig Crisis is just one more example of the west oppressing the rest.
Works Cited
A Brief History of European Colonization in
Africa. Youtube.
N.p., 11 Aug. 2012. Web. 14 June 2014.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pis5f085P3M>.
Cassamajor, Jean-Marc. Personal interview.
10 Mar. 2014.
Davey, Monica. “Midwest Farmers Are on Alert
against Pig Thieves.” New York Times. N.p., 23 Sept. 2011. Web. 14 June
2014.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/us/midwest-farmers-on-alert-as-pig-thieves-strike.html?_r=0>.
David, Saul, Dr. “Slavery and the ‘Scramble
for Africa.’” BBC. N.p., 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 14 June 2014.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/abolition/scramble_for_africa_article_01.shtml>.
“Djibouti a Key Base for US Africa
Operations.” ENCA. N.p., 1 Apr. 2014. Web. 14 June 2014. <http://www.enca.com/africa/djibouti-key-base-us-africa-operations>.
“Haiti.” CIA World Factbook. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 14 June 2014.
<https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html>.
Kimani, Mwaura. “The French link in the
Somali war: Sarkozy extends sphere of influence in Anglophone Africa.” The
East African. N.p., 30 Oct. 2011. Web. 14 June 2014.
<http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/The+French+link+in+the+Somali+war/-/2558/1264368/-/3ypo2tz/-/index.html>.
“PIGS: Haitian Peasants’ ‘Bank Accounts.’” The
Lambi Fund of Haiti. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2014.
<http://www.lambifund.org/programs_technology.shtml>.
Ridgeway, James. “Exporting Misery to Haiti:
How Rice, Pigs, and US Policy Undermined the Haitian Economy.” Four Winds.
N.p., 2014. Web. 14 June 2014.
<http://www.fourwinds10.net/siterun_data/history/american/news.php?q=1264014431>.
“Slavery, Resistance & Rebellion.” Bristol
Radical History Group. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2014.
<http://www.brh.org.uk/gallery/slavery.html>.
“Slave Trade: The African Connection, ca
1788.” Eyewitnesses to History. Ibis Communications, 2007. Web. 14 June
2014. <http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/slavetrade.htm>.
This is an interesting topic which was informative to read about. I agree with your view on the western world, especially how the western countries reacted in Africa. They used Africa for their own benefit and didn’t think about the people that lived there and what they want. What the USA did to Haiti’s pigs was wrong and they should have thought about the consequences of what they wanted to do and thought about how it will affect their economy, not just the USA’s. As you said, when the USA took all Haiti’s pigs away, it was their livelihood and how they made a living. If a country is doing poor already, other countries should seek to help them and not jeopardize their economy and their way of living. The west has only thought about how to benefit themselves but what about other instances in history where the western world have helped other countries to benefit the other country and its people? There are many examples of both positive and negative events or situations that the west has done involving others but I do agree that there is a strong divide between the west and the rest of the world. Hopefully the western countries and people can look back at what has happened in the past and what damage it caused to other countries, such as your example of the Creole Pig Crisis, and not make the same mistakes, assumptions, and decisions because they want to benefit themselves.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this post and thinking about it for a considerable amount of time I have to agree with what you are stating here. Immediately after I finished this my reaction was to defend “The West” as a part of it myself. I began to think about all of the support and care that “The West” provides for other less fortunate countries such as money and supplies but the more I thought about it the more pessimistic I became. Yes, there have been many instances in history where “The West” has supported others in the world but I began to wonder. Why? For what reason were they choosing to do these things? The conclusion I arrived at was that “The West” supports others in an attempt to gain something for themselves. Everytime “The West” helps out the rest they have something to gain. Often it is because they want eternal favour with that particular country. The favour can be found in the form of industrial contracts, oil rights, political advantage and regional capitalist stability. Additionally, when other countries are indebted to “The West” they have no choice but to be allies. Some superpowers, such as the United States, take this to an extreme. In my opinion, this in itself is a form of oppression. The section about the United States and the pigs reminded me of all the times that the US claimed to be doing good or helping and it just ended up detrimental to the people they were supposedly assisting. For example, when the Marshall Plan was instituted after WWII, the United States was not just giving other countries money out of the goodness of their hearts. They did it because they wanted those countries that they helped to be indebted to them and to keep them away from Russia and ideals that were wrong in their eyes. Another example is the Vietnam war, where the United States got involved in the conflict because they saw another ally to gain if they could just rid the country of communism. Everyone ended up hurt after this. Ultimately, the west does oppress the rest. It may be less obvious now because they veil it in assistance but much that “The West” does is to support its own goals.
ReplyDeleteIn this post, you said that “unless the west truly stops, realizes the extent of the harm they are causing, and changes, then there is no hope for the rest of the world”. I was curious to know if that’s the only option. There are many cases of an oppressed people rising up and being rid of their oppressors, and proceeding to work on their issues and grow as a country. One example is even the slaves in the western world. Many slaves eventually fought back against their enslavement, and, whether peacefully or with violence, won. They either earned their freedom or took it, and began to take control of their own lives. As a result of an effort by the past slaves and their children and grandchildren, and other supporters, we have reached a point where it is illegal to treat somebody differently based on their skin colour, and most people regard racism as disgusting. I would argue that something similar can happen in the world today because, as Mrs. Unger said, countries can behave a lot like people. And these people-countries could potentially fight for their freedom from the western world’s oppression, no matter how long it may take.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, there will always be an effect from the western world’s oppression on other countries. Drawing back to my previous example, racism is still alive in the western world, and the colour of one’s skin can determine quite a bit about one’s future unless they work seemingly twice as hard. This, unfortunately, will also happen with countries that can somehow rid themselves of the western world’s oppression.
We have taken so much from these countries and their people that they are basically starting with nothing, as in the case of the Creole Pig Crisis you mentioned. These countries have had their livelihoods stripped from them, and now have to make up for what we have done.
But, as you said, “a new generation is on the rise, and that opens the door for new opportunities”. I like to believe in people, and I think that this upcoming generation is much more aware of the atrocities the western world has committed against others. Hopefully, we can realize what we need to do, and do it. Giving assistance to where it is needed, but not in a crippling, or even a condescending, way. I have hope that the western world can begin to change the world in a positive way, due to the knowledge and education of young people today.
Colene, I really like the thesis. Nicely ties the course together. The example of the Haitian pigs is excellent, and powerful because for most people it is likely new information.
ReplyDeleteI don't really feel like you've answered your title question though. I also had a similar reaction to Frances and thought about all the 'help' the west gives (see also volunteer tourism & western medicine). I wonder if in the future, maybe that help can be more altruistic? If that is what the new generation can do for the west and our reputation.