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Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watrose.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watrose!gdvsmit
From: gdvsmit@watrose.UUCP (Riel Smit)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: South African Blacks
Message-ID: <7635@watrose.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 25-Oct-85 10:13:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: watrose.7635
Posted: Fri Oct 25 10:13:03 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Oct-85 04:15:50 EDT
References: <1534@utcsri.UUCP>
Distribution: can
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 32

In article <1534@utcsri.UUCP> vassos@utcsri.UUCP (Vassos Hadzilacos) writes:
>What's free about an economy that can "offer" starvation wages
>at gunpoint?

Please explain how the South African economy offer starvation wages at
gunpoint.  Apart from the fact that the wages are not offered at gunpoint,
they are much better than in most of the rest of Africa. (Which still
does not make it acceptable, but that is not the point I am arguing.)
>
>As for the economic state of what you call "neighbouring dictatorships",
>[   ]  One of these countries,
>Namibia (from where many of the workers "lining up" to get in SA are
>coming), is illegaly occupied by SA troups. 

Namibia can by no stretch of the imagination be called a dictatorship.
Not with a multi-party system and representatives elected by a large
proportion of the population (both black and white).  And as far as
"occupied by SA troops" is concerned, I guess that is true if you are
willing to say that West Germany is occupied by American troops.
>
>[   ]                       the dillema should-black-workers-get-
>$40-per-week-or-should-they-get-$0 is bogus. Why are these the only two
>alternatives? Why aren't these people entitled to decent wages as well
>as to freedom and dignity?

They sure are (entitled to...), but they definitely won't get 
decent wages if the rest of the world boycott the products they produce 
or the companies/institutions they work for.
The same results, decent wages, freedom (whatever that
means in the African context - do you regard Ugandans as "free"?) 
and dignity can be obtained (and sooner) without sanctions and boycotts
from the outside world.