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Path: utzoo!utcsri!vassos
From: vassos@utcsri.UUCP (Vassos Hadzilacos)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: South African Blacks
Message-ID: <1554@utcsri.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 28-Oct-85 18:31:09 EST
Article-I.D.: utcsri.1554
Posted: Mon Oct 28 18:31:09 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 28-Oct-85 19:50:48 EST
Distribution: can
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
Lines: 37

In <1534@utcsri.UUCP> I said:

>> To suggest that the
>> economy of SA is in good shape because it is a "free market" while the
>> economy of the neighbouring countries are in bad shape because they are
>> "dicatorships" is just wishful thinking to fit preconceived notions.
>> It has nothing to do with reality.

To which Brad Templeton replied:

> To suggest that the economic troubles of these countries is primarily due
> to colonialism smacks of wishful thinking to fit preconceived notions.
> Canada, the U.S., Hong Kong, Australia and many other prosperous nations
> are all former colonies.  Almost all highly free nations have strong material
> success.  Who has more evidence and reality at the bottom line?

To which I now reply:

Comparing Canada, the US and Australia to Namibia, Mozamique, Angola and
Zimbabwe, even *as colonies*, amounts to the proverbial comparison of
apples and oranges. (So does the comparison of either set of countries
with Hong Kong, but that's a different story altogether.) The differences
are so blindingly obvious they hardly need to be mentioned. Consider:
How long have the countries in the respective sets ceased being colonies?
How much had their economies been dominated, and more importantly *shaped*,
by their respective colonial powers? And so on.

The scientific method requires concrete examination of each situation,
not arbitrary comparisons. I can't and won't try to make my point
regarding the true causes of the economic difficulties of the
aforementioned Southern African countries in the space of one
net posting.  I am, nonetheless, convinced that the concrete
analysis of the economic problems faced by said countries, bears
my claim of colonialism's decisive responsibility for the problems
they are facing today.

--Vassos Hadzilacos.