Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site utcsri.UUCP 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.