Do you think the (RED) campaign (see Bono's no news today cover in Independent) is gonna do great things for AIDS awareness in Africa or do you think its just gonna be a little drop in the tragedy that is moden day Africa?

 

 

 

Won't make any difference

 

Public awareness and money are not the answer

 

There are 2 things I blame for the problems in Africa

 

1) Corrupt dictators who are content to spend money on palaces, fleets of Mercedes, private jets, swiss bank accounts instead of spending money on the people

 

2) The pope and the catholic church's standing on the use of contraception (Africa is largely catholic)

 

Until those issues are addressed then gimmicks from Bono and Geldof will make no difference

did you here about former Dep President Jacob Zuma and his rape case, thought he could have sex with a HIV+ woman and would be safe by having a shower afterwards.

Won't make any difference

 

Public awareness and money are not the answer

 

There are 2 things I blame for the problems in Africa

 

1) Corrupt dictators who are content to spend money on palaces, fleets of Mercedes, private jets, swiss bank accounts instead of spending money on the people

 

2) The pope and the catholic church's standing on the use of contraception (Africa is largely catholic)

 

Until those issues are addressed then gimmicks from Bono and Geldof will make no difference

 

I'd add to your list, two other things:

 

3) Economic corruption of pharmaceutical industries and governments of other nations.

 

4) Environmental Issues.

 

Whilst I do agree that the root causes of these problems need to be address properly, I think public awareness and eduction are still important and do make some difference - so, I think these things like RED are worth doing and should continue.

 

Public awareness is the key, all else follows frm that.

Even if it is a slow process to get the public involed.

We have more money in the world then we can possibly spend, it's simply a matter of the public demanding of our politicans they spend in on 3rd world issues rather the war mongering somewhere on another.

I'd add to your list, two other things:

 

3) Economic corruption of pharmaceutical industries and governments of other nations.

 

4) Environmental Issues.

 

Whilst I do agree that the root causes of these problems need to be address properly, I think public awareness and eduction are still important and do make some difference - so, I think these things like RED are worth doing and should continue.

 

Agreed. Corruption has to come from somewhere. As Mark Thomas put it, "the bribes don't come from the bribery fairy", it's multinational companies exploiting developing nations. And the bloody IMF doesn't exactly help matters either.... <_<

 

The problem's really arisen because of the history of colonization. Europe went in, colonized these places and didn't allow them to develop naturally, it can't be a coincidence that the vast majority of failed states are former colonies

did you here about former Dep President Jacob Zuma and his rape case, thought he could have sex with a HIV+ woman and would be safe by having a shower afterwards.

 

Never heard about that :o

 

But yeah the catholic church really needs to reinvent itself and get into the 21st century and change its view on contraception and birth control

Never heard about that :o

 

But yeah the catholic church really needs to reinvent itself and get into the 21st century and change its view on contraception and birth control

 

 

You obviously think people in Africa would actually use birth control even if it was freely available, I seriously would doubt it, In most countries lawlessness is everywhere, rape is common, so can't seeing it making one iota of a difference myself. They certainly wouldn't use it if they had to buy it. Most of the poor would rather have food first,then they might worry about birth control.

2) The pope and the catholic church's standing on the use of contraception (Africa is largely catholic)

 

I totally agree - how can this corrupt, hypocritical and frankly ridiculous institution make John Paul II a SAINT when he condemned a whole continent to death with his bizarre opposal to contraception for so long?

 

How many millions of people has this one man murdered with his refusal to even consider changing his stance (which he was urged to do countless times)?

 

The Catholic church should be hanging its collective heads in shame.

 

I do, however, have to give some praise to Geldof and Bono... at least someone's doing SOMETHING however misguided they may be.