Friday, November 2, 2018

Understanding Development Economics and the Poverty in Africa vs. the Wealth of Switzerland



I am putting this comment here rather than at EPJ because it relates to a point that is often brought up here at Target Liberty.

The immigrant-hating commenter, The Lab Manager, argues as evidence of the mental backwardness of black people the economic success of countries such as Hong Kong, Switzerland and Japan compared to most African countries.

But Lab may be demonstrating with his argument a lack of deep thinking here that he generally attributes to blacks.

There is a sound argument in development economics that countries with little in natural resources rarely have governments or dictators that suffocate general economic activity. There would be little for political leaders to siphon off in lucre in such countries if free markets were not allowed to thrive and for entrepreneurship to abound.

However, the situation is entirely different in natural resource rich areas such as most of the continent of Africa. Political leaders, especially in African countries, literally see wealth in the ground, be it in the form of gold, oil or diamonds. They don't have to incentivize the population to be creative. In fact, they don't want others to get free market wealthy who could become a threat to their regime. All they need to do is figure out a method to capture the resources from the land and the revenue streams, and the hell with the people and free markets.

Thus, the African people versus Swiss people argument is much more complex and requires much more thought to understand than The Lab Manager appears to have put into it.

Note: I have only put up above a chart of the major mined resources of African countries and not of Switzerland, Hong Kong and Japan, perhaps with a little thought The Lab Manager can figure out why.

-RW 

16 comments:

  1. ── the African people versus Swiss people argument is much more complex and requires much more thought to understand than The Lab Manager appears to have put into it. ──

    Simple minds can only handle simplistic or facile explanations, Robert, something that explains Trumpistas.

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    1. Oh yeah, Torres...you're a real bright one. According to you, you've debunked Lew Rockwell AND Ron Paul, making you the utmost expert in libertarian thinking. Truth is you just hate whitey.

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    2. And just how complex can an African mind be when their entire vocabulary is less than a thousand words?

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    3. Paul Hansen,
      That is a very interesting question and would lead us to ponder whether it was culture (poor language) and not genetics that makes the difference between "races". Perhaps there is only the human race and some individuals learn more words than others and so appear smarter.

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  2. Yes, RW, I'm well aware of the natural resource limitations of the countries I mentioned. And you love to say I'm an 'immigrant hater' which is a bit simplistic. I simply don't see any benefit from turd world country immigration especially from poop holes like Africa and south of the border. Or even more Chinese or whatever. White Russians with a tendency for crime and mafia would not be a plus either.

    I know it is a lost on some of you, but this is not the 19th century anymore. Or the 20th century. And assimilation of these foreign cultures is an important issue as demonstrated by the problems in 'Londonstan' and the human garbage imported into Germany and Sweden.


    https://alfinnextlevel.wordpress.com/2018/11/01/the-future-belongs-to-women-of-child-bearing-years

    "If you have watched the movie “Idiocracy” by Mike Judge, you have seen the comedic version of a low IQ human future. The reality of a low average IQ human future will look more like the Congo. Tribal wars will sweep through Africa and into every nation where appreciable numbers of African immigrants have settled.

    What will power Africa in the intermediate to long-term future? Gunpowder and high explosive, imported from the outside.

    In the future, due to the emigration of African peoples most cities outside of Africa will take on the complexion of Detroit, St. Louis, or Philadelphia — with a corresponding rise of crime rates as the demographic picture changes."

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  3. Lab Manager is just a another hysterical liberal whose terrified of something and wants the government to protect his candyass.

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    1. So if we import the entire population of Port a Potty Haiti and Honduras, we will have a better society? So are you saying diversity really does work? What do I have in common with these people?

      Remember your views when the left takes over and corporate America wants to import people to replace you for $1/day and send you packing.

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    2. Maybe you can be replaced for $1/day. If so, tough shit. This is America. The customer is sovereign. If you want a workers' paradise move to Venezuela.

      The relevant question is not "Who should we import?"

      The relevant question is "Who should the government threaten with violence?"

      I think the government should only threaten violent criminals with violence. You seem to think it should threaten peaceful people who happen to want to do business with newcomers regardless of their government paperwork.

      I want to be able to do business with immigrants regardless of their paperwork. Please stop threatening me. Please stop threatening my business associates and neighbors. I don't need you to tell me who I can and cannot do business with. You are not my pimp. Who the Hell do you think you are anyway?

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  4. The plight of black Africans is not a question of deficient IQ but of deficient EQ (ethics quotient) and not just their own evil black governments but also the "exploitation by any means" ethic of corrupt white Western colonizing governments.

    EQ and IQ are independent human traits it seems. The Nazis were extremely intelligent white people...

    If African governments were libertarian (ie consistently protected equal rights of life, liberty and property), black Africans would all but be guaranteed to become extremely prosperous people... more so than the Swiss, Japanese and HKers given their abundant natural resources.

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    1. Africa was always better off under white colonialism. End of story.

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    2. Yeah, in the same way the Poles were better off under Stalin than Hitler. Whatever, dude. :P

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  5. Now compare the average IQ of the populations of Switzerland vs any of these countries in Africa. How many of these vibrant African cultures had things like the wheel or written languages before the evil white man racisted them all into poverty?

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    1. Remember when Europeans invented the wheel.....

      I have an idea for an IQ test. How about we drop you off in the Congo and see how long you survive?

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    2. @Donxon

      What are you implying, that the Congolese are violent savages or that the Congo is a third world cesspool? I thought all of Africa was Wakanda according to you leftists, no?

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  6. In Zimbabwe they kicked out the white farmers, and guess what, the blacks all starved. Now, they are trying to do the same in South Africa. Tell me again that race and culture don't matter? With Mugabe gone, some of the white farmers are going back and getting a hero's welcome from the local blacks. I guess whitey is good for something, huh?

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    1. I think you hit on the issue. But it is culture, not race, that matters. On top of that if a society lacks some degree of homogeneity (culturally, not racially) there is likely a lack of basic trust among the people. In Africa you have many different tribes, ethnicities, etc.. On top of that you have countries whose boarders were drawn by foreign countries. You're left with many different cultures with no trust amongst each other.

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