December 20, 2015

"U.S. Support of Gay Rights in Africa May Have Done More Harm Than Good."

A NYT headline — the thud of recognition of unintended consequences.
“The U.S. support is making matters worse,” said Mike, 24, a university student studying biology in Minna, a town in central Nigeria who asked that his full name not be used for safety reasons. “There’s more resistance now. It’s triggered people’s defense mechanism.”

26 comments:

rhhardin said...

More federal judges are needed in Africa to push it through.

SJ said...

Is this the kind of activity that is described as Cultural Imperialism?

sean said...

Is there anything left/liberal American lawyers have done in the world that hasn't done more harm than good?

Curious George said...

Hey, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.

David said...

There's a cultural appropriation here somewhere.

JAORE said...

Example 1 of 374.

I love it when people on the left claim those on the right are not worldly enough. Yet their positions, nay their demands, don't play well outside of the particular bubble they inhabit.

Original Mike said...

“There’s more resistance now. It’s triggered people’s defense mechanism.”

Huh? Africans don't like being called bigots either. Who'd a thunk it?

mezzrow said...

But the activists feel so much better after expressing their love for the victims, you see...

Shut up and pay attention to the part of this that actually matters.

traditionalguy said...

The Modern Family delusion will not spread in desperately poor African countries because runs up against the fact that getting a real eduation is their only hope. And the ONLY Education available to the lucky few has been 100% by committed Christian Missionaries.

It's those pesky believers in the power of Jesus at it again.

Temujin said...

You mean the entire world does not share the values and world view of Manhattan? Astonishing. Who'd have seen this coming?

Mr Wibble said...

So according to the left, trying to institute democratic reforms in the middle east that culturally wasn't ready for it was obviously foolish from the start and only caused us problems... but we should continually push for Africa to embrace homosexuality, which it culturally isn't ready for?

Also, what the hell is with this administrations obsession with homosexuality?

Doug said...

Like adolescents, liberals judge themselves and their virtue by intentions only, outcomes be damned. And be damned anyone (conservatives) who dare to mention outcomes.

mccullough said...

Nigeria is 70% Muslim. So gay rights aren't coming for a long time. Has nothing to do with the US.

Bill Crawford said...

Do you think ISIS will use videos of HC and BO promoting gay rights for recruitment purposes?

jacksonjay said...

"On the wrong side of history."

"The future does not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam."

Dr. Spock Obama

jg said...

We should be skeptical of claims from people *who want us to stop it* that our cultural imperialist pressure has backfired.

Nancy Reyes said...

in Africa, "gay rights" doesn't mean two independent and socially equal men deciding to live together as spouses, except maybe in some affluent cities of South Africa.

It means your employer /teacher/ uncle or any other authority figure can demand sex from you and get away with it. And it means "sex tourism" to seduce the street kids. True, this happens with women too: But with men, the rapes are more emotionally horrific due to cultural taboos...

I see this in the easy going Philippines, which is corrupt enough to look the other way for a bribe when such things happen.

This is why gay friendly Pope Francis denounced this as "cultural imperialism" when he visited the Philippines.

Birkel said...

Good point, Jonathan Graehl. But if those people want us to stop, is that not evidence that there are people very resistant to U.S. efforts to export U.S. culture?

Also, which part of U.S. culture is it ok to export? Can I get the official list?

n.n said...

The construction of politically correct congruences and selective exclusion under the quasi-religious pro-choice doctrine is a failure in America and Africa.

Next, Africans with a shred of moral sanity will reject other policies advanced by socio-political activists, including selective-child and clinical cannibalism, both of which are not coincidentally lobbied by Planned Parenthood et al. in America and globally.

n.n said...

Africans were also not thrilled about #CecilTheLion campaign that placed the lives and welfare of animals before human beings. The moral insanity of first-worlders is not well received in societies where progressive liberalism has failed to indoctrinate the population for the good of environmental stability.

Paco Wové said...

"but perhaps those offended, bigoted people are from the same group that throws gay men off rooftops nearby in the Mideast."

No, I think it's much more widespread than that.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Isn't that what ISIS would want?

For us to go easy on homophobia?

Kirk Parker said...

mikee,

"Who in Africa is offended by homosexuality?"

Almost Everyone. No, it's not just a Muslim-in-Africa thing, as you insinuate.

Timotheus said...

How's that "smart diplomacy" stuff workin' out for ya?

Timotheus said...

How's that "smart diplomacy" stuff workin' out for ya?

Alexander said...

Called it!

There's also going to be an increasing resistance to "Democracy", because what Democracy looks like from Africa is a bunch of judges telling you that not only do you have to allow a bunch of stuff you don't want to allow, but it turns out you were always supposed to.

Progress!

There are going to (continue) to be a lot more actively anti-gay laws making the books in the majority of the world in response to a fear that if such activity isn't explicitly illegal and harshly punished, the west* is going to force it upon them. Live and let live is dead, long live the great moral authority!

*I look forward to next year's gay pride parades in 'refugee'-friendly European towns.