If you are suffering from albinism then apparently it is worth $75,000. According to an article in the Buffalo News yesterday, albinos are being hunted, persecuted and killed. Witch doctors in Tanzania have propagated the belief that the body parts of albinos provide for good fortune. So said parts are being eaten or maintained as talisman. These people who have done nothing but suffer from a disease completely out of their control are having to deal this bizarre twist to the "Most Dangerous Game". How does this happen in this day and age?
I belief it is the lack of an educated people that creates this nonsense. Many people, politicians included, complain about the money this country sends to try an educate underdeveloped countries. Well this behavior justifies the need for that investment. When you cannot read and think for yourself, witch doctor prophecies provide the perfect direction. A utter absence of science and a total belief in the mystical make this common ground for some people.
The sad b=part is you can see it in our country. Is it such a stretch to belief that people here can be easily swayed? Maybe not by witch doctors or a lack of education but by an intentional closing of one's eyes to the truth in front of you. When you start to ignore science you almost free yourself form responsibility. Take for example Global Warming. How many symposiums, books, and scientists need to confirm this risk before it is believed as fact? And what about our lovely Republican panel of presidential nominees who did not "believe" in evolution? This is closing your eyes to science.
Ignorance must truly be bliss to the ignorant but poison to the rest of us.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Plethora of ideas to comment here: Witchcraft, global warming, evolution. Yikes, you're a brave girl. I can't help but wonder how believing in witchcraft is any different from believing in any sort of religion?
ReplyDeleteYour post is quite fascinating. There is a book called "State of Fear" by Michael Crichton. It is a work of fiction (mostly) that is also extremely well sourced. It addresses nearly every single one of your topics--witch doctors, scientific journals, symposiums, with Global Warming the most central theme. I urge you to read it, start to finish. The congruency of your fact patterns is uncanny. Certainly the end result will prove cathartic, no?
ReplyDeleteThank you anonymous for the book suggestion and comments. I will pick "State of Fear" as I am really bothered by this.
ReplyDelete