Comments on: A belated thanks to Bill Gates http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/2005/07/08/a-belated-thanks-to-bill-gates/ An industry analyst blog looking at software ecosystems and convergence Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:35:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Uche Ogbuji http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/2005/07/08/a-belated-thanks-to-bill-gates/comment-page-1/#comment-380 Uche Ogbuji Thu, 14 Jul 2005 21:54:37 +0000 http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/wp/?p=285#comment-380 I think maybe you don't realize the extent to which Live8 patronizes Africans. I've written some posts on the matter at Copia. I think that global trade liberalization is important, and I think that debt relief is just given that the West was throwing spanners in the works left and right at the same time they were magnanimously signing l0ans. But Africa does not need either of these to get out of its mess, and we're not interested in the notion that we're dependent on Western help, let alone some media priority that happens to survive the Western public's attention deficit. I accept somethign like Live8 as a way for Westerners to help assuage their own guilt w.r.t. Africa, but I don't appreciate the "save the whales" mentality. And there are also smaller slights, such as the snub to African artists and the nonexistence of African professionals throughout the Live8 proceedings. I'm sorry, but I still see it, as I put it on Copia, as Western rock stars thinking it's OK to patronize an entire continent. And the fact that they're genuinely well-intentioned only puts a small dent in the insult. I think maybe you don’t realize the extent to which Live8 patronizes Africans. I’ve written some posts on the matter at Copia. I think that global trade liberalization is important, and I think that debt relief is just given that the West was throwing spanners in the works left and right at the same time they were magnanimously signing l0ans.

But Africa does not need either of these to get out of its mess, and we’re not interested in the notion that we’re dependent on Western help, let alone some media priority that happens to survive the Western public’s attention deficit. I accept somethign like Live8 as a way for Westerners to help assuage their own guilt w.r.t. Africa, but I don’t appreciate the “save the whales” mentality. And there are also smaller slights, such as the snub to African artists and the nonexistence of African professionals throughout the Live8 proceedings.

I’m sorry, but I still see it, as I put it on Copia, as Western rock stars thinking it’s OK to patronize an entire continent. And the fact that they’re genuinely well-intentioned only puts a small dent in the insult.

]]> By: Ashlee Vance http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/2005/07/08/a-belated-thanks-to-bill-gates/comment-page-1/#comment-379 Ashlee Vance Thu, 14 Jul 2005 02:47:23 +0000 http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/wp/?p=285#comment-379 Er, James, you feeling okay? How's about Bono and the boys put up a tab of how much they've donated. Er, James, you feeling okay? How’s about Bono and the boys put up a tab of how much they’ve donated.

]]> By: Jaime Cardoso http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/2005/07/08/a-belated-thanks-to-bill-gates/comment-page-1/#comment-378 Jaime Cardoso Sat, 09 Jul 2005 00:31:16 +0000 http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/wp/?p=285#comment-378 James. First of all, I think it's amazing that people that live in London aren't letting this issue drop. Just for this, you're proving Noel Gallagher wrong. Secondly, I don't know if a concert will acomplish anything, I don't think any isolated fact will but, anyone that still dobts that elected democracies have to listen when hundreds of thousands shout in one voice something, he musn't live in the same world I (we) live in. Live 8 wasn't about Annie Lennox or even Bill Gates (even if their contributions were huge like you said), it was about hundreds of thousand anonymous. Wasn't it your partner that recentlly mentioned that an ethical action must be evaluated like everyone does that particular action? James. First of all, I think it’s amazing that people that live in London aren’t letting this issue drop. Just for this, you’re proving Noel Gallagher wrong.
Secondly, I don’t know if a concert will acomplish anything, I don’t think any isolated fact will but, anyone that still dobts that elected democracies have to listen when hundreds of thousands shout in one voice something, he musn’t live in the same world I (we) live in. Live 8 wasn’t about Annie Lennox or even Bill Gates (even if their contributions were huge like you said), it was about hundreds of thousand anonymous.
Wasn’t it your partner that recentlly mentioned that an ethical action must be evaluated like everyone does that particular action?

]]>