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| No. 10 | 
Nov 03, 2009, 11:47 AM
 Re: Today's World is no fairer. Originally Posted by Tweety  I think the point of the article is that at the end of the cold war, aparteid, communism and all the other wonderful things of those times 20 years ago we were full of such hope that the world would become a better and safe place and that peace on earth wasn't just a pipe dream. Now looking back after 20 years, we can say "boy were we naive" because life isn't fair, the world isn't safe and war happens, even in those places that we thought were going to be peaceful.
But, the world is safer without the cold war. I don't know if it's better without apartheid, that judgment lies in the eyes of the beholder. Certainly it's better that everyone in SA can vote but is their health care, economy, or standard of living better now?
I agree it's naive to think that anything will make the world safe and fair but certainly some actions can make it fairer and safer. A murderer caught and jailed makes the world slightly safer.
No matter what we do, there will always be a disgruntled group to wage a rebellion, criminals to kill and rob, and greedy leaders to cheat others.
I love nature and look to it to see what's possible and nature is not "fair". When a lion kills a baby gazelle it may not see fair to the gazelle but starvation does not seem fair to the lion or it's cubs.
 | | No. 11 |
Nov 03, 2009, 04:22 PM
Re: Today's World is no fairer. Originally Posted by azhiker96 But, the world is safer without the cold war. I don't know if it's better without apartheid, that judgment lies in the eyes of the beholder. Certainly it's better that everyone in SA can vote but is their health care, economy, or standard of living better now?
I agree it's naive to think that anything will make the world safe and fair but certainly some actions can make it fairer and safer. A murderer caught and jailed makes the world slightly safer.
No matter what we do, there will always be a disgruntled group to wage a rebellion, criminals to kill and rob, and greedy leaders to cheat others.
I love nature and look to it to see what's possible and nature is not "fair". When a lion kills a baby gazelle it may not see fair to the gazelle but starvation does not seem fair to the lion or it's cubs.
Oh, I'm not saying in those areas weren't life changing and that things are better in certain arenas. But since then we've had 9/11, we've gone to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the world is still an ugly unfair place....we solve one problem and go on to the next one and new one's arrive.
| | No. 13 |
Nov 03, 2009, 05:52 PM
Re: Today's World is no fairer. Originally Posted by Tweety Oh, I'm not saying in those areas weren't life changing and that things are better in certain arenas. But since then we've had 9/11, we've gone to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the world is still an ugly unfair place....we solve one problem and go on to the next one and new one's arrive.
My world history class reinforced for me that this "unfair" stuff has been going on for a long long time and will probably never end.
Doesn't mean we can't try to fight it.
But to only look at the last 20 years and not take into consideration all of history is a bit disingenuous of the author.
steph
| | No. 14 |
Nov 03, 2009, 06:14 PM
Re: Today's World is no fairer.
Maybe he was just using the past 20 years as an example? I agree it's but a smidge of time, but taking all of history in all the world into consideration for one essay = pretty tall order. That's a lot of millenia and a lot of people groups to cover.
I find interesting all the different definitions of what it means to 'fight' unfairness or brutality or corruption or [insert your negative thing here].
| | No. 15 |
Nov 03, 2009, 06:34 PM
Updated
Nov 03, 2009 at 07:00 PM by leslie :-D
Re: Today's World is no fairer. Originally Posted by Elvish Maybe he was just using the past 20 years as an example? I agree it's but a smidge of time, but taking all of history in all the world into consideration for one essay = pretty tall order.
he was covering 20 yrs because that's when the Berlin Wall fell, and how the world had changed/not, since then.
nothing disingenuous about that. 
leslie
| | No. 16 |
Nov 03, 2009, 08:14 PM
Re: Today's World is no fairer. Originally Posted by Elvish Maybe he was just using the past 20 years as an example? I agree it's but a smidge of time, but taking all of history in all the world into consideration for one essay = pretty tall order. That's a lot of millenia and a lot of people groups to cover.
I find interesting all the different definitions of what it means to 'fight' unfairness or brutality or corruption or [insert your negative thing here].
Yep - that is why the human race can't come to a consensus about the solutions.
I'd hate to be a politician . . . or in management . . . or in charge of anything. 
steph
| | No. 18 |
Nov 07, 2009, 12:35 AM
Re: Today's World is no fairer. Originally Posted by Tweety I think the point of the article is that at the end of the cold war, aparteid, communism and all the other wonderful things of those times 20 years ago we were full of such hope that the world would become a better and safe place and that peace on earth wasn't just a pipe dream. Now looking back after 20 years, we can say "boy were we naive" because life isn't fair, the world isn't safe and war happens, even in those places that we thought were going to be peaceful.
That's the whole thing. For those of us that were young and full of hope at that time, wow, the Berlin Wall fell and we could take a piece home, and that Mandela was running South Africa - It was fantastic. But having visited Johannesburg in 2005 and seen the path that East Germans have taken, seems though it was all bloodless, it wasn't exactly fantastic for the oppressed parties either. I can honestly say kudos for Mandela, kudos for Gorbachev, but it wasn't the "fairness" we were looking for.
BTW, for any American who has mentioned that life isn't fair - you're damned right. But you're looking at it from the top down perspective whcih isn't exactly any great feat is it?
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