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Silly, even sillier. And Geldof
The Times ^ | June 1, 2005 | Bruce Anderson

Posted on 05/31/2005 2:48:48 PM PDT by MadIvan

BEING A pop singer must be boring. Nothing to do but make hideous music, count the takings and fend off screaming teenage females; no wonder some of the pop tribe try to alleviate spiritual dissatisfaction and search for profundity.

In the case of Bob Geldof, however, the search has led to a profound shallowness. On the eve of the G8 summit, Geldof intends to hold a Live 8 concert. He would like his young followers to believe that the West is to blame for all of Africa’s difficulties: if we would stop encouraging Africa to participate in global trade and content ourselves with providing enough aid, solving the continent’s plight would be as easy as wailing into a microphone.

If aid were the answer, the problem would have been solved long ago. Over the past few decades aid donors have spent hundreds of billions on Africa — to what end?

Since 1980, over the whole world, the number of those living on less than a dollar a day has halved. In sub-Saharan Africa, it has doubled. This is not because of too little aid. The explanation lies in too much corruption, theft and oppression. Africa suffers from systematic misgovernment that condemns at least 100 million people to misery, in the midst of natural resources that could make them prosperous. Africans would have no difficulty in coping with free trade, if only they were governed properly.

There is one respect in which the West could be blamed. We did give Africa independence before it was ready. The best foreign aid programme was a governor-general and a team of district commissioners. But Geldof is not, presumably, a nostalgic imperialist. So instead of demanding “trade justice” and more aid, he should be urging Africans to take their destiny in their own hands, including their sexual destiny. Live 8 will not prevent deaths from Aids; only Africans can do that.

The new Live 8 initiative is good news for Parisian couturiers, German carmakers and Swiss bankers. For Africans, it is a delusion and a deception. Geldof and his friends are using that benighted continent as a catwalk.

P. J. O’Rourke said that American actresses’ political views fall into three categories: silly, very silly and Shirley MacLaine. For pop stars, it is silly, very silly and Bob Geldof. He must be disappointed that some other group has already taken the name Simple Minds.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: africa; foreignaid; g8summit; geldof; thirdworld
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Well said, Mr. Anderson!

Regards, Ivan


1 posted on 05/31/2005 2:48:49 PM PDT by MadIvan
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To: Deetes; Barset; fanfan; LadyofShalott; Tolik; mtngrl@vrwc; pax_et_bonum; Alkhin; agrace; ...

Ping!


2 posted on 05/31/2005 2:49:18 PM PDT by MadIvan (You underestimate the power of the Dark Side - http://www.sithorder.com/)
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To: MadIvan
I seem to recall twenty or so years ago someone (Thomas Sowell? Walter Williams?) observing that Western aid to Africa at that point in time was already in excess of the total value of all American farmland plus the total value of all shares of stock traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
3 posted on 05/31/2005 2:53:44 PM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: DuncanWaring

what's the saying about teaching people to fish vs giving him fish? ;)


4 posted on 05/31/2005 2:55:13 PM PDT by tfecw (Vote Democrat, It's easier than working)
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To: MadIvan
BEING A pop singer must be boring.

When was the last time that Geldof even sang anything?

5 posted on 05/31/2005 2:56:03 PM PDT by Rodney King (No, we can't all just get along.)
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To: MadIvan

Not to mention that he dissed the Spice Girls.


6 posted on 05/31/2005 2:57:56 PM PDT by AndrewB
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To: MadIvan
The most pathetic thing about this is the world now knows very well what is needed to achieve economic prosperity: The rule of law, property rights, a free market, and universal basic education. This approach has been used effectively in much of Southern and Eastern Asia, and is doing great things in Eastern Europe right now.

If the countries of Africa tried it, they would find it quite effective there as well. It is, however, generally incompatible with Stalinist dictatorships or kleptocracies, so I don't expect it will become very popular there any time soon
7 posted on 05/31/2005 2:58:08 PM PDT by Moral Hazard (Unfortunately the Golden Rule doesn't apply to sex.)
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To: MadIvan

Bob Geldof at this point is being a self aggrandizing little turd.

I can't even think of a song or band this guy ever played on or with.


8 posted on 05/31/2005 3:02:17 PM PDT by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: MadIvan
For pop stars, it is silly, very silly and Bob Geldof.

When, by the way, did Bob Geldof make his last recording? Was he even a star before Live Aid? I think not. He is, rather, a professional finger-wagger.

I'm all for helping people, but Geldof has not and will not help anybody with these obnoxious displays of alleged compassion. I'd be shocked if Geldof owned a Bible, but he would do well to read in Matthew,

"...when thou doest thine alms do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do..."

A trumpet, of course, is quiet compared to the mega-wattage that these sanctimonious clowns will have onstage at Live 8.

9 posted on 05/31/2005 3:04:38 PM PDT by T. Buzzard Trueblood ("I'm not very dignified." - Howard Dean)
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To: T. Buzzard Trueblood

" Was he even a star before Live Aid? "

Actually before live aid he was most famous for not liking Mondays.


10 posted on 05/31/2005 3:08:49 PM PDT by Moral Hazard (Unfortunately the Golden Rule doesn't apply to sex.)
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To: MadIvan
Hah! Here we go again. The scheme is simple: Make you poor so some third world hillbilly can be slightly less poor and a bunch of third world kleptocrats can become amazingly wealthy.

Don't these dumbasses even know how to read?

You would think that maybe one of them would say "Hmmm...this society is wealthy and stable. This society is impoverished and chaotic. Maybe we should encourage these dimwits to emulate the wealthy, stable society.

But Noooooooooo...

11 posted on 05/31/2005 3:09:15 PM PDT by telebob
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To: MadIvan

Dear Sir Bob:

I promise to send you $10.00 if you will go to Zimbabwe and personally shoot Robert Mugabe in the head. Otherwise, I think I will take that $10.00 bill and just throw it out the window, or maybe set it on fire.

Sincerely,
C


12 posted on 05/31/2005 3:09:23 PM PDT by Cecily
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To: Rodney King

Bob Geldof


I Don´T Like Mondays


The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload.
And nobody's gonna go to school today,
She's going to make them stay at home.
And daddy doesn't understand it,
He always said she was as good as gold.
And he can see no reason
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown?

Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The whole day down.

The telex machine is kept so clean
As it types to a waiting world.
And mother feels so shocked,
Father's world is rocked,
And their thoughts turn to
Their own little girl.
Sweet 16 ain't so peachy keen,
No, it ain't so neat to admit defeat.
They can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown?

Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The whole day down.

All the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while.
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die.
And then the bullhorn crackles,
And the captain crackles,
With the problems and the how's and why's.
And he can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die?

Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The whole day down.



13 posted on 05/31/2005 3:10:01 PM PDT by Pharmboy ("Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God")
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To: A CA Guy
He's the turd in the middle...


14 posted on 05/31/2005 3:13:24 PM PDT by Pharmboy ("Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God")
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To: Pharmboy

And he got paid for that?


15 posted on 05/31/2005 3:16:55 PM PDT by Rodney King (No, we can't all just get along.)
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To: Pharmboy

I love that song !!

Wasn't he also teh lead character in Pink Floyd's The Wall: The Movie ?

P.S. Wasn't Michael Hutchence (of INXS) screwing his wife when he died ?


16 posted on 05/31/2005 3:17:16 PM PDT by RightWingNut
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To: Pharmboy

Isn't he in Bono's seat?


17 posted on 05/31/2005 3:17:30 PM PDT by Cecily
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To: MadIvan; Happygal; Colosis; Black Line; Cucullain; SomeguyfromIreland; Youngblood; Fergal; Cian; ...

Who'd win in a fight - Bob or Bono?

Was Phil Linnot ever like this?


18 posted on 05/31/2005 4:14:00 PM PDT by Irish_Thatcherite (Orwellian Relativism: All philosophies are equal, but some philosophies are more equal than others.)
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To: Pharmboy

The Boomtown DEMOCrats....


19 posted on 05/31/2005 4:17:46 PM PDT by Irish_Thatcherite (Orwellian Relativism: All philosophies are equal, but some philosophies are more equal than others.)
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To: Moral Hazard

Right on. Geldof and his liberal co-horts are going to try to push the lie that Africa is a disaster because of Western selfishness and neglect. They don't have the sense to admit that the bulk of Africa's problems are due to the behavior of Africans. At least they're not charging admission for the concerts. The net worth of the performers is probably in excess of the GNP of a number of African nations.


20 posted on 05/31/2005 4:22:20 PM PDT by clearlight
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