NPR Hounded for Calling Africa the 'Dark Continent'

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2008/03/01/npr-hounded-calling-africa-dark-continent ^

[aruanan]

Africa is the dark continent because it is a cesspool of disease, corruption, intertribal murder, libidinous frenzy, witchcraft, and animism, cemented together by intractable ignorance.

[calex59]

The expression “the dark continent” has been used for Africa forever. It indicated the fact that Africa was mysterious and inaccessible, not the fact that blacks lived there, since many other races lived there also. Nothing like playing the race card and forcing PC down everyone’s throat every chance they get.

[Sender]

Perhaps it is still the "dark continent" due to the fact that there are
no electric lights on there. In other words, lacking modern progress.

[RedMonqey]

I guess I’m not the only one who forgot to turn off his outdoor lights last night;-)

[Moonman62]

How about Canada?

[Enchante]

whoops, “Lord Jim” is set in what is now called Indonesia, on a fictional island..... maybe you are thinking of that other Conrad gem, “The Heart of Darkness”

[ladyjane]

Add this nonsense to the list of other ‘forbidden’ words: niggardly, tar baby, Black Sambo, tar-and-feather, etc.

Are these people totally illiterate?

[Eurale]

LOL. You must live in a Blue State. If you’ll notice, we in the “fly over” Red States are much more energy conservation conscious.

[Jim Noble]

My preference is that we allow them to live independent of international intrusion. Their obsession with genocide, state sponsored starvation and mutilation (to name a few) eliminates any deserving connotation.

Much of the illneses of Africa are copied from their (socialist) European teachers.

No matter. Leave 'em alone.

[xenophiles]

1. Shame on NPR for caving, and thereby dignifying this nonsense.

2.

Shepard brought out a passel of scolds...

Shame on Martin Graham for writing such rotten English. (And shame on Shepard for acting as if any real or imagined reference to race by a white man requires an apology.)

3. Let's be fair. "The Dark Continent" is a European term, and while I know that it refers primarily to Africa's mysterious and unexplored status (up until the late nineteenth century), I think that those who coined it and used it were also alluding, at least a little, to the color of those who lived there. After all, an unexplored region on the map was generally white, not black, and they never referred to Antarctica as the Dark Continent even though it was (and is) far more remote and unexplored.

[fanfan]

A question for the Africans, as well.

"For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!"

[kublia khan]

Reading your tagline I believe that you understand how the same continent that gave us Egypt with it’s Scientific and Historic contributions could have also come to be known as the dark continent. I do not believe it has to do with a lack of exploration, do you?

[Jim Noble]

I do not believe it has to do with a lack of exploration, do you?

Nope.

[Balding_Eagle]

It's not a liberal or conservative issue.

I think it is.

Liberals decide issues based on feelings, conservatives by logic.

Anyone of us, or at least most of us, feel sorry for these folks.

Conservatives have the good and logical sense to stop at that because we know, logically, that unless we follow the Coulter Plan (invade their countries, kill their leaders, convert them to Christianity) there is no help we can give that will solve the problem.

Liberals feel so bad that they feel the only way to help them is with someone elses money.

[Liberty Valance]

This cannot possibly be true because the media did not cover the President’s trip to Africa. The only thing the media covers is it’s own narrow opinion.

Clearly Bush’s fault.

[RedMonqey]

Nope.

We’re Red Staters(Tennessee).

Actually We have movement sensors on outside lights. I just jokingly said that after looking at all those lights around the world.

Your right about energy conscious though.

Taught by my father(God bless his soul) He would haunt us if if any of his children wasted any of TVA's electricity. ;-)