...and drink it."
And here I thought that I could not be shocked. But I was wrong. Behold the fate of what one might call America's first attempt to export democracy:
(Warning: don't even think about watching this video on a full stomach. But a strong drink or two - or possibly even three - might be in order.)
I mean, what can one say? What hope is there, for the people of Liberia?
A thousand years of Christianity? A hundred years of Islam? Ten years of neo-colonialism?
Suggested wrong answers: liberal democracy; UN intervention...
Comments (15)
Steve,
I saw that video earlier today because you and I both know that on Thursday there is only one blog that is must reading. If Mencius has done nothing else for me, he has opened my eyes to Carlyle, to the massive failure of the British government (and probably the U.S. government) to effectively police their nation, and to the horror of chaos.
Just remember, true freedom is the ultimate form of order!
Posted by Jeff Singer | February 4, 2010 5:36 PM
Jeff - one learns things at Mencius Moldbug's site that one would never learn anywhere else.
Often, they're things one would like to forget.
Posted by steve burton | February 4, 2010 5:53 PM
Jeff --
And you call yourself a neocon! "He has opened my eyes ... to the horror of chaos." "True freedom is the ultimate form of order." That's Conservatism, friend, and there ain't no neo about it.
Steve --
I only watched half of that report. I have my doubts about the necessity of showing cannibalism on our frontpage. Nevertheless, it demonstrates why that incorrigible old infidel Hobbes cannot be dismissed. Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short indeed.
Finally, Belloc:
We sit by and watch the barbarian. We tolerate him in the long stretches of peace, we are not afraid. We are tickled by his irreverence; his comic inversion of our old certitudes and our fixed creed refreshes us; we laugh. But as we laugh we are watched by large and awful faces from beyond, and on these faces there are no smiles.
(By "barbarian" he meant, of course, something closer to a hippie professor than the wretches of the world's anarchic lands.)
Posted by Paul J Cella | February 4, 2010 7:52 PM
Paul,
From which book does that quote come?
Thanks.
Posted by Ben | February 5, 2010 1:15 PM
I mean, what can one say? What hope is there, for the people of Liberia?
Well, there's always paleo-colonialism. It could do a lot of good for both the conquerors and the conquered, but first we'd have to admit that "we" are better than "them", and we've been well conditioned to avoid thinking like that.
Perhaps illustrative and related, why is Botswana, among the ubiquitous hell-holes in Sub-Saharan Africa, not a hell-hole? (At least as far as I know.)
Posted by Steve N | February 5, 2010 4:37 PM
Ben,
After a few minutes of internet searching, it turns out that the Belloc quote is from an essay called (predictably enough) "The Barbarians." It was printed in a 1912 essay collection called THIS AND THAT AND THE OTHER, which is available online here:
http://www.archive.org/details/thisthattheother00belluoft
That quote gets cited a fair amount, but hardly ever with a precise reference.
Posted by Craig | February 6, 2010 12:20 PM
I really don't mind that the film-makers decided to travel to Liberia and document what's going on there. But the delivery bothers me in a way that's hard to quantify. It's as though the Liberians were props in a movie about what brave a brave and adventuresome soul the slovenly Canadian guy is. It lacked solemnity, it lack real reverence for the humanity of their subjects. It reminded me of a man going to a mad house and stirring the inmates to crazy antics, for the titillation of the ladies present. This was like a Third World Steve Irwin show. It's more freak show than human interest story.
I don't know, maybe I'm seeing something that really isn't there, or maybe I'm not seeing something that is. But I hated the self-referential treatment of the "scary" scenes, which seemed completely pointless except as a vehicle for hooting excitedly and telling profanity-drenched stories about it after the fact. When put on the spot, this guy has a hard time stammering through exactly why he's there, and his attempt to make it sound selfless doesn't convince me. He later admits it doesn't even convince himself, and he seems much, much more uncomfortable, aloof, and uncertain of his purpose when he was in that church service, than he was in the brothel.
Posted by Sage | February 7, 2010 11:34 AM
Sage - I'd agree that there's something deeply unattractive about the narcissism of "gonzo journalism," of which this is an example.
Nonetheless, I found this infinitely more interesting than the sanitized view of Sub-Saharan Africa provided by the MSM. Some have complained about the report's "sensationalism" - but let's face it: the *reality* of Sub-Saharan Africa is pretty sensational.
Posted by steve burton | February 7, 2010 3:54 PM
No doubt about it, Steve. Speaking for myself, I can't imagine how a person could faithfully convey the facts of the matter in Liberia in a non-sensational way. But you see where I'm coming from.
Posted by Sage | February 7, 2010 5:15 PM
He later admits it doesn't even convince himself, and he seems much, much more uncomfortable, aloof, and uncertain of his purpose when he was in that church service, than he was in the brothel.
Good point. While I fully appreciate "the fruits of exporting democracy" aspect of it, I have a hard time believing he simply had to return to the brothel for an interview as opposed to say, doing some leg work and arranging an interview with a brothel worker at a reasonable time in place. It came off as drama for the sake of drama.
Posted by Scott W. | February 7, 2010 7:47 PM
I probably shouldn't ask - but I don't see a link to any video. What are you all talking about?
Kamilla
Posted by Kamilla | February 8, 2010 11:36 PM
I probably shouldn't ask - but I don't see a link to any video. What are you all talking about?
The picture is a link. If you mouse over it, a play button should appear. If not, here is the direct link: http://www.vbs.tv/watch/the-vice-guide-to-travel/the-vice-guide-to-liberia
Posted by Scott W. | February 9, 2010 9:23 AM
http://www.vbs.tv/watch/the-vice-guide-to-travel/the-vice-guide-to-liberia
Posted by Scott W. | February 9, 2010 9:23 AM
Other than titilation, what was the point of this post?
Posted by dymphna | February 9, 2010 11:31 AM
Other than titilation, what was the point of this post?
I thought it rather clear from the berief commentary surrounding it. Also, this was recommended by blogger Mencius Moldbug, and there are at least a few of us willing to entertain his recommendations and even pass them on.
Posted by Scott W. | February 11, 2010 10:15 AM