a**u
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boximiya (boxi) 于 (Wed Jan 13 07:14:29 2010, 美东) 提到:
海地发生里氏7级地震，造成巨大人员伤亡
不知道是不是40天序幕的拉开，心情沉重，默哀
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boximiya (boxi) 于 (Wed Jan 13 07:18:51 2010, 美东) 提到:
衷心希望说我造谣的同学是对。
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bdbd (kakali) 于 (Wed Jan 13 07:26:29 2010, 美东) 提到:
地球肯定不会毁灭的，因为小青说它要毁灭。
明白啦吧？
类比：芙蓉姐姐肯定死不了，如果宋祖德说她要自杀。
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ray (百川) 于 (Wed Jan 13 08:35:15 2010, 美东) 提到:
不是说地球会毁灭。面临危险的是人类物质文明所依托的生态环境。
人类作为这个环境的最大受益者，应该联合起来共同珍惜和保护
周围的生态环境，而不是为眼前一点经济利益争来争去。。
看克里希那穆提的视频，不小心连到俞敏洪的重庆大学演讲。
他曾经因为重病，在大学休学一年养病。据他自己说，生病这段
经历对他改变很大。生命本身就是美好的。曾经似乎重要的考分
这样的东西，在生命这个大背景下，相对不那么重要。
同理，经济利益相对于我们赖以存在的生态环境重要性也差太远了。
人类文明本来不全是竞争与掠夺的。是西方机械文明这个搅局者
胁迫世界进入一个扩张竞争对抗的局面。当地球的资源接近能
承载的极限，改变是必然。人类能和平共存的前题是找到与自然
环境和谐共存的发展方式。
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slownet (松静自然) 于 (Wed Jan 13 08:45:43 2010, 美东) 提到:
一个常见的地震就把你心境震乱了？
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venusfire (J星 爱自由) 于 (Wed Jan 13 18:37:58 2010, 美东) 提到:
damn, so it is real.
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yuuli (听，...听) 于 (Wed Jan 13 18:54:13 2010, 美东) 提到:
可能有10万人死亡－－－－的确是汶川地震的级别，极其惨痛的灾难。不是常见的地
震。
sign.
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leonany (leo) 于 (Wed Jan 13 19:09:02 2010, 美东) 提到:
为什么选在海地阿，食肉王国？
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boximiya (boxi) 于 (Wed Jan 13 20:31:20 2010, 美东) 提到:
说是此类灾难会接连发生 连续不断，一直到2012，如果真是如此，
可能不用太久就会有新的灾难继续降临，大家静观其变吧。
希望仅仅是巧合。
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bdbd (kakali) 于 (Wed Jan 13 20:34:57 2010, 美东) 提到:
不可能的。
小青算老几呀？ 法王和活佛都没吭声，她在这儿胡扯什么呢？
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leonany (leo) 于 (Thu Jan 14 00:04:47 2010, 美东) 提到:
不用据说了，这种灾难自古以来就是连绵不绝
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Hotfly (寄居蟹) 于 (Thu Jan 14 03:07:02 2010, 美东) 提到:
你一会儿说“因为……所以”一会儿“小青算老几呀？”；
你貌似比我还在乎她说啥？你出啥问题啦？
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danalake (佛光普照) 于 (Thu Jan 14 08:22:25 2010, 美东) 提到:
太不幸了,
我才从加勒比海一带度假归来,那里天气是不太正常.
佛州能突然降温到四十几度.
不过发生在中美洲的国家,好象还是和自己关系不大.
汶川那次是很震惊的.
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sleep (sleep) 于 (Thu Jan 14 10:04:46 2010, 美东) 提到:
造成10万人死亡的地震历史上都很罕见。。。怎能说是常见
但
即使是欧洲瘟疫大流行造成千万人死亡
－－当时更是到处流行世界末日－－－后来事实证明也没有真的世界末日
所以灾难性地震再罕见，也并不能说就是世界末日的信号。
不过事情蹊跷的地方是她事先预言的时间和这次灾难事件的发生挺吻合。。。
而不是事后诸葛亮的说世界末日
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bdbd (kakali) 于 (Thu Jan 14 21:08:00 2010, 美东) 提到:
不是在乎，只是看见笑话，忍不住多看两眼罢了。
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winter (兔子也要搭窝，烦ING) 于 (Sat Jan 16 02:21:43 2010, 美东) 提到:
预言在哪里？我想看看
还有什么40天
讲啥的
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Hotfly (寄居蟹) 于 (Sat Jan 16 02:29:20 2010, 美东) 提到:
波西米亚没有公开贴，发到J的信箱了
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winter (兔子也要搭窝，烦ING) 于 (Sat Jan 16 02:32:48 2010, 美东) 提到:
神神秘秘的，肯定是假的，专为制造谣言用的
那就不用看了
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Hotfly (寄居蟹) 于 (Sat Jan 16 02:34:43 2010, 美东) 提到:
你是说波西米亚制造谣言？还是给他神秘字条的人制造谣言？
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winter (兔子也要搭窝，烦ING) 于 (Sat Jan 16 02:40:39 2010, 美东) 提到:
神秘的最初来源，是哪个，就是哪个
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Hotfly (寄居蟹) 于 (Sat Jan 16 20:01:11 2010, 美东) 提到:
那，目前知道的就是biximiya了，因为他说那个纸条子已经烧掉了。
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boximiya (boxi) 于 (Sat Jan 16 21:01:49 2010, 美东) 提到:
如果真是我造谣那就太好了，我也希望这次仅仅是时间上的巧合，
是有人和我开玩笑，虽然一点都不好笑。
但如果近期继续发生如此大规模伤亡的灾难
那就比较可信了，静观其变吧。
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boximiya (boxi) 于 (Sun Jan 17 05:36:26 2010, 美东) 提到:
最新报道，死亡人数可能超过20万
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wisdomlover (wisdom) 于 (Sun Jan 17 12:11:53 2010, 美东) 提到:
海地是人祸。根本的原因是太穷，赤贫。
一般7级不该死这么多人。但海地的基础设施太差太差。
海地的贫穷是和法国和美国对海地多年的SLAVERY 和 殖民掠夺，政权的干涉，
还有美国和联合国对海地的禁运等等分不开。
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wisdomlover (wisdom) 于 (Sun Jan 17 12:12:50 2010, 美东) 提到:
没有科学，经济的发展，
人类面对天灾人祸只能束手待毙。
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wisdomlover (wisdom) 于 (Sun Jan 17 12:14:30 2010, 美东) 提到:
WHY IS HAITI SO POOR?
Bob Corbett
Fall, 1986 Director, PEOPLE TO PEOPLE
1999 note: I wrote this essay some 13 years ago. I still agree with most of
it, but have some changes in my own knowledge and thinking over the years.
But, I've decided to leave the essay as it originally appeared in The Haiti
Project Newsletter where I published this.
The question I am asked most frequently is: WHY IS HAITI SO POOR? This is a
difficult thing for people to understand, especially for those of us living
in a country as rich as the United States. There are some very obvious
conditions to note in Haiti's case: the long history of political oppression
, soil erosion, lack of knowledge and literacy, a large populace in a small
country. But a question of CAUSES for such poverty is extremely complex. I
have tried to respond to the question in a manner that points up this
incredible complexity. Nonetheless, to stay in the confines of paper that
could be read at one sitting, I have had to highlight, condense and simplify.
This issue is a difficult one for you the reader. I urge you to stick with
it, to wade through. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
The Haitian masses suffer some of the most debilitating and depressing
misery of any people in the world. Yet, virtually all that misery is human
caused, in most cases, by a tiny minority inside and outside Haiti who have
the wealth and power to control.
HOPE AMIDST THE MISERY
The story of Haiti is- heavy and depressing. Yet I see hope too. To know the
causes of Haitian poverty is to clarify the problem. It helps people like
us to know where to focus our energies, our work and our wealth in
attempting to lessen this misery.
Not only is this a difficult issue, but a controversial topic as well. I've
tried to reflect the various thrusts of the argument as I've encountered
them. But, ultimately I've had to decide where the evidence seemed strongest
. I'm sure some will disagree and do so with vehemence. I urge you to reply.
One of my central aims is dialogue, because it is in dialogue that we grow.
I. Root, but Less Visible Causes of Haitian Misery
The ultimate causes of Haiti's misery are human. They are rooted in greed
and power. Both the international community and Haiti's rulers have
continuously assured the destruction of Haiti's colonial wealth and the
creation and continuance of her misery.
1. The international community's role.
1. French colonial contribution.
2. The international boycott of the new nation of 1804.
3. The French debt of 1838.
4. The United States Occupation, 1915-1934.
5. Post World War II United States domination.
2. The role of Haiti's rulers.
1. Slave-like labor systems in the early republic.
2. The elite's protection of its wealth.
3. Haitian corruption.
4. Human rights violations as a tool of oppression.
II. Secondary, but Immediate Causes of Haitian Misery
The international and national political climate of Haiti has assured her
misery. But, little by little these forces have caused other factors to
emerge that assure the continuance of Haitian misery even if Haiti were to
secure good local government free from international intervention. (An
unlikely prospect in either instance!) Some of the most noticeable secondary
causes of Haiti's poverty are:
1. Language as an oppressor.
2. Ignorance and illiteracy.
3. The system of education (or miseducation).
4. Soil erosion.
5. Export crops vs. local food crops.
6. The lack of a social infrastructure: inadequate roads, water systems,
sewerage, medical services, schools.
7. Unemployment and underemployment.
8. Underdevelopment in an age of international economic competition.
9. Haitian self-image.
III. A MYTH AND TWO PUZZLES
As well as arguing why Haiti is so poor, I address two factors which are
often claimed to be causes of Haitian poverty. One category I will call MYTH
. The contention that the Voodoo religion is a serious factor in causing the
misery of Haiti is a myth, and an exceptionally pernicious myth at that.
The second category I term PUZZLES. These are areas which are not clear to
me. They may or may not be causes of misery. In this section I will try to
point out the complexities of two cases: foreign investment in manufacturing
and overpopulation.
HAITI: THE JEWEL OF THE ANTILLES
Haiti, once called The Jewel of the Antilles, was the richest colony in the
entire world. Economists estimate that in the 1750s Haiti provided as much
as 50% of the Gross National Product of France. The French imported sugar,
coffee, cocoa, tobacco, cotton, the dye indigo and other exotic products. In
France they were refined, packaged and sold all over Europe. Incredible
fortunes were made from this tiny colony on the island of Hispaniola.
How could Haiti have once been the source of such wealth and today be the
poorest country in the Western Hemisphere? How could this land that was once
so productive today be semi-barren? How did "The Jewel of the Antilles"
become the Caribbean's hell-hole?
ROOT CAUSES: A. INTERNATIONAL FORCES
1. THE FRENCH COLONIAL CONTRIBUTION.
One of the primary reasons that Haiti was such a productively rich
land was because of slave labor. When people are willing to put productivity
above all other values, then productivity is likely to soar. Not only did
the slaves work long days under tremendously unsafe conditions, with little
or no technology beyond hand labor, but Haiti's slave system was the most
brutal in the Caribbean. Many documents of Western slavery explain that the
ultimate threat to a recalcitrant slave was that he or she would be sold to
Haiti.
Unfortunately for the masses of Haitians, slavery did not die with
French rule. Rather, the basic concept of forced cheap labor was passed on
to the emerging native Haitian elite. The French system allowed for some
slaves to earn their freedom by exceptional work. This system worked well to
get more productivity from the slaves, and the system was tough enough that
very few slaves were able to earn their freedom. Thus slave owners got
increased productivity with little loss of slaves through freedom.
A second group of slaves who became free were the mulattos, the
children of white masters and slave women. These children were in a middle
ground, uncomfortable to both slaves and whites. The slaves never knew how
the white man would respond to his child, but often the slave owner didn't
want to be reminded of his paternity. Thus mulattos were not welcomed in
either community. Many mulattos received their freedom and formed a special
middle class in the colonial period.
A special class of freed slaves emerged. About 1/2 of them were freed
black slaves and about 1/2 of them were mulattos. They could receive some
education, operate businesses, own property and in general imitate the
French.
This imitation of the French became the hallmark of these freedmen.
They wanted a clear separation from their slave backgrounds. Thus they
imitated the whites. They adopted their religion, language, dress, culture,
education and ways. But, most importantly for this story, they learned the
value of slave labor. The colonial French heritage carried on in the Haitian
elite's imitation of the French labor system. This is an important factor
in Haiti's later misery.
2. INTERNATIONAL BOYCOTT OF THE NEW HAITI.
After the revolution which concluded in January, 1804, Haiti became
the second free country in the Western World (after the United States), and
the first black republic. However, the United States was still a slave
nation, as was England. While France had freed the Haitian slaves during the
revolution, France and other European nations had slaves in Africa and Asia
. The international community decided that Haiti's model of a nation of
freed slaves was a dangerous precedent. An international boycott of Haitian
goods and commerce plunged the Haitian economy into chaos.
It is difficult to measure the exact impact of this international
conspiracy. Here was a nation of ex-slaves trying to rise to democratic self
-rule, rising to run an economy in which the masses had only served as
slaves before. The international boycott of Haitian products at this time
was devastating for Haiti's long-term economic development.
3. THE FRENCH DEBT OF 1838.
The Haitian governments were extremely anxious to be recognized by
France and the Europeans. But France would not recognize Haiti unless
indemnities were paid for lands of former slave owners taken over after the
revolution. Finally, in 1838 President Boyer of Haiti accepted a 150 million
franc debt to pay this indemnity. This debt plagued the economy of Haiti
for over 80 years and was not finally paid until 1922. In the meantime Haiti
paid many times over 150 million francs in interest on this debt. It is
difficult to measure the incredible harm which this did to the Haitian
economy, but by the most conservative measures it was extremely significant.
4. THE UNITED STATES OCCUPATION OF 1915-1938.
Perhaps the most serious blow Haiti ever had to her independence and
self-image was the occupation of the United States Marines in 1915. The
marines took over control of the collection of revenues, the banks, and
forced through a new "Haitian" constitution which repealed the 1804
provision that foreigners could never own land in Haiti. The U.S. decided
who would and would not be government servants. The only factor of Haitian
life which seemed to escape U.S. domination was education. The elite's
identification with French culture was too strong for even the marines to
overcome and the schools remained French in language and structure.
5. POST WORLD WAR II UNITED STATES DOMINATION.
The occupation ended in 1934. However, the U.S. presence in both the
economy and internal government affairs was well established. Ever since the
occupation and increasingly since 1946, the United States, through the
power of its aid packages, has played a central role in Haitian politics. In
this way the U.S. has contributed to the misery of Haiti since it has given
oppressive governments comfortable aid packages which kept these rulers in
power. The United States was not interested in furthering Haitian misery
itself, rather this is the price the U.S. has had to pay to keep friendly
governments in power so that American military, propaganda and economic
interests could be served. The result may well have served the interests of
U.S. control in the region, but the issue here is the cause of Haitian
misery. U.S. backed governments have certainly been a major factor in this
suffering.
ROOT CAUSES: B. HAITIAN ELITE
The international community has done and continues to do its share in
causing Haitian misery. But the contribution of the Haitian elite and
Haitian governments has been and continues to be a root cause of suffering.
1. SLAVE-LIKE LABOR SYSTEMS IN THE EARLY REPUBLIC.
After the French left there was a scramble for power and control in
Haiti. The elite emerged as the dominant power. Given their superior
educations, and experience in running businesses and other affairs, their
control was not at all surprising. But, a pattern arose because the only
model they knew for successful agriculture was the slave system. It was
impossible to return the masses to slavery, but Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the
first president, tried to enforce a system of labor on the peasants which
resembled medieval serfdom, i.e., tying the peasants to particular
plantations owned by the elite. This system failed miserably and in the
process created a labor system which has been instrumental in the developing
misery of Haiti.
What happened in the 1804-1820 period set the tone for Haiti's future
and is directly responsible for much of her misery. The former slaves ran
away from the lowlands, the plantations, away from the cruel rulers who
would have effectively enslaved them again. They ran to the mountains where
they would be safe from the soldiers and police of the realm. And here they
have in large measure remained. This pattern of relocation has defined
several aspects of Haitian life which undermine the development of a healthy
economy.
1. The price the Haitian masses have paid for their freedom has
been to live at or below subsistence, remaining in their tiny huts and non-
fertile mountain regions in order to have peace and freedom from oppression.
2. For nearly two centuries they have sub-divided their small plots
among their generations of descendants until the plots of land are very
tiny and relatively unproductive.
3. A widespread attitude has developed holding that no government
could ever be good government. Folk wisdom seems to demand that one retreat
ever further from government and eke out an existence outside the mainstream
of society.
All of these factors contribute greatly to the misery the
Haitian people suffer, and they are a direct legacy of Haitian politics and
government. These evils are brought to the Haitian people by the greed of
the elite.
4. THE ELITE'S PROTECTION OF ITS WEALTH.
For the most part the 3% of the people who constitute the
Haitian elite are descendants of those same families who were free prior to
the independence of 1804. There is an elite which is mainly black and an
elite which is mainly mulatto. These two groups have their own fights and
battles, but in the few cases when the masses have attempted to rise up and
assert the rights and needs of the people as a whole, the elite has rallied
together using its wealth and power to crush the masses.
The Duvalier family's rise to power was just another in a series
of such moves. The present government of General Namphy continues the
pattern even today. There has been no revolution in Haiti, just a change of
government.
5. HAITIAN CORRUPTION.
Corruption is common in all governments, especially prominent in
highly authoritarian regimes, and practiced beyond measure in Haiti. The
elite have used their positions in government ever since 1804 to gather the
wealth and power of Haiti for themselves. What little wealth the country had
has been manipulated into the hands of this elite. Foreign governments and
humanitarian and religious organizations have often attempted to aid the
suffering people of Haiti. Time and again, over and over in the 182 years of
so-called freedom, the Haitian elite and government officials have
sidetracked much of this wealth for their own purposes. Haiti faces the
incredibly difficult task of dealing with corruption that is so established,
so all-persuasive as to be an accepted social practice.
6. HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AS A TOOL OF OPPRESSION.
One would never expect that the Haitian masses would have sat
placidly by and allowed such a tiny elite to inflict the conditions of
misery on them. Indeed, the people did not sit willingly by. The history of
Haiti from early colonial days until the present is one of constant
resistance, constant rebellion. But the elite have been equal to the
challenge. For 182 years the Haitian rulers have used terror, killings,
beatings, illegal arrests and detentions, forced exile and other such
measures to keep the masses in line.
Even recently when it seemed that the overthrow of the Duvalier
dynasty would end the dreaded Tonton Macoute and ease the pressure against
resisters, we are reading of the activities of the Leopards. This is a crack
military organization which has been implicated by Amnesty International in
recent attacks on literacy workers and others aiding the masses in
attempting to non-violently break out of two centuries of oppression of the
Haitian elite.
SUMMARY OF THE ROOTS CAUSES
The poverty and misery in Haiti are human created. The root causes are
the political and economic systems which have dominated Haiti for the whole
of her 182 years. These oppres |
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