Journal of Other Forum Analysis (Volume II, Issue 1)

[benji]

If criticism of the racist art you put out in the world is "but it's raising money for charity," you're not actually engaging with the critique. That in turn raises doubts about your ability to actually engage with the fundamental structures underpinning widespread hunger in Africa.

Like, why the fuck do you think Africa is so economically underdeveloped, Bob?

I think it's a time capsule emblematic of Western charity towards the turn of the century. That despite being a legitimate charity, at its core held a really patronizing and diminutive attitude towards the people they were helping. The "wow, what a shithole, have a couple bucks" type of charity that didn't bother itself too much with hiding its fundamental lack of respect.

It's the white man's burden type of racism.

Hell calling it "Band Aid" always felt weird to me. Cause that is what it is, a band aid on a grenade wound

That's not weird, it's logically consistent lol.

The worst thing is, they could have easily used this in the 80s too. "We know this won't fix the root of the problem, it's a bandaid. But sometimes a short term fix can help people." or something like that.

I don't think you get white people on board with something if you're openly admitting that an action isn't going to fix the problem because the primary emotion motivating these kinds of endeavors is saviorism. People want to feel like they "made a difference." This goes doubly so if you're hinting at the fact that the issues in Africa are structural, because that inevitably turns a lens back onto the Western lifestyle, and most people aren't willing to give up their leeching ways to help a people that they, deep down, fundamentally view as little more than capital to bolster said leeching ways.

She seems to literally believe that African poverty is caused by Westerners... uh... sending too much aid? I'm not sure she even knows what she's trying to say is the problem here.

Also, if Westerners are all racists (see: all her other posts) then viewing Africans as merely capital is a good thing because they will invest in Africa more than they will be racist.