My two cents is to identify what I think are the two most telling points so far:

Glen’s phrase ‘spectacular-spectator neo-colonial form’: bang-on. Clearly there are fors and againsts on the economic and environmental fronts, but what was bothering me most was the attitudes and assumptions behind the events, rather than the events themselves.

And Armagnac’s advice to the Pope: ‘What’s the Vatican’s view of contraception and abortion in areas of sub-saharan africa suffering population and STD issues again? … If you want to help africa pappa, don’t make motor racing the start and end of it.’

The Vatican does not have the best interests of Africa at heart, (or the best interests of any poor nation for that matter). It has proven this time and time again. Otherwise, it would have long ago embraced and publically promoted the concepts of contraception and safer sex, as the only real effective means of radically impacting the African AIDS problem, mass starvation (particularly among children), and the problem of orphaned, unwanted children. It has not, and it will not.

Were the Vatican to change it’s position on this, and put it’s vast resources behind its much-adored mouth, it would have arguably a much larger positive impact on these problems over the next 20 years than perhaps any other single initiative could. (Same goes for that great, benevolent, trillion-dollar-money-hole luxury bureaucracy we call the UN.) Instead, the Vatican (and UN) conveniently and cynically criticize all of those horrible, “cynical”, cold-hearted, “rich” Western nations for not giving billions more in “aid money”; a high percentage of which is known to go straight into the pockets of the corrupt local warlord/theocratic governments. These governments have a vested interest in insuring that their subjects remain poor, hungry, and therefore incapable of threatening their luxury and power. “Aid money” is one of the main problems that keeps Africa hungry and economically incable of helping itself, but, the Vatican also has a vested interest in the “aid money” process!

Similarly, the Vatican prefers to cynically criticize events like the Dakar Rally, which brings some degree of trade, economic boost, and international cooperation to the tiny isolated towns it travels through; however small that impact may be, it is surely a positive, and not just in tangible, measureable ways. When you see these local kids coming out in droves to excitedly cheer on the competitors, and interact with them in any way possible, (which they do), a rational person can immediately see the potential for any one of these kids to suddenly realize that the world is full of a larger potential, opportunity, possibility, than they were previously even capable of imagining. If even one of these kids further develops that dream/curiosity as a result, and does something to bring more awareness, growth, trade, WHATEVER, to his community in the future, then the Dakar rally is well worth it on that basis alone.

Deaths on the Dakar Rally: How many kids die around the developed world, or even within 1000 kms of the Vatican, from being hit by a bus, car, motocycle, truck, train, or for that matter having a TV or computer monitor fall on them. I’ll assure you it is a far larger number. Does the Vatican suggest we ban all autos and TV’s, or decree them an irresponsible, bloody and cynical evil? No, because it’d be seen as utter nonsense. That’s not nearly as easy a target as condemning a European motor race running through Africa, one which will surely then be seen, pathetically, as exloiting the locals in every horrible way possible. And on a much more important point: How many kids die each day in Africa as a result of tribal or religious genocidal warfare against civilian populations? What has the Vatican really done about this other than offer hollow lip-service condemnation of the violence? What is their role in it? What should it be? This is just more intellectual selectiveness and arrogance, and even a moment spent damning the downsides of a car race, ANY car race anywhere, are to me nothing short of moral, if not even criminal, neglect.

Environmental impact: I cannot comprehend how people can criticize the infintessimally tiny environmental impact of 4×4 cars racing through the vast dunes of North Africa, largely on SAND, when there are far larger atrocities happening as we speak. Realistically, tomorrow’s windstorm covers every single one of today’s car tracks, to the extent that they were never even there to begin with. And, by contrast, one single luxury jet flight by some eggheaded overpaid “expert”,to go inspect said environmental “impact” and alert the media, itself has a far larger actual environmental impact. But I don’t hear anyone debating that sort of thing…it does not appear in the headlines so it does not get though about.

The making of the computers we are all on had a far bigger impact too. What if the Vatican suggested that you stop using yours, for that reason? Ridiculous. All of it.

Politics of “Saving Africa”: If this race were in China, say through the Gobe desert, the Vatican would not have bothered commenting one way or the other, no matter how many kids died, no matter what the enviro impact. The Vatican is scared to death of China’s “secular” government for obvious reasons, but more importantly, even the Vatican realizes how utterly pointless it would look to make such a criticism, when it is already well demonstrated that the massive-scale human rights and environmental abuses of that nation go virtually ignored by the world’s mass media and the good people who consume it and trust it. No, China doesn’t tug on the heart strings of our emotional Western populations like Africa does, even though China is already an environmental and human-rights catastrophy on an unimaginable scale. But it’s simply too big of a problem to understand for most, and therefore it is effectively a problem that conveniently does not exist. Africa, and a dinky little rally race through it, is an easier discussion, easier target, even though totally irrational in the larger sense. Meanwhile, the real issues in Africa and around the world, and their root causes, roll on, partially obscured by the wasted guilt-money we throw at them.

Good people of the world, get your priorities straight. Stop wasting time debating easily seen and understood mosquito bites on the surface, while applying mere band-aids to the gushing hemorages, deep internal cancers and vital organ failures of the world body. The time you waste costs millions of lives, even as we pat ourselves on the back for our divine “altrusism”, misapplied as it may be.

The Vatican is not a worthy or qualified judge to condemn a Rally in Africa. When they lift a finger to really do something about their own hypocritical internal horrors, like say the systemic and entrenched pattern of child abuse by priests around the world — to which they knowingly turn a blind insular eye — I’ll give them a rat’s arse for what they think of a car race in a desert.

What’s the Vatican’s view of contraception and abortion in areas of sub-saharan africa suffering population and STD issues again?

Is it in fact untrue that the African priests are among the worlds most hateful when it comes to gay rights on a continent with a long, long way to go in that area.

If you want to help africa pappa, don’t make motor racing the start and end of it.

We are presently in the process of exploring some house exchange programs in Europe for later in the year, and Asia is cheap if you eat what the locals eat.

Dont get the idea that we travel all the time. Until last year, we hadn’t travelled o/s since the kids were born, and we lived in new Guinea.

Btw, If you have an Aldi store in your town, they have a 68cm tv on special next week for around $250. Just mentionin’ I can always grab one for you if you like!

This morning it was telling me the comment was being posted and then not displaying it…looked different to both mod box and spaminator.

FYI – technical info after i submitted – hope it helps you cure the bug.

On the left hand bottom of screen in the bottom bar of explorer – “Error on Page” message came up rather than Done or the URL etc. I right clicked it and a little message box appeared with this info:

Problems with this page may prevent it from being displayed properly or functioning properly.

Line 9
Character 3
Error: Unknown runtime error
Code: 0
URL: http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/01/11/dakar-violence/#comment-304569

Dont know if this refers to the message box, or the entire page, or my explorer or,…..hope this is a clue…..

We’re off to Laos and China in a short while to visit some friends in Development work. Its blown the rennovation budget, but i think its money well spent.

Gee, you obviously have done much better out of welfare work than I have, SG. We have no ‘renovation budget’ to draw from in order to trek through Asia. In fact, as I sit here in front of my 34cm TV, I’m wondering how we’re going to afford our next 6 day driving holiday to Brisbane, which is only 400km away