Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Pirates, Bandits or Desperadoes?


The situation in Somalia has been desperate for decades now. Civil war is common in that part of the world. The forces behind it are mostly man-made -- gun runners, political manipulators, religious insurgents, etc. As a result, there has been famine for years . However, in the news today is the manifestation of that story. And it is being mistaken for the story itself.

The media conveniently uses the term "pirates" because of the sensational images it evokes of seafaring naves doing battle with maritime vessels; only now the buccaneers are black teens and not long-haired outlaws from Europe. They carry AK-47s, not sabres. They are still desperate and lawless. Image if gangs from Oakland to Los Angeles were to go unchecked for years...The Bloods and Crips, or some other gang, could likewise turn the southern coast of California into a playground for boat-cruising stick up men...Because someone will always be there to provide the guns, if nothing else.

Image the international tourist trade possible by maximizing this coast line...

War torn Somali soldiers... They have been fighting for decades now.

When the conflicts were mostly on land, this band of desperadoes on pick-up trucks were known in the media as "technicals." They have traded in their trucks for motor boats, so now they are "pirates."
Women in traditional dress. Possibilities for a better future are based on treatment of the women..."The hand the rocks the cradle rules the world."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nro-jzD7Bwk&feature=rec-HM-rn

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I use to be a defender of all things black. When I see these Somali pirates, they obviously don't care what the world thinks of them. So why should I.

When most Africans(not all ) get to America, they stay in there own ethnic communities, try to marry any white women that will take them, monopolize the cabbie industry and look down on the African Americans that have bleed and died for the very freedom that they enjoy.

(If a man robs you, he is still a robber.)

Darren Palmer said...

True that, Anonymous. My broadside was for the media, mostly. Using the term pirates allows them to sidestep an indpeth report, for the American people, on why this could happen. It's like calling the Katrina victims, refugees. It is sensational. And it keeps the news compelling, but still without answers.

Thanks for your comment.