by
Zadie Smith
110
One Week in Liberia
1
terms
4
notes
117
[...] The girls sing without facial affect; dead-eyed, unsmiling. Around us the bored schoolboys skulk. Nobody speaks to them or takes their picture. The teacher does not worry that boredom and disaffection may turn to resentment and violence: "Oh, no, they are very happy for the girls."
chilling and really worrisome portrayal of the boys as being neglected in favour of "the girls" in developing countries
[...] The girls sing without facial affect; dead-eyed, unsmiling. Around us the bored schoolboys skulk. Nobody speaks to them or takes their picture. The teacher does not worry that boredom and disaffection may turn to resentment and violence: "Oh, no, they are very happy for the girls."
chilling and really worrisome portrayal of the boys as being neglected in favour of "the girls" in developing countries
120
It is a frustration for activists that Liberians have tended not to trace their trouble back to extractive foreign companies or their government lobbies. Liberians don't think that way. Most Liberians know how much a rubber tapper gets paid: thirty-five American dollars a month. [...]
reminds you of Trump voters doesn't it?
It is a frustration for activists that Liberians have tended not to trace their trouble back to extractive foreign companies or their government lobbies. Liberians don't think that way. Most Liberians know how much a rubber tapper gets paid: thirty-five American dollars a month. [...]
reminds you of Trump voters doesn't it?
louche
(en)
disreputable or sordid in a rakish or appealing way
127
a louche, chain-smoking Lebanese in a safari pantsuit
notable
7 years, 6 months ago
a louche, chain-smoking Lebanese in a safari pantsuit
notable
7 years, 6 months ago
128
"[...] The whole reason Firestone came to Liberia in the first place was as a means of creating a permanent supply of rubber for the American military. The British had increased the taxes on Malaysian rubber--the Americans didn't want to pay that. They needed a permanent solution. So they planted the rubber--it's not native to Liberia. Really, they created a whole industry. It sounds strange, but these are some of the best jobs in Liberia."
quoting someone named Kamal
"[...] The whole reason Firestone came to Liberia in the first place was as a means of creating a permanent supply of rubber for the American military. The British had increased the taxes on Malaysian rubber--the Americans didn't want to pay that. They needed a permanent solution. So they planted the rubber--it's not native to Liberia. Really, they created a whole industry. It sounds strange, but these are some of the best jobs in Liberia."
quoting someone named Kamal
130
Englishman: [...] Maybe we could just give them a few things ... a nice bed, bedsheets, something so they won't be bitten to death at night. [...]
Liberian: My friend, someone's going to get malaria. It's inevitable. [...] I ask you please not to worry about malaria--we get it all the time in Liberia. I promise you we are used to it!
The history of Liberia consists of elegant variations on this conversation.
I really like the "elegant variations on this conversation"
Englishman: [...] Maybe we could just give them a few things ... a nice bed, bedsheets, something so they won't be bitten to death at night. [...]
Liberian: My friend, someone's going to get malaria. It's inevitable. [...] I ask you please not to worry about malaria--we get it all the time in Liberia. I promise you we are used to it!
The history of Liberia consists of elegant variations on this conversation.
I really like the "elegant variations on this conversation"