Why isn't Sudan topping the charts here?

Why isn't the killing and raping of hundreds of thousands of people moving us to action? What is politically incorrect about calling for an immediate end to this carnage? Why is John Kerry (who I support) giving these monsters 30 days??? Are the black Africans somehow less important than other people? Isnt' there something about raping an African woman and then branding her as a rape victem so that she will be shunned and raped again, somehow diabolical? Why is this not top on the DU list? It is just not enough to tell these bastards to stop klling...they won't. So????? Sudan. Sudan. Sudan. Our soul.

Why is the genocide in Sudan NOT being discussed?
Good question Raven.
Good question.
BHN

Because it is so distant and not as dramatic as a gay governor or an adulterous Utah man killing his wife. The public wants DRAMA. We want ENTERTAINMENT. We want pharisee leaders who pay LIP SERVICE to morality. And we want to see WAR and BLOODSHED on our news stations. And then we want to see Brit Hume and Sean Hannity punditize about it. And we want junk food. And our couch. And to have a national discussion about who these terrorists are and why they are out to get us.

You left that one out.
Fear Factor and all...
Sadly, the average person in this country
could not begin to find Sudan on a map.
BUT, just ask them what time their favorite "reality"
show is on...
Things that matter are not what matter to Americans.
And this reality will be our fall.

An ancient philosopher once observed that
you could predict the fall of a civilization by
what its citizens considered entertaining.

Need I say more?
I think not.
BHN

WELCOME TO DU!!!
BHN

That and the fact that we have a pretty large amount of domestic turmoil here. Obviously Sudan trumps us in that categorie, but when people feel afraid and usure, they tend to focus on themselves and thier family.

For something like Sudan to really touch the American conciousness it would need to trumpeted by the government (ie it involves us in some way economically) or it would have to be a time where there werent many things people cared about happening here.

Its unfortunate, but it is human nature, when something isnt materially effecting your life and is happening far away it tends to lose saliance.

The problem is the government is worrying about other things and noone sees an advantage in taking this on, and the do-gooders, so to speak, who might be able to organize for it are busy trying to get Kerry elected and fight against the war in Iraq etc.

But yes, this is an issue that needs more attention and needs action. We are so far from where we need to be in this world.

Well, Joe Hoeffel did get arrested over this. Did it help him? He was still stuck at 34% in the last poll. But he did pick up a couple of endorsements.

every keeps saying "something should be done" but no-one seems to have an idea as to what exactly "it" is

Or at least as much pressure to be applied as possible. The US calls the shots to a large extent in world diplomacy, we could make it a top priority.

A world coalition of peace keepers.
Military force included, if necessary-
Oh but wait, our military is engaged
in the illegal occupation of sovereign nations states
and therefore unavailable to lead or assist in an
intervention.
Besides, the victims are "brown people."
So Americans don't really care, do they?
Sarcasm off.
BHN

when there's no peace - Bush has rightly been chastised for his disdain for diplomacy, this stage (unfortunately for the Sudanese affected) is the diplomatic stage - blazing in with both barrells at this stage would set up futrher problems in the future.

The Sudanese government who arm and support the janjaweed are not going to co-operate with a peacekeeping or military force at this point in time so the only option would be a forced intervention which would stir up nationalism in the rest of the country and voila another shit storm.

I'm not saying we should ignore what happening in Darfur but if the solution isn't viable it causes more problems than it solves.

This has been on my mind also. Why are we talking about anything BUT Sudan. It's not because we are focussed on ourselves. It's because "out of sight, out of mind."

I have watched alternative news. And I'll tell you, it is absolutely horrific. It is the most heartwrenching agony I can imagine. To see young children in excruciating chronic pain, with absolutlely hopeless mothers, is beyond grief.

What we have here is kiddy play compared to their suffering.

We need to get our priorities straight. George Bush and Cheney will bury themselves. But these Sudanese desperately need help.

What can we do? We spent our money. On war.

And there is another thing to think about- America isn't the only country on the planet that can do something. Where are the other countries of the world? We're all busy building militaries, when we need to feed the world.

Every group with the ability to effect the nations attention either sees no benefit from taking on Sudan or cant spare the resources to do so.

"America isn't the only country on the planet that can do something. Where are the other countries of the world?"

That is a good question Gregorian. All of the countries of the world have decided to take on a Machiavellian philosophy with no concept of collective action. Its the terrorists' best hope of winning.

They *do* have terrorists...

They *do* have lots of repression...

No WMDs, but that's no big deal apparently...

They *do* have genocide and mass graves...

Torture? Yep...

They're darker than the Iraqis, so that's not it...

Islam? Got it....

Hmmmm. What are they missing? I sure as hell don't know.

those others don't count. We can't even get anyone to notice that we imprisoned and abused innocent Iraqi's and Afghani's. What the hell are we supposed to do about Sudan? If we march in the streets, who cares? We did it an no one cared.

No one cares, Raven. They aren't important. Sad as it is, there's nothing to be done. They don't have anything we need right now. The world doesn't care. We are hypocrits to talk about it.

KICK
BHN

It's like the cousin everyone hopes will go away.

Sudan is the most underreported story of the century, IMO. Yes, we should be discussing it, but the truth is that little to no major American media are covering the war. Even here at DU we are subject to the amount of media coverage for posts, images, etc. If the British media sources are also effectively ignoring Sudan, it's off DU's radar as well.

I hate to say it, but right now I feel there is a humanitarian disaster overload in the minds of a lot of Progressives. It reminds me of the Onion column a few weeks ago about "Outrage Overload." Too many bad things have happened lately and right now Sudan is just another aria in a very horrific and long Opera.

Also, there's the thought that Africa should solve it's own problems. As freeperish as it sounds, a lot of Progressives agree that if Africa, as a continent, wants more global recognition, it's their duty to quell Sudan without igniting a continental war. In effect, I also feel that the training wheels have come off for Africa and it's time to see if they can police themselves or if they still need their post-colonial powers to help out.

At any rate, this slaughter has gone on long enough and it's time to step in and end it, human life is more valuable than a "political science experiment."

this genocide in the Sudan can be traced back to who will control the oil revenues of the Sudan.
The Bush Admin's friends in the Oil industry will only benefit when the population is annhilated and the remaining Sudanese are friendly to the Western Oil companies.

So why would the Western media care when the West will benefit from the murder of these people?

They will only go in after the genocide is nearing its completion so that they can put on the show of caring...and then they will bare their fangs and plunge them into those wells.

This article was from last year...

http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/11/sudan112503.htm

Even Smithsonian magazine did a piece on this...which I can't find..

It is sickening, we should be doing something...

(of course, nobody had this 'excuse' during the Rwanda genocide.)


http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0728-03.htm

Published on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 by the lndependent/UK

War in Iraq 'Preventing Efforts to Stop Sudan Genocide'
by Ben Russell

Britain and America's preoccupation with Iraq has blocked international efforts to end genocide in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan, according to a highly critical report published by a think-tank close to Tony Blair.

The study, to be published today, said that the war in Iraq had prevented effective planning for military intervention which could have bolstered diplomatic efforts to prevent the bloodshed, which has driven more than a million people from their homes.

It warned that discussion on Iraq had prevented the United Nations Security Council discussing the Darfur crisis in May and diverted attention from clear warning signs that started emerging more than a year ago.

The study, which was published by the Foreign Policy Center, a left-of-center think-tank which counts Mr Blair as its patron, said that there was a fatal lack of political resolve to take strong action against the Khartoum government, a key American ally in the war on international terrorism.


..more..

over the past month. But looking at the names of contributors to them, I don't see many of the people who are saying on this thread "why aren't we talking about this on DU?" There's been talk - it just seems you missed it.