Thread by @TamanishaJohn

I’ve been seeing #Swedengate and have enjoyed that it’s allowed others to share — and the info be received — that Sweden (as other Nordic European countries) have racist colonial histories that persist.

I saw a response saying: “we give billions in aid to poor countries”

and…

“What happens in aid is similar to what happens in military expenditure. When the govt. spends on national defense, most of the money stays in the [country] to pay wages and purchase equipment, supplies, and services; in this way the defense budget helps stimulate the economy…”

“[the] foreign aid budget is not a loss, but rather a contribution to the domestic economy”

— still from Carty; and relevant to note here because it’s really tiring to hear European + Anglo-settler state citizens bemoan, or uplift, their aid contributions to the less fortunate

without ever realizing that the majority of their aid donation (80%+) actually goes towards stimulating their own corporations and wages — with only a tiny fraction of the actual aid reaching said poor country, and when it does, going to said poor countries wealthy/elite classes.

When studies have shown that foreign aid doesn’t work — just as studies show that sanctions don’t work, and like foreign aid causes more harm than good — I wish people would actually investigate why, versus repeating talking points to seem like they’re helping anyone.

Other “aid” tricks to “less fortunate” states by European + Anglo-settler states (which effectively makes the aid nil in comparison to European + Anglo-settler extraction + profits in these same “less fortunate states):

- the aid budget includes admin costs in giving country 🙃

-the aid budget includes anytime they’ve “forgiven” debts — meaning debt forgiveness itself it registered as a “contribution” by giving country, even tough debt forgiveness doesn’t mean any money was given 🙃

-food aid gets counted , even as it just gets rid of giving country’s surplus (this surplus encouraged by rich countries subsidizing their farmers). Agro-subsidies need to go, bc they keep food exporters prices low + dispossess poor farmers from their land for corps🙃

-the aid budget includes some portion of loans, even though loans have to be paid back to giving country 🙃

-the aid budget includes tied aid that typically privileges giving country goods, services, costs to export said goods & services. Meaning money is wasted in aid 🙃

Atrociously, the aid lie always bugs me as it regards Haiti — since people believe Haiti gets millions/billions of aid, without realizing giving countries literally funnel that $$$ to themselves + their corporations, not to Haiti or majority of Haitians (since again, elite get)

Then why does aid happen? Because of capitalism:

it generates goodwill for the system, while downplaying that it upholds inequality, by continuing to uplift domestic economies of already wealthy states + elites in poorer countries, that people can put their support behind 🙃

I don’t remember who said it on the #CSA2022 call this morning at open — since I was away from screen — but it’s literally just “pimping poverty”

I’ve been told that racists have swarmed the replies of this thread — but I don’t see reply notifs really — so I checked and sure enough the basic insult from social-welfare Europeans is to call people “apes” and to “go back to Africa.” Nothing about the truth of the thread 🤭😂

I also won’t lose sleep over being called an ape; and I’ve always thought it was a weird insult anyway since I think apes and monkeys are actually cute.

My fave gif of all time 😍🥰