Wellsy wrote:And what do you think distinguishes those former colonies from the colonization of South America in terms of resource extraction and the establishment of institutions?
Because it's not as if colonialism hasn't deeply scarred those nations still, but was able to be integrated into the West in ways that I do not think are comparable in Latin America with being former Spanish Colonies with a different empire that collapsed, with a different colonial system and institutions. ANd with very different histories in 20th century that its too easy to go they were colonies thus the history of colonialism and the Monroe doctrine of the 19th and 20th century be damned.
@Wellsy Europe is not a monolith of sameness. Neither is Latin America. No one talks about the Jones Act, the Monroe Doctrine, the Platt amendment, the constant lack of respect that the culture of the USA via Calvinism and Max Weber,
Capitalism and the Protestant Ethic committs against societies in Latin America who don't share their value systems. People have a right to differ, to vary, to have different voting patterns and laws, and governing structures. Do we really want Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, Greece, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Tanzania, South Africa, etc. to all be the SAME. Speaking English, eating at McDonald's and driving SUVs, and living in cookie-cutter suburban condos in their nations? Accept diversity and embrace it. It brings peace to be able to allow differences in everything without IMPOSING your model on the rest of the nations of the world.
I get so tired of people with racist theories about
Latin America being poor because of the culture or because they fail to do it the Yankee way. It has nothing to do with culture or failure to emulate the Yankee way.
It has to do with what a system does to societies that don't have guns or money. For example, this is problematic. But in Mexico, they are bombarded with ads about the benefits of Coca-Cola. It is causing mass diabetes in the population. They push dairy products in the Mayan region of Mexico knowing full well that the vast majority of the population has lactose intolerance. Why? Simple. Profits.
Bolivia said no to McDonald's. Why? Too expensive and the Bolivians preferred traditional foods that are not only cheaper but are healthier and they like the traditional Incan-based foods. Not the hamburgers. You can spend a lot of money on the streets of La Paz, Bolivia on ads but in the end? They won't spend.
https://www.kuodatravel.com/bolivian-fo ... of%20sales.
Who is right or wrong in that case? The corporations wanted to hook the consumer in Bolivia. The Bolivians did not go along with it. So? Do you get violent over that crap? No. You pack it in and leave. That is what should happen in political stuff. If the society votes in a free and fair election without manipulations from the elite and the corporate and the banksters....and they want to FORCE it? You will have massive problems.
Limit what is a commercial venue of sales. It should not be about manipulating a public government that is there to serve all of Bolivian, Peruvian, Colombian, Ecuadoran, etc society. Give it up. Don't do it.