Truly an interesting piece by Rachel Faber yet again, the savior of the poor masses. Give me a break. Are you serious? Do you really think the average American consumer thinks about apartheid in Africa when he is thinking of a way to convey his affection for a significant other? Rachel’s article was about as tactful as you can get. She writes in a style where the reader is forced to say, “Well, she does have a point. I didn’t realize I was such a jerk.” She wants us to hold back and hurt Debeers. Why should I care about the Liberians or the Sierra Leonese? Sure we all have a humanistic side, even right-wing monsters like myself. What are you fighting for? Are you fighting to truly help the people of these countries achieve a better life, or are you simply interested in attracting attention to yourself by implying you are fighting the good fight. Does confronting truth really bring about healing, or does it just reopen old wounds. Should perpetrators of abuses receive amnesty?If you say no then you just screwed over the very people in those mines. After all they are the ones digging to support America’s greedy appetite for luxury so they are just as guilty as the warlords. Is true reconciliation possible if people are split and categorized as victims or oppressors? If I have to make a decision on whether or not I’m going to give someone I love a piece of plastic or a diamond, I’m going to choose the diamond. The fact is that mines are in Africa and not the United States. We cannot assume to project our humanistic values on other countries. It’s not the job of the average American to question everyone else’s actions. Who knows what violates norms in whatever country it is you are examining. If I wanted to go buy some bananas at Hy-Vee, I wouldn’t care at whose expense it was that those bananas were brought to me. What I am thinking is “cool, bananas are 99 cents a pound. I’m going to buy two pounds and get some milk while I’m at it.” And that’s all I want to think about.Andy Gonzales

Senior

Political science