I would appreciate if you did not judge my opinion.
I already said that I am not suggesting that everyone in africa is starving. At HN of all places I would expect people to RTFM... All I said is that I can not overlook a few hundreds/thousands/millions (the exact number are not really important) of people starving so easily as you (or others) and focus on getting a cheap smart phone. I will say again that this is text book hybris.
I am only pointing out my perspective without judging those who do not share my view, please try and do the same without jumping to conclusions.
If you choose to air your opinion in a discussion forum like HN, you ought to expect it to be judged.
Supporting the introduction of more affordable technology into African countries is not hubris, of the text book type or any other, it's pragmatism. As we have seen in country after country poverty is permanently alleviated not by aid but by development. Affordable technology is a key driver of that.
I have seen first-hand what a transformative technology mobile phones has been for people stuck in poverty, allowing them to trade with others, receive critical medical information, form more protective societal bonds and reduce the danger of frequent migrations to find employment to list just a few. M-Pesa's benefits were mainly not to the wealthy of Kenya, but to its unbanked poor to whom it gave new abilities and protection.
You cannot look at Africa merely as a problem to be solved by charitable means, because those countries that are struggling need capacity-building, not a permanent reliance on aid.
I've travelled the world enough to realise that people are the same the world over. Imagine how you'd feel if you were denied affordable technology on the basis that many Americans are living below the poverty line and you'll begin to understand why Africans might find your assertions absurd.
Microsoft and Huawei aren't exactly equipped to feed people. They are, however, equipped to sell a relatively inexpensive smartphone; putting the sum of human knowledge in peoples hands also has it's own merits. Not to suggest this is some act of pure corporate philanthropy, but it's serving a purpose nonetheless.
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I would appreciate if you did not judge my opinion.
I already said that I am not suggesting that everyone in africa is starving. At HN of all places I would expect people to RTFM... All I said is that I can not overlook a few hundreds/thousands/millions (the exact number are not really important) of people starving so easily as you (or others) and focus on getting a cheap smart phone. I will say again that this is text book hybris.
I am only pointing out my perspective without judging those who do not share my view, please try and do the same without jumping to conclusions.
If you choose to air your opinion in a discussion forum like HN, you ought to expect it to be judged.
Supporting the introduction of more affordable technology into African countries is not hubris, of the text book type or any other, it's pragmatism. As we have seen in country after country poverty is permanently alleviated not by aid but by development. Affordable technology is a key driver of that.
I have seen first-hand what a transformative technology mobile phones has been for people stuck in poverty, allowing them to trade with others, receive critical medical information, form more protective societal bonds and reduce the danger of frequent migrations to find employment to list just a few. M-Pesa's benefits were mainly not to the wealthy of Kenya, but to its unbanked poor to whom it gave new abilities and protection.
You cannot look at Africa merely as a problem to be solved by charitable means, because those countries that are struggling need capacity-building, not a permanent reliance on aid.
I've travelled the world enough to realise that people are the same the world over. Imagine how you'd feel if you were denied affordable technology on the basis that many Americans are living below the poverty line and you'll begin to understand why Africans might find your assertions absurd.
Microsoft and Huawei aren't exactly equipped to feed people. They are, however, equipped to sell a relatively inexpensive smartphone; putting the sum of human knowledge in peoples hands also has it's own merits. Not to suggest this is some act of pure corporate philanthropy, but it's serving a purpose nonetheless.