While living in the States, I stayed pretty up to date on the news of the day. I flipped between the news stations during dinner and had my once a day cnn.com visit. 

Here, it’s a different story. I watched the news on television for the first time in months during lunch today. And I didn’t understand much. I realized I don’t know a lot about what’s going on with the election or the economy. And although I may visit cnn.com a few times a week, I rarely spend much time there. I’ll read the headlines and move on. What I do read, rarely has to do with the States, I typically am drawn to news about Africa. Makes sense I suppose.

At first, I felt bad. Shouldn’t  I, as an American, be in the know about my own economy and the presidental election? But thinking about it, I’m okay with not knowing much about it. Not knowing means not worrying. Not obsessing. Not waking up every morning wondering if the stock market crashed or if the new bill passed. I’d rather focus my thoughts on other things…my friends visiting sick in the hospital today, Shannon introducing her new friend, Grace, an orphan, to her friends at a village church to help take care of her. I’m happy focusing my attention on those things. 

I will vote. And I’ll research it well before I do. But, as for missing the plethra of presidential campaign commericals? I’m perfectly fine being 8000 miles away…

[jumping on my soapbox...]

I think we’ve all been in conversations where people shift the blame. We use excuses all the time, “it would have been done, but [insert excuse here]“. There are times when we have a indirect or less direct responsibility to a problem, and rather than accepting our part and trying to be part of the solution, we sink deeper and deeper into denial. We hope that we’ll go by unnoticed, that people won’t realize we were actually involved and we’ll get by scot free. If we take an active part in the solution, others may look deeper and realize that we had something to do with the problem in the first place, so out of pride, we lay low.

While Thrive Trip was here, I was with my group in a house in Qwa Qwa. The woman spoke English and was active in the community. The conversation quickly turned to AIDS and American’s involvement in the pandemic in Africa. I asked her if she thought that the Western media’s influence [movies, music, etc.] had affected African culture negatively, and if so, have we, by dramatizing drugs, drinking and sex, perpetuated AIDS in South Africa.

“Yes.” She answered with no hesistation.

She went on to explain it wasn’t our fault, that people were making negative choices regarding sex and partners. BUT, there is a direct correlation between Western influence and the rising AIDS rate. A majority of African tribes value monogomy. Women were expected to be virgins when they were married. Just like in European cultures, many time a sheet was checked after the marriage night to see if there was blood and the woman was in fact a virgin when she said “I do”. But most American movies and music don’t abide by the same values, casual sex is encouraged. In a society where 1 in 4 people are infected with HIV, no wonder more and more people are continuing to be infected as this generation of South Africans is increasingly adhering to this American value system they see in movies.

How many times have you heard, “AIDS is Africa’s problem” or “it’s not our fault, we didn’t have anything to do with it”. Sigh.

It is our problem. As Americans we have perpetuated the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. I believe we are indirectly responsible for the deaths of thousands a day from AIDS. We are indirectly responsible for millions of orphans and street kids in South Africa.

It’s time to stop passing the blame and realize that as Americans, our influence is much greater than the geographical borders of our country. As part of a global economy, we have the power to positively or negatively impact the world.

So, how will you be part of the solution?

[and off my soapbox...]