followed, slightly later by this -
I won't lie, it had piqued my interest to see such bitter froth erupting on the normally placid medium. I clicked through and set about reading. Obviously this was a response of some kind an article in the Saint. Wait a second - neo-colonialism and racism? Those handy rhetorical stones that are lobbed whenever an argument has to be forced into existence? Who is this strange, dull author who seemingly lacks a funny-bone? I'd urge you to read for yourselves.
http://www.stand-news.co.uk/tribe-calle ... f3f00693a4
There are some properly earnest gems in there. Take these, which had me almost crying with laughter -
This weirdly self-referential piece of meta-criticism makes me question whether these pieces are actually an insanely polished piece of post-colonial satire. Then I remember I’m reading The Saint.
#thatawkwardmomentwhenyourealiseyou’reafewyearslateforthescrambleforafrica.
‘Every mile I pray to God for strength, but then I look around me and I realise God left this place a long time ago.’” These statements betray total ignorance of colonial stereotyping and reek of unthinking superiority.
I haven't read the original article, I imagine it was some layman's attempt at a humorous travelogue - but whatever it was or wasn't this fantastic piece of righteous ordure had been pressed down on it by an author looking to fit his wildly unworldly theories to modern-day fact.
I can't blame the author alone though - after all he's probably an impressionable student. This is the work of more advanced minds, toiling away endlessly in academic obscurity to bring him the True Word about how a theory that had its day about thirty years ago is still relevant in the 21st century. Said and his ilk continue to haunt us for our troubles, while we sit and discuss the merits and demerits of philosophies that should have been consigned to history by the end of the 20th century, China, unencumbered by historical guilt, has no problem engaging with African nations in ways that might actually benefit both parties. The West has pussy-footed around for long enough, it's time to close the book and re-engage with the world as it is, not as some might fantatise it is.
If in the future you ask yourself how a student got to the end of their career at St Andrews with such a closed and puritanical mind, ask yourself, did they study IR at any point?