The yardstick by which the political, economic, and social conditions of developing nations is measured, is developed in ideological isolation by the intelligentsia of the now-developed nations.
Did not poor labor conditions prevail during the rise of industry in these now-developed nations?
Was pollution not a side-effect of such industrial development?
Were political freedoms not hampered or underdeveloped at that time?
Were cultural groups not more adversarial within the borders of the now-developed nation-state?
Were prisons not harsher?
Were laws not more Draconian?
These considerations are thrown to the wayside by the thinkers of today, providing the all-too convenient means for punishing the developing nation of today for its “human rights abuses”.
Criticism of those trying to “catch-up” is, while not unethical, arrogant. It is also reflective of a tendency to shirk making the needed changes in ones own house. Self critique is hard – finger-pointing is not. Progress is hard – sitting still is not.
jim's corner 