Jared Diamond was born in 1937 in Boston. He is one of the known scholars is America. He is a professor Geography and Physiology. He has also written books about ecological biology. Jared Diamond did extensive studies in New Guinea. He strongly believes that the environment shapes the development of individuals and societies. (Diamond and Jared)
I agree with Jared Diamond’s view that the Europeans are better than Africans. The differences come as a result of several factors. The factors range from environment, politics, trade and ethnicity. It is right to say that human beings were created with the same ability. This is evidence since God created human being with all the qualities the same. Jared examined the common belief that the white Eurasians are better than other races and disagreed with it. (Diamond and Jared)
He explains that it is the environmental differences that bring the cultural differences. When his long term New Guinea friend asked him why the whites are so successful, he tells him that it not that the whites are superior. Jared reframes the question and asks why the whites have dominated the other people by means of guns and steel. He believes that it the people who believe that the whites are better but the truth is the environment that brings the difference.
Jared observes that the New Guineans are more intelligent more alert than average Europeans or American. The difference between the Europeans and other races is brought about by the environmental difference. He says the Eurocentric ideas are loathsome and incorrect. The fact that the Europeans dominate the world with technology does not mean that they are better than other races. It is because the environment has exposed them to more research and enhanced technology. It is worth noting that Maoris and Morioris. (Diamond and Jared)
The underdevelopment in Africa is due to tropical climate, tropical crops and tropical diseases. It is worth noting that colonialists had a lot of interest in Africa because they believed that she had economic importance. The availability of animals and plants to domesticate is also another factor that brings the difference in development between Africa and other countries.
Most of these plants and animals are found in fertile land in areas like China and none was found in Africa. Also colonialism did a lot of harm to the underdeveloped countries as the colonialists made Africans believe that they are inferior to the Europeans. The truth of the matter is that the colonialists used the resources in African and left the continent very little for development. It is evident that Africa has grown at a higher rate after colonization. This is an indication that the environment that the colonialist set for economic development was not favorable. In fact, he says that African countries that have invested much on health services are some of the countries that have recorded a higher economic growth.
Jared gives an example of South Africa as one of the African countries that made great steps towards development. It is not by coincidence that South Africa has developed. It is because of the environment that has been set for development in that country. The distance between a country and the external slave market determines the economic development of that country. For example, the countries that imported a lot of slaves were well equipped with sufficient man power for their plantation farms. It is clear that the countries from which more slaves were taken are the same countries which are poorly developed. This is because the man power in those countries was exported, though forcefully, to other countries. Initially the trade between Africans and Europeans was legitimate items, not slaves. When the demand for workers in the plantations in Europe rose the legitimate trade was turned into slave trade. As a result, Africa was left with little or no work force to spear head the development. Consequently she has remained behind economically. An example of African countries that has recorded great steps in development is South Africa. This can be attributed to the fact that she never exported many slaves to India and Europe. The main reason South Africa never exported many slaves is because of its position with reference to the external slave market. In Africa, countries like Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia and Gabon were strategically placed in terms of the eternal slavery market. This explains why those countries are poor to date. (Diamond and Jared)
Another factor that has brought Africa backwards is cultural and political differences. Africa is blessed with diversified cultural background and this has not worked well for her. The ethnicity in Africa has made it poor and poor. This can be explained by the manner in the national resources in a country are distributed in African countries. Most of the areas where the leaders of the day do not come from are neglected in term of infrastructure.
The lack of infrastructure in most regions in Africa is the main reason the countries have remained poor. According Jared, ethnic differences in poorly developed countries promote poverty in those areas. People living in areas that the government of the day neglected are exposed to environmental hardship. Such areas will remain behind in terms of development. The environment shapes the way people perceive issues and how people plan for development. Another factor that contributes to underdevelopment is political and ideological differences. For the economy of any country to grow, there must be political good will in the country. Jack Diamond states that it takes a longer time for people with different ideas to come to an agreement. For example such a country to decide on a viable economic policy might take time. As a result such countries remain poor for a long time.
The use of weapons to suppress Africans during the colonization also left her bare rendering it unfavorable for production. This makes Africa to remain vulnerable to underdevelopment. In most of African states, the colonialists used the scorched-earth policy leaving them with nothing to use to develop their countries. Also, the relationship between countries went sour, leaving each country to depend on its own resources. This is because their bilateral trade was cut off. (Diamond and Jared)
The resources available for exploitation are also another issue. For a continent to develop well there must be resources to exploit. The African states are blessed with resources but lack technological and financial might to do so. This makes other exploitative European countries take advantage over her. As such, it is only reasonable to say that Africans are not inferior to Europeans or Asians. The methods used to exploit such resources also result into environmental degradation. Eventually the poorly developed countries end up getting poorer.
In conclusion Africans have been exposed to several challenges that stagnate her developmental plans. Jared’s answer to Yali, his New Guinean friend, clearly explains that racialism is simply wrong and dead. He gives hope to Africans by clearly indicating that the Eurasians are not any better than the New Guineans. In fact, he says that the New Guineans are more alert and attentive than Europeans. In his book it clear that Europeans have dominated other races by means guns and steel.
Work Cited
Diamond, Jared. “Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies”. U.S.A: W. W. Norton, 1999. Print.
