4 ms·

Bad for whom? For the kids getting to know a new language, for increased trading activities, or just for the American?

jobigoud 8y ago
If it's at the expense of learning English it's certainly a bad thing. The lingua franca of the World should be taught first.
- jacobmoe 8y ago
  English is one of the official languages of Kenya. I doubt it'll come at the expense of learning English.
- bilbo0s 8y ago
  The issue is that for these people the rest of the world doesn't matter. These are not the elites of Kenya we're talking about. These are Kenya's poor. It's running or education. Those are the means by which you can get out of your situation in Kenya. Chinese is just an increasingly important facet of the education option. In sub-saharan Africa, different places will have different languages that are important to economic success. For instance, if you're Senegalese, you're far better off perfecting your French than learning Chinese or English. That's just the raw, ugly, and unfortunate economic reality in which impoverished children in Senegal live. So the government has set things up so that children can get a small chance at making themselves impressive to Francophone companies. Because a slim chance, is better than no chance. Obviously those mandatory french classes come at the expense of English, but who cares? These kids need jobs. Now in more and more parts of Africa for young people there is what is essentially a chance at a lottery ticket going around out there. An education visa to China. And the way they work, most business done with Africa will flow through you if you get one of those visas. If they perfect their English, the same is not true. The business that America does with Africa will not start flowing through you just because you speak English well. (And that's even ignoring the fact that America doesn't do business with Africa the same way China does.) So, yes, impoverished kids who are smart, ambitious, and tired of being hungry are going to work their rear ends off trying to get one of those visas. You or I would do the same. And good on them. They're out trying to make a way for themselves in life. That's to be commended. It sounds like the Kenyans simply see what is becoming common knowledge in sub-saharan Africa. China is a ticket out of poverty for a lot of their more bright kids who may not be as privileged as people in the rest of the world. It's easy for us to say, "Hey, that Chinese is a bad thing." But what's the kid supposed to do with our idealism? Sure it can be a bad thing, so is diamond mining, but it pays, and for poor people in Africa these days, not many things do.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
Tiktaalik 8y ago
Increased trading activities with an autocratic government that doesn't respect the rule of law. Yay?
- dgudkov 8y ago
  I guess trading with an "autocratic government that doesn't respect the rule of law" is so disgusting to you that you don't buy anything made in China, right?
- tinza123 8y ago
  Well unfortunately the economy doesn't work that way. Ask Saudi.

If it's at the expense of learning English it's certainly a bad thing. The lingua franca of the World should be taught first.

jacobmoe 8y ago
English is one of the official languages of Kenya. I doubt it'll come at the expense of learning English.
bilbo0s 8y ago
The issue is that for these people the rest of the world doesn't matter. These are not the elites of Kenya we're talking about. These are Kenya's poor. It's running or education. Those are the means by which you can get out of your situation in Kenya. Chinese is just an increasingly important facet of the education option. In sub-saharan Africa, different places will have different languages that are important to economic success. For instance, if you're Senegalese, you're far better off perfecting your French than learning Chinese or English. That's just the raw, ugly, and unfortunate economic reality in which impoverished children in Senegal live. So the government has set things up so that children can get a small chance at making themselves impressive to Francophone companies. Because a slim chance, is better than no chance. Obviously those mandatory french classes come at the expense of English, but who cares? These kids need jobs. Now in more and more parts of Africa for young people there is what is essentially a chance at a lottery ticket going around out there. An education visa to China. And the way they work, most business done with Africa will flow through you if you get one of those visas. If they perfect their English, the same is not true. The business that America does with Africa will not start flowing through you just because you speak English well. (And that's even ignoring the fact that America doesn't do business with Africa the same way China does.) So, yes, impoverished kids who are smart, ambitious, and tired of being hungry are going to work their rear ends off trying to get one of those visas. You or I would do the same. And good on them. They're out trying to make a way for themselves in life. That's to be commended. It sounds like the Kenyans simply see what is becoming common knowledge in sub-saharan Africa. China is a ticket out of poverty for a lot of their more bright kids who may not be as privileged as people in the rest of the world. It's easy for us to say, "Hey, that Chinese is a bad thing." But what's the kid supposed to do with our idealism? Sure it can be a bad thing, so is diamond mining, but it pays, and for poor people in Africa these days, not many things do.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

Tiktaalik 8y ago

Increased trading activities with an autocratic government that doesn't respect the rule of law. Yay?

dgudkov 8y ago
I guess trading with an "autocratic government that doesn't respect the rule of law" is so disgusting to you that you don't buy anything made in China, right?
tinza123 8y ago
Well unfortunately the economy doesn't work that way. Ask Saudi.