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I can't help but notice you haven't volunteered anything good to say about the country either. I went looking and there isn't much to find, on wikipedia anyway

I can't help but notice you haven't volunteered anything good to say about the country either. I went looking and there isn't much to find, on wikipedia anyway. They have some substantial mineral resources, but diamonds are the only resource being developed. They get much of their power from hydroelectric, but that's because they import all their petroleum on truck and barge; the CAR is one of the least electrified countries in the world. They have substantial arable land, but most of the population survives on subsistence farming and bush meat; 45% of the population experiences high acute food insecurity. Efforts to raise livestock are hampered by tropical parasites. Most of their economy is "off the books" (smuggling, untaxed, unreported) trade of diamonds, ivory, bushmeat and alcohol.

notch656a 5y ago
>I can't help but notice you haven't volunteered anything good to say about the country either. Not saying anything about a country isn't anything like putting a bunch of bullet points to explain a country while saying nothing positive about it whatsoever. I can't even begin on the stupidity of comparing not saying anything at all about the CAR (me) with putting a big list of "factoids" and omitting any positive thing at all about the country (such as they are incredibly ethnically rich with ~80+ ethnicities and languages). It's the stereotypical English speaker on the internet shitting on another nation with a laundry list of facts about a country while offering absolutely 0, ZERO, point of positive element about another nation. Of course few in the CAR speak English and the majority likely do not even have regular internet access, so one can easily take the cowardly position of shitting on the negatives while simultaneously espousing none of the positives with little fear of any push-back from those in the CAR with something positive to say.
- robonerd 5y ago
  > they are incredibly ethnically rich with ~80+ ethnicities and languages. Okay, that's something at least. What are the economic, political and civil implications of this?
  - notch656a 5y ago
    Given that there are 80+ ethnicities and languages in the USA, I'd say having a variety of ethnicities is compatible with a wide variety of economical, political, and civil structures. The question as it stands is a multivariate problem that is nearly intractable to answer factually.
    - robonerd 5y ago
      So the best you can say about the CAR is their ethnic diversity is not fundamentally incompatible with prosperity, but nevertheless the problem of prosperity in the CAR is nearly intractable? That's grim.
      - notch656a 5y ago
        >problem of prosperity in the CAR is nearly intractable? That's not the question you asked, nor the question I answered, and you know it. >best you can say about the CAR is their ethnic diversity is not fundamentally incompatible with prosperity, I never said it was the 'best' thing about CAR. My statement about diversity in CAR also did not include any statement saying it helped or harmed its 'prosperity.' You berated me for saying nothing so I provided something, which you then out of bad faith reinterpreted into something else. It's perverted, and sick, that rich ethnic diversity has to be viewed through the lenses of how it's going to make people economically 'prosperous', rather than appreciated and respected for cultural, artistic, and other non-commercial reasons. I don't understand your angle here; other cultures aren't there for you to squeeze dry to get rich.
        robonerd 5y ago
        Well I'm genuinely curious about this so I continued to do more reading. I figured maybe economic prosperity is not the same as being happy, but alas, the CAR is very near the bottom of the UN's World Happiness Report; 149 out of 153.... BUT they rank quite well in perceived generosity! In the top third in fact, sandwiched between Austria and Germany. That people in the CAR are so generous despite being dirt poor and gravely unhappy is an ember of hope at least.

notch656a 5y ago

>I can't help but notice you haven't volunteered anything good to say about the country either. Not saying anything about a country isn't anything like putting a bunch of bullet points to explain a country while saying nothing positive about it whatsoever. I can't even begin on the stupidity of comparing not saying anything at all about the CAR (me) with putting a big list of "factoids" and omitting any positive thing at all about the country (such as they are incredibly ethnically rich with ~80+ ethnicities and languages). It's the stereotypical English speaker on the internet shitting on another nation with a laundry list of facts about a country while offering absolutely 0, ZERO, point of positive element about another nation. Of course few in the CAR speak English and the majority likely do not even have regular internet access, so one can easily take the cowardly position of shitting on the negatives while simultaneously espousing none of the positives with little fear of any push-back from those in the CAR with something positive to say.

robonerd 5y ago
> they are incredibly ethnically rich with ~80+ ethnicities and languages. Okay, that's something at least. What are the economic, political and civil implications of this?
- notch656a 5y ago
  Given that there are 80+ ethnicities and languages in the USA, I'd say having a variety of ethnicities is compatible with a wide variety of economical, political, and civil structures. The question as it stands is a multivariate problem that is nearly intractable to answer factually.
  - robonerd 5y ago
    So the best you can say about the CAR is their ethnic diversity is not fundamentally incompatible with prosperity, but nevertheless the problem of prosperity in the CAR is nearly intractable? That's grim.
    - notch656a 5y ago
      >problem of prosperity in the CAR is nearly intractable? That's not the question you asked, nor the question I answered, and you know it. >best you can say about the CAR is their ethnic diversity is not fundamentally incompatible with prosperity, I never said it was the 'best' thing about CAR. My statement about diversity in CAR also did not include any statement saying it helped or harmed its 'prosperity.' You berated me for saying nothing so I provided something, which you then out of bad faith reinterpreted into something else. It's perverted, and sick, that rich ethnic diversity has to be viewed through the lenses of how it's going to make people economically 'prosperous', rather than appreciated and respected for cultural, artistic, and other non-commercial reasons. I don't understand your angle here; other cultures aren't there for you to squeeze dry to get rich.
      - robonerd 5y ago
        Well I'm genuinely curious about this so I continued to do more reading. I figured maybe economic prosperity is not the same as being happy, but alas, the CAR is very near the bottom of the UN's World Happiness Report; 149 out of 153.... BUT they rank quite well in perceived generosity! In the top third in fact, sandwiched between Austria and Germany. That people in the CAR are so generous despite being dirt poor and gravely unhappy is an ember of hope at least.