I can't let this pass. This is incredibly, crazily racist.
Africa is a vast continent with hundreds of millions of people. There are more middle-class people in Africa than North America, did you know that?
Your second point might make sense if Africa had middle class before Europeans arrived. The fact that there is civilization there after colonization doesn't in any way refute the original point.
I personally don't know whether Africa was on track to have civilization without colonialism (other people commenting that 'people around the world got there' is nonsense as most societies throughout history didn't get civilization on their own). But I detest trying to shut someone up merely because you don't find their thinking agreeable.
This is your imagination. Challenging someone's ideas is not shutting them up.
Especially if their ideas are as misguided, and yes, racist, as to believe the whole continent of Africa was unable to develop without the help of the white Europeans.
> I personally don't know whether Africa was on track to have civilization without colonialism
Are you seriously suggesting that there was no civilization in Africa before colonialism ?
You know, I'm not trying to shut you up, by this point you're so far off, that it doesn't even make sense to have a conversation. Or said much more succinctly:
The amount of energy necessary to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it, and ain't nobody got time for that.
My understanding is that Asia is widely expected to get there without Europe - but it's not clear for Africa.
In the case of America there actually were quite a few civilizations on the upswing when Europeans arrived (and killed everybody off with their diseases). I am yet to see the same said about Africa.
I'm not trying to shut them up, I'm trying to get them to think.
By saying 'That's racist' you come out meaning to stop the conversation because you have nothing more substantial to say.
