Russia and me

1 - Conversation in Frankfurt - "Look at me...I'm black!"

On my way to Russia I had some time to kill in Frankfurt between planes, so I checked my bags, took the metro to the center of town, and walked around. This is the second time I've spent a day in Frankfurt between planes, and I like the city quite a bit. I walk down by the river, check out the old cathedrals, get a nice sandwich and coffee from a sidewalk shop, then find my way back to the airport.

Down in the subway, I asked directions (it's not hard to find someone who speaks English), and the guy looked at the posted map and told me which train to get on. There was another guy getting directions to the airport, and we got on together and talked on the way.

He was a doctor from Nigeria. I think he said he had been to a conference of some sort. "And what do you think of your new president?" he asked.

I expressed some reservations, told him I had voted for Gore, that I was worried about the environment.

"Give him a chance!" The doctor urged. He said Bush is a good politician who could get things done. Gore, he said, is not a politician. (That's what he said. I didn't dispute it, although I think their records might.)

I told him my principal concern was American imperialism in the world. He pretty much laughed at this. He said that the US had to police the world. It was obvious to him, and not a moral problem at all.

I brought up my favorite statistic, introduced by Bill Clinton, no less, in Seattle: The US, with four percent of the world's population, uses 25% of the world's resources. I said that this inequity is wrong and must be maintained by force and exploitation in the rest of the world.

This amused him even more. "You are an idealist! A communist! There will always be inequality. And if you are rich and your neighbor is poor, you move to a good neighborhood, or build a secure wall, to avoid sharing.That's the way it is. It's 'idealistic' to worry about it."

I asked him why he thought the US and Western Europe are so rich, while African nations are so poor. It was a rhetorical question. The answer I'm looking for is that it is the legacy of colonialism and exploitation, and not only it legacy but its continued reality.

"It is the attitude of the people that hold them back," he said. "Many people in Africa are tribal; they will not participate in the modern world. They do not accept it." If they would go to school, get a job, go to the office, etc. they could prosper, but they will not.

"Look at America," he said. "Anyone who is smart and works hard and follows the rules can succeed. Look at me. I came to America and studied medicine at Johns Hopkins. I worked my way through school, cutting lawns, washing windows, whatever. Look at me…I'm black! Anyone can make it in America. It doesn't matter who your father is. It's what you can do."

What about those who are not so smart, or who lack the energy, dedication and family support to work their way through university and become doctors?

"Some rise, some fall. That's the way of the world. There's nothing wrong with it."

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