This article is terrifying. It really gives you a sense of what was going on in Rwanda at the time. This article was written in April of 1994 when this whole conflict was just starting. For the public who knew nothing, this must have been very eye opening. This gives a very vivid image and you can almost see what is going on. The article talks about men in trucks with machine guns and children with grenades. That is the scariest part; the kids can’t even be trusted.
This article also acknowledges that the Belgians did send in troops. But the troops they sent in were only to get out their fellow Belgians. This means the Belgians were there in the conflict that they created and they didn’t even try to keep peace. The only thing they wanted to do was save the Belgians and leave the Tutsis for death. Then the foreign military just left. The Belgians are getting bashed a lot for this by everyone including me. And I’m starting to feel bad about that. It is true that the Belgians started this. But they started it in 1916. It is wrong to blame the current government and country for something that their ancestors did well before anyone in government was even born. So this articles second and third paragraphs may have changed my opinion on Belgium. By having this hatred shoved in my face has changed my opinion since only earlier this morning. This goes along with my other post. The media only show you what they want you to see. There was no acknowledgement that the Belgians caused problems 78 years ago. Yes, it was a good article but it did only show you what it wanted you to see and it wanted you to see problems.
Hey Grant, first off nice job on your blog. In the beginning of your blog you mentioned how the kids couldn’t even be trust. I thought that was very interesting because I did my blog on Rwanda too, but I never mentioned anything about the kids, so I liked the way how you were able to incorporate them into your blog. Also, I liked how in your response to the article you included very precise information about the article for example; at one point you mentioned something about how the article talks about the government in the second and third paragraphs and unless they are required to you don’t always see students being that precise with their work. Finally, I noticed that maybe one or two times you had grammar mistakes, so next be a bit more cautious. Overall, I enjoyed reading your blog and I like how you put your own opinion into it. I also liked the design as well. Nice job, Grant!!!
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Brandon
HI GRANT!
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of intimidating commenting after Brandon, especially after he corrected your grammar, but I would just like to say that I like your blog a lot. Your reflection on the New York Times article is expertly written and describes what happened very well. I like how you could reflect on the information, but also acknowledge that it is very biased and that the media only shows what it wants to show, which is not always the full story. That is a very sophisticated analysis so good job on that. You also did a good job of summarizing the article so that it was easy to understand. Also, your black background is very intense.
-Kyra (:
Grant!!! Good job on your blog. This post is well written, and so is the rest of your blog. I did not know much about the Belgians in Rwanda but now I am well informed. i also agree that the belgians coudl have done more to keep peace in Rwanda.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting blog. I agree with Kyra in that you did a great job pointing out how the media is often very biased and how you argue a different perspective. Your blog was very well written and informative. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI like your point that we shouldn't attribute the genocide to the current government. Which sounds absolutely reasonable! But the media is ever headstrong and we all grow up with propaganda shoved down our throat. Invariably we grow up with an intrinsic dislike for certain groups: Nazis, communists, now Belgians. I mean, I can see why everybody hates Nazis. But communists? Honestly, people!
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