Did villianv deactivate yesterday? :(

[fryjack2]

I hope it’s just a break and you come back if so.

[Michelle]

Yes. After the discussion about whether what was done in Afghanistan over 20 years was effective or not. When you're really removed, it is easy to consider the macro impact of an effort and set an effectiveness score based on that. Looking at the state of affairs in Afghanistan for women in September 2001 compared to now, it doesn't look like an improvement and it may even be worse with the new laws banning communication.

But when you've been in the trenches and you see the individuals whose lives you touched and showed there is a different way of life, to be told what you did was worth nothing is really hard to hear. Those efforts *could* spawn a revolution. They could inspire people to escape. Giving women the ability to read and do elevated math, etc. when they were forbidden before changes their quality of life, even if for some there is more bliss in the not knowing what you're missing out on. All of that had meaning. The Taliban's cruelty does not negate the meaning brought to the lives of the women over that time, any more than what Project 2025 might mean for women in the U.S. compared to empowerment in the 1970s through now.

[pixy0stix]

I stand by my statement. Colonization is never an effective tool for broad societal change. It never has been. Centuries of history back up this statement. We didn't invade Afghanistan to create a better society. We invaded to destroy the Taliban and failed. Creating a false western society that had to be held with might was always going to fail.

That being said, I understand why she is struggling, and I hope she returns even if it's to tell me to fuck off.

ETA: Since I'm not fond of looking like I'm talking out of my ass, much of the conclusions from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction agree with my assessment (specifically section 6: Context) - www.sigar.mil/interactive-reports/what-we-need-to-learn/

Who the SIGAR is - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Inspector_General_for_Afghanistan_Reconstruction

[wanderingback]

Yes. There was also a post on ML where she expressed she felt personally attacked. So I’m guessing the CPE post was the straw that broke the camels back unfortunately.