Blood Diamonds

koan · Post by **koan** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 11:24 am

I had taken out a book called Blood Diamonds from the library about a year ago but didn't manage to read the whole thing. I watched the film Blood Diamond last night and felt that familiar heartstring pull to fight for a cause again. Instead of just talking about the movie under the Films and Cinema heading, I wanted to discuss the phenomenon more than the fictional version.

It's hard to believe people live in that world. The refugee camps, the random slaughtering of entire villages. The comments that every time a resource is discovered in Africa so many people die. The best line in the film was a elderly African man saying something like "God help us if they discover oil."

I've heard people online saying that people are starving in Africa because they have too many children. Anyone who thinks that should watch that film. What must it be like to have children in a world where their chance of survival is so slim?

What can we possibly do to stop the greed that is killing so many people?

I've never been a fan of diamonds. After watching that film I don't want to wear them at all anymore. I just can't believe all this misery is to harvest jewelry. It's insanity. That's what it is, pure and simple.

drumbunny1 · Post by **drumbunny1** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 12:44 pm

I totally agree with you...while I think diamonds are beautiful...like any other girl...after watching that movie I am boycotting them...I told my boyfriend I wouldn't mind having a fake one if that meant I was taking a stand against the slaughtering of innocent people....I think thats what we would have to do....boycott diamonds...but good luck! There are way too many people concerned with image and materialism....they turn a blinds eye as to where there 5 carat earrings are coming from. Also, if you noticed at the end it said that even though we HAVE boycotted African diamonds...there still so many dirty ones that infiltrate through Antwerp (spelling?) its almost impossible to determine whether they're clean...so just don't buy them!!! Unless ofcourse you can prove they came from a clean source. There are moissanite diamonds that have the EXACT chemical compound as real diamonds and they're half the price...whats to argue there?

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 1:01 pm

It's a shame Koan, but as long as things like diamonds, silver, gold & oil have such a value, people will die.

koan · Post by **koan** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 2:31 pm

I can kind of understand oil as it is currently an essential fuel but diamonds and gold are purely aesthetic! I think gold is about the ugliest natural metal there is and diamonds are far from the prettiest stone. People stopped wearing furs as much because of public opinion... and it's one of the few things we can actually do as remote individuals.

watermark · Post by **watermark** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 3:12 pm

Hi Koan-

I wouldn't refuse a diamond if I were given one, but I'm not a great huge fan. Well, diamonds and rubies are quite a pretty combo.

Anyway this problem did remind me of other consumer products like fur and ivory that have less appeal now that people consider the sacrifice. It's like anything I guess, to change public opinion is difficult without a lot of struggle to get the masses to see the problem. The thing that gets me is how, from the sound of it, here in the diamond business people are getting killed, wouldn't that make the public more likely to hear or take note of the problem? I mean animals are just as important as people are for the survival of our planet, but certainly not more so. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking people should be a priority too.

Just my 2 cents.

Erin

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 3:38 pm

koan;715601 wrote: I can kind of understand oil as it is currently an essential fuel but diamonds and gold are purely aesthetic! I think gold is about the ugliest natural metal there is and diamonds are far from the prettiest stone. People stopped wearing furs as much because of public opinion... and it's one of the few things we can actually do as remote individuals.

Historically speaking, the gold & silver discoveries in Australia, California, Alaska & Russia brought much death and mayhem, not to mention the genocide brought about by the Spanish and Portugese in the Yucatan Peninsula. We might even include land, and it's perceived value, as being a causative agent of death and destruction.

watermark · Post by **watermark** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:18 pm

Lon;715630 wrote: Historically speaking, the gold & silver discoveries in Australia, California, Alaska & Russia brought much death and mayhem, not to mention the genocide brought about by the Spanish and Portugese in the Yucatan Peninsula. We might even include land, and it's perceived value, as being a causative agent of death and destruction.

I just think people are very very greedy. Myself included as I would probably have wanted gold and silver or whatever it was to make someone rich. I wouldn't have been so adamant to kill for it though, may be the difference between my mentality and some other people.

E