[prmph]

Note that even if those countries had brutal wars, in most cases those were quite a while ago. The average child in most of those countries, currently, does not have to worry about being a child soldier.

Otherwise, then are we to lace every piece of writing about Germany with references to child soldiers simply because the Nazis used them 75 years ago?

And it wasn’t even that long ago that we had the war in the Balkans, as brutal as any in Africa, yet people don’t write about Europe as if everything should be seen through the lens of that war, do they?

[snowgrove]

I agree that Africa is a huge continent, and one person’s experience in one country at one time may differ enormously from others’, yours included. I disagree with your assertion that user scabarott made anything resembling a “substantive point” in his reply, which ignored everything ChrisMashallNY said in their comment about growing up in Africa and seemed to malign them purely on the basis of their European ancestry. You appear to be piling on based on the same sentiment. If I missed the substantive point, could you please explain it to us?

[bilbo0s]

I read through this whole exchange.

If we're being completely fair here, not only did scabarott leave ChrisMashallNY's points unaddressed, but you and ChrisMashallNY seem to leave scabarott's points unaddressed. To me, it seems that entire exchange is largely emotion based lashing out. Yes, these comments make a few points on both sides here and there, but nothing really worth taking the time to address given what appear from the outside to be ingrained and intransigent attitudes toward other viewpoints among all the participating commenters.

[ChrisMarshallNY]

I just shared my own experience, enthusiasm, and PoV. I wasn't in this for a fight (and I'm still not).

Of course, this being teh Internets tubes, we can't allow anything to be stated, without being weighed, valued, and judged (wanting, of course).

Don't like what I say? Ignore it. I do that, all the time. The world won't be a better place, because I want to pick a fight with someone. I try to make the world a better place, if possible. I definitely don't want to make it darker, and sincerely regret it, if I have. I won't get into a back-and-forth with someone that simply wants to use me as a foil for their own issues.

I sincerely try to be a force for good, in my Internet transactions. I am a reformed troll. I was a nasty troll, and I have a fair bit of atonement...