There’s a lot to not like

Re “Caution: left turn ahead,” Opinion, May 8

After listing a few positive economic and political signs, Niall Ferguson asks, “What’s not to like?” Only a middle-class white man could ask such a question with a straight face. Imperialism, unsustainable economies, urban poverty, the imminent destruction of every last traditional culture, chaos and violence in Africa and a score of other problems aren’t resolved just because a few million white-collar workers can now afford a flat-screen TV.

Ferguson’s Eurocentrism is made embarrassingly clear by his misuse of the word “indigenous” to describe people living in the United States who are not illegal immigrants. The indigenous people of this land were virtually wiped out by invading Europeans. The world is more complex, and the experiences of human beings are more diverse, than Ferguson seems to know.

ABE DANIELS

Signal Hill

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“Democracy is on a roll,” Ferguson proclaims. In Chile, Bolivia and even Nepal (where that country’s people have forced its autocratic king to reinstate the legislature), people are choosing their leaders. Yet Ferguson goes on to claim that some of these countries are among the world’s five most unrecognized threats.

Countries choosing their own leaders are often condemned by those who can’t control the outcomes. We should applaud the progress of countries embracing genuine democracy. The true threat is the worldwide stage of “puppetocracies” advocated by Ferguson.

NATE SPRINGER

Whittier