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Comment by drcode | Hacker News Reader

note that this article is from the 1980s, not recent (though still accurate)

The value in this article is not in its particular facts. The real value comes from realizing that such corporate societal manipulation happens all the time to this day.

Yeah. The article should maybe deal in depth with the start of De Beers.

De Beers was basically formed by an English colonialist (Cecil John Rhodes). He controlled a company which basically owned a country (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_South_Africa_Company).

He also had his own private army and tried to overthrow a sovereign government (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jameson_Raid).

Rhodesia was named for him. He also set up the Rhodes Scholarship, which enabled people like Bill Clinton and Bob Hawke to go to Oxford.

And the goal of Rhodes in establishing these scholarships for elite students to study in Britain was to establish a global British empire, including "the ultimate recovery of the United States of America as an integral part of the British Empire." (from Rhodes' will) I don't go looking for conspiracy theories but the Rhodes Scholarship is hard to ignore.

Just because he set up a scholarship in his name doesn't make the things he did any better.

One of the aims of the Rhodes scholarship is Anglicization. A person who did not study in English cannot apply (even though he is fluent).

Until recently they also excluded women.

In any cases, the legacy of Rhodes is despicable - even if he left behind a scholarship program. His creation of the state of Zimbabwe (with two different ethnic groups) results in problems to this day.

"Just because he set up a scholarship in his name doesn't make the things he did any better."

I don't think I was suggesting that it did.

the end does not justify the means

That's what makes this article a classic. You could change the date to today's, and nothing would seem out of place.

Most of the article talks about stuff dating way-prior to 1982. And the economics described still apply today.

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