Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

IIRC, the Spaniards stopped the Aztecs with smallpox and the measles.

http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/Americas/Cortes.CP.html

But let's not quibble a minor point like that. The question I raised was simply how our perspective today differs from their perspective back in colonial times, with an eye to considering the possibility that we are fallible and that what we sincerely believe is in someone else's best interests may not be in their best interests.

I'm not saying we can't or shouldn't contact or help them, I'm saying we should be careful, because it may be that what we think is good for them today turns out to be bad for them. That doesn't mean we shouldn't act, but isn't it worth thinking carefully before making choices?




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: