Dear Empire Fanboys: Your “Aid” Isn’t What You Think

Landon Taylor

— 3 min read

Every so often, a certain type of guy (you’ve seen him, probably has a Reddit account, definitely has a beard he insists is “Viking”) pops up with the same tired line:
“I’m sick of my taxes going to foreign aid instead of fixing our own country!”

Touché, patriot. Only one problem: the story you’re telling yourself is horseshit. Let’s break it down.

Aid Isn’t Charity. It’s a Cover Charge.

You think Uncle Sam is Santa Claus tossing bags of money at the Global South. Reality check: in 2022, poor countries sent $443.5 billion uphill to rich creditors in debt service alone. The “foreign aid” you’re so bent out of shape about? $204 billion that same year, according to the OECD. Less than half of what flowed the other way.

That means your government runs a racket. It sends a dollar out, takes two back in, then pats itself on the back about how generous it is. Aid is branding. Debt is the business.

Where Did This Playbook Come From?

Colonialism, goofy. Economists like Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson have shown how colonizers built extractive institutions that still hobble economies today. Nathan Nunn proved how the African slave trades left measurable scars on trust and income. This isn’t “woke theory.” It’s peer-reviewed economics.

When independence rolled around, the rules just got a new name: “structural adjustment.” The IMF and World Bank tied loans to austerity, privatization, and trade liberalization. Translation: cut your clinics, sell your utilities, open your markets, or no money.

Studies now link those programs to higher infant mortality and gutted health systems. But hey, Wall Street bondholders got paid.

So Where Does Your Tax Money Actually Go?

Here’s the punchline. The aid racket doesn’t just squeeze the Global South. It stiff-arms you, too. While you rage about “money going overseas,” your government refuses to spend domestically on healthcare, housing, or education.

You don’t get universal healthcare. You don’t get free college. But Lockheed Martin gets a fat contract. Multinationals get tax breaks. And your politicians get to tell you the real problem is “those foreigners.”

It’s misdirection. A carnival trick. You look at the crumbs and ignore the feast.

Growth for Whom?

“Don’t worry,” the fanboys say, “growth will lift all boats.” Wrong. Hickel and Kallis already showed the “green growth” fantasy is nonsense. GDP keeps rising, but so does ecological destruction. Meanwhile, inequality yawns wider.

Even the EU and UN have started building “Beyond GDP” frameworks, because deep down everyone knows the growth-only game is broken.

Here’s the Truth, Beard-Bros

Foreign aid isn’t draining your country. It’s propping up a system where:

  • The Global South subsidizes the Global North.
  • Your government pockets the gains but won’t give you healthcare.
  • Politicians keep you distracted with scapegoats so you won’t notice the scam.

So the next time you whine about your tax dollars going to “help Africa,” ask yourself: where’s your cut of the loot? Because the empire is making money hand over fist, and you’re not even on the profit-sharing plan. How’s that feel?

Sources You Can’t Beard-Stroke Away

  • Debt service outflows vs. aid inflows, 2022.
  • Colonial institutions shaping inequality.
  • Slave trade’s measurable economic scars.
  • IMF and World Bank structural adjustment.
  • Health harms of IMF programs.
  • “Green growth” critique and Beyond GDP initiatives.

What’s Your Take?

This is the kind of cultural autopsy we specialize in at Black Culture Geekz. We don’t just state the facts; we explore the flawed logic behind the headlines.

  • Do you think the “foreign aid” debate is really about money, or is it just cover for something deeper?
  • How should Black people in the Global North position themselves when the empire runs on exploitation?

Let us know your unfiltered thoughts in the comments. We read everything.

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