# 200 girls kidnapped from physics class in Nigeria **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 26, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076 "2014-04-26T21:39:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/81 "2014-05-07T19:14:05Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I lived for two years just a stones throw over the border in northern Cameroon, among a people that are culturally and ethnically (but not politically) the same as the communities in question. Wow, interesting, I did not know that about you. > [@even\_sven](#): > > Nobody can just snap their finger or lob a few missiles and make thing work. This is why we need to send drones over there. To find out where to lob the missiles. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/82 "2014-05-07T19:31:08Z")
What kind of help are we going to give them? The kind we gave Iraq and Afghanistan? It’s a reality that American intervention in religiously charged civil wars is not currently associated with “making the problem better.” I’m not saying we are bad, but we aren’t superman. We don’t have any magic technology for making things better. We can’t win them all. I am not anti-intervention, but this particular time I can promise you we have nothing to add except providing some free recruiting for the bad guys. The area is just too far outside our expertise, and too complex and changing for us to be able to predict what effect we will have on anything. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/83 "2014-05-07T20:25:42Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Oh, excuse me, we’re supposed to call it “human trafficking” now - except I’m not one for euphenisms. It’s not a euphemism, it’s just the commonly used expression for a certain kind of crime and has been for several decades. It isn’t used by anyone to minimize or soften the horrors that it describes. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/84 "2014-05-07T20:39:20Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Because they’re teenagers? Even Wayne LaPierre wouldn’t have armed them. Wayne LaPierre doesn’t live in a country where teenage girls are kidnapped, raped and sold by fundamentalist fanatics who claim that educating women is against God’s will. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/85 "2014-05-07T21:10:49Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > What kind of help are we going to give them? The kind we gave Iraq and Afghanistan? We weren’t “helping” Iraq and Afghanistan, we frankly invaded them. Again, I’m not one for euphemism. We went into Afghanistan because they were harboring a group that had hijacked four airplane and turned them into poor man’s cruise missiles, wrecking 16 acres in Manhattan, busting up part of the Pentagon, and leaving a hole in a field in Pennsylvania. Iraq was because people highly placed in our own government had a hard-on for Saddam Hussein and weren’t above forging evidence to excuse their excursion. It wasn’t about helping anyone, it was about making sure Saddam wound up dead. > [@](#): > > I am not anti-intervention, but this particular time I can promise you we have nothing to add except providing some free recruiting for the bad guys. How about some satellite derived intelligence? A little spying? Oh, hey, here’s an idea - how about we _ask the Nigerians_ what sort of help they’d like? Maybe there is something we could offer them, on their terms. From what I gather that is what the respective governments are doing. Help doesn’t always consist of Seal Team Six and a cruise missile. > [@](#): > > The area is just too far outside our expertise, and too complex and changing for us to be able to predict what effect we will have on anything. Invoking a perverse prime directive of absolutely no interference is as bad and charging in guns blazing. I’m all for asking Nigeria if there’s help we can render - other than just handing over wads of cash to corrupt politicians or bandits. > [@tnetennba](#): > > It’s not a euphemism, it’s just the commonly used expression for a certain kind of crime and has been for several decades. It isn’t used by anyone to minimize or soften the horrors that it describes. Yes, I think that is _exactly_ the use to which it is put, to avoid the “S word”. What is referred to as “human trafficking” is the modern form of slavery. It’s like Boko Haram saying “we will take your girls as our wives”. No, they are, they’re taking the girls as slaves, both for domestic labor and sexual uses. They’re extracting labor from another human being for no pay and said laborer has no option to quit, ever. Why do we need another phrase when we have the perfectly useful word “slave”? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/86 "2014-05-07T21:26:26Z")
Providing imagery and intelligence makes sense, and we are doing that. I think drones or boots on the ground would likely backfire. Forced marriage is a bad thing, but it isn’t exactly the same as being bought and sold. Forced marriage isn’t done under threat of violence or death, it more like the kid is railroaded into it by their family. And divorce is common and unremarkable in the area, so it’s not forever. It’s still bad and I would love to see the end of it. But there are a lot of moving parts to the equation. Prosperity will slowly change a lot of this. When educating girls is profitable rather than a drain on resources, people will send their girls to school. When schools are accessible, streets are safe, schools build latrines (this is a huge problem- boys just pee in the bush, but girls end up going home), birth control is used and there are jobs for people to go into, school will happen. And there are lots of amazing people working towards this future in their own communities. It’s not static or hopeless. Change is happening fast, and a lot of the resistance we are seeing is a reaction to that. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/87 "2014-05-07T21:41:57Z")
Don’t forget about the [boys](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/dozens-students-killed-nigerian-school) either, woops too late they already have been. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/88 "2014-05-07T22:35:23Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Forced marriage is a bad thing, but it isn’t exactly the same as being bought and sold. Forced marriage isn’t done under threat of violence or death, it more like the kid is railroaded into it by their family. And divorce is common and unremarkable in the area, so it’s not forever Since you’ve been there I’ll take your word that’s the case but in other parts of the world forced marriage is not the girl being “railroaded”, it’s the girl being handed over, if she runs away she’s returned to her [del]owner[/del] husband, and divorce is not an option everywhere. When I hear “forced marriage” I tend to assume the worst. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/89 "2014-05-08T01:51:23Z")
Look, we’re not going to send massive forces in, and we’re not going to do air strikes–drone or otherwise–either. The only person who has suggested drone strikes is one person on this message board–well two if you count **Drunky** **Smurf** –and he admits he wasn’t serious. In any event I don’t think Obama reads this board.\*\* Even sven\*\* has explained why both these options are horrible, but in addition to what she says, drones are largely an assassination weapon and useless for a rescue operation. (Of course they could be used for recon and observation, something I presume no one objects to.) Also, the American public does not have the stomach for another massive troop commitment to a guerrilla war, even if it was a good idea, which it isn’t. What we probably will do is the same thing we have done in Colombia, the Philippines, and other places: small groups of special forces operating solely in an advisory role. It will be up to the Nigerians to deal with Boko Haram, though we can offer support. Another thing the international community can do is to keep up pressure on the Nigerian government. Not with sanctions–a dreadful idea–but mostly moral pressure, making sure this story doesn’t die and helping ordinary Nigerians express their outrage, giving them a platform. To that end I’m pleased to see the media has finally picked up this story. Again kudos to the Guardian and also various blogs for reporting this when most of the media was ignoring it. ---
**Author:** ![OurLordPeace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e8c25b/32.png) [@OurLordPeace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OurLordPeace)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/90 "2014-05-08T17:34:05Z")
What’s this “we” stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/91 "2014-05-08T18:32:23Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > We weren’t “helping” Iraq and Afghanistan, we frankly invaded them. Again, I’m not one for euphemism. We went into Afghanistan because they were harboring a group that had hijacked four airplane and turned them into poor man’s cruise missiles, wrecking 16 acres in Manhattan, busting up part of the Pentagon, and leaving a hole in a field in Pennsylvania. And killing how many people in the process? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/92 "2014-05-08T18:55:18Z")
And now for the remix > [@Broomstick](#): > > …wrecking 16 acres in Manhattan > > Again, I’m not one for euphemism. > > …wrecking 16 acres in Manhattan > > Again, I’m not one for euphemism. > > …wrecking 16 acres in Manhattan > > Again, I’m not one for euphemism. > > …wrecking 16 acres in Manhattan > > Again, I’m not one for euphemism. > > …wrecking 16 acres in Manhattan > > Again, I’m not one for euphemism. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/93 "2014-05-08T19:13:33Z")
> [@OurLordPeace](#): > > What’s this “we” stuff? It’s the first person plural pronoun in the English language, which is typically used to represent a group to which the subject belongs. In this thread, however, it’s being employed by U.S.-based posters as shorthand for “the government of the United States.” It’s somewhat confusing, so don’t feel bad if, for example, you misunderstood **Larry Borgia** ’s post as saying that he will \*personally \*be deployed in Nigeria as a member of a special forces group. In this case, the “we” is meant in a general sense, and not to be taken completely literally. Hope that helps. There’s a lot of good information about pronoun usage on the Web, if you’re interested in learning a bit more. ---
**Author:** ![A\_nice\_guy\_with\_an\_opinion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@A\_nice\_guy\_with\_an\_opinion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_nice_guy_with_an_opinion)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/94 "2014-05-08T19:19:39Z")
America should stay out of other countries. Who are we to be world police? Let the muslims do as they please. It is the will of allah. Hillary '16. ---
**Author:** ![OurLordPeace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e8c25b/32.png) [@OurLordPeace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OurLordPeace)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/95 "2014-05-08T19:47:51Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > It’s the first person plural pronoun in the English language, which is typically used to represent a group to which the subject belongs. In this thread, however, it’s being employed by U.S.-based posters as shorthand for “the government of the United States.” It’s somewhat confusing, so don’t feel bad if, for example, you misunderstood **Larry Borgia** ’s post as saying that he will \*personally \*be deployed in Nigeria as a member of a special forces group. In this case, the “we” is meant in a general sense, and not to be taken completely literally. > > Hope that helps. There’s a lot of good information about pronoun usage on the Web, if you’re interested in learning a bit more. Indeed, and [there’s also a lot of good information](http://antiwar.com/henderson/?articleid=7889) about why our word choices matter, if you’re interested in learning a bit more about why it’s a bad idea to refer to the ruling class/government as “we” and their decisions/actions as “ours.” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/96 "2014-05-08T19:50:43Z")
> [@A\_nice\_guy\_with\_an\_opinion](#): > > Let the muslims do as they please. It is the will of allah. And what about the other half of Nigeria’s residents? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/97 "2014-05-08T19:56:10Z")
> [@tonyfop](#): > > US money buys oil, corrupt government uses the money to line their pockets instead of doing things like protecting school girls. Cutting off the flow of money to the corrupt officials may coerce them into doing their job. Thankfully the US is the only country that needs oil so, yeah, thats a solid plan. ---
**Author:** ![A\_nice\_guy\_with\_an\_opinion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@A\_nice\_guy\_with\_an\_opinion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_nice_guy_with_an_opinion)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/98 "2014-05-08T19:57:12Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > And what about the other half of Nigeria’s residents? Who cares? The US should stay out of everyone’s bidness. Why is America so arrogant? Maybe these Africans are happy they have some school girls to toss around the wonderful continent. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/99 "2014-05-08T20:09:06Z")
> [@A\_nice\_guy\_with\_an\_opinion](#): > > Who cares? The US should stay out of everyone’s bidness. > > Why is America so arrogant? Maybe these Africans are happy they have some school girls to toss around the wonderful continent. Please explain how endeavoring to recover 200+ school children from a lifetime of slavery is arrogant. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/100 "2014-05-08T20:43:49Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > And what about the other half of Nigeria’s residents? > [@Sitnam](#): > > Please explain how endeavoring to recover 200+ school children from a lifetime of slavery is arrogant. For fucks sake, can’t you people recognize an obvious troll when you see one? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076.md?page=6)