Can we do math?

I am somewhat skeptical about this whole festive season fever! That may be because I think that the whole year ought to be a festive one. There should not be people who have to wait for the festive season to have a decent meal or a new pair of shoes and whatever else one may associate with the season of giving.
Here is a conversation which one might expect between two aliens approaching our planet at close to the speed of light as they try to break the galactic crossing record.
AlienX: We shall soon be whizzing by that blue planet which is mostly water and tiny bits of land. But many people there die of thirst!
AlienY: I heard that they are a relatively smart species-obviously not in the league of galactic wayfarers like us- but smart enough to get a rickety rocket to ferry some of them to their moon and back!
AlienX: Here is another fascinating fact about them: about half of them die of over-eating, while similar numbers die of under-eating!
AlienY: So they can build rudimentary space craft but they can't figure out how to divide up the food amongst themselves?
AlienX: Precisely, but if you asked them, Im sure they would say it's more complicated than math! There is something called politics, which is not very respectful of the laws of mathematics.For example, it might make more political sense to dump bananas in the ocean than to bring down the price of bananas at the market.
AlienY: That reminds me of something which my "granny to the power of ten" told me used to happen on our planet.
AlienX: Will they ever learn?
AlienY: Only truly smart species can learn from their experiences. Why do you think there are no earthlings on this galactic race?
AlienX: I was thinking we might slow down and take a look at the Victoria Falls but I have lost my appetite for all earthly delights!
AlienY:I have a suggestion. Why don't we stop over Harare, Zimbabwe? At least they know what a hundred trillion miles might feel like.