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Appreciate the great work! British did a lot of nasty killings in India as well, for instance the Jalianwala Bagh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jallianwala_Bagh_massacre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhKYg641K3c&feature=youtu.be...
Surreal imagery.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
There was plenty of stuff about Guantanamo in the newspapers, for what that is worth.
I think it would have been about 2003 but I really can't be sure. All I know is that she hadn't even heard of it.
I'll never forget a discussion with a very intelligent professional American (in the software business) who refused to believe that America could possibly be engaged in torture. She just refused to believe that a country as 'great' as the US could commit torture. (this was a few years ago under GWB when Guantanamo was all over the UK papers but presumably still being suppressed in the US media). The more stories like…
I understand what she did was very hard work. But what's the point? People who raise these issues now probably and unintentionally end up generating hatred amongst individuals who might otherwise be perfectly fine with each other. Then there are people who get emotionally touched, take an absolute stand and create an uprising. The people (experts) who raised the issue first get sidelined. The govt tries to control the situation and gets labelled as oppressive. Politicians and media take control now. It goes on and then starts a racial and a religious divide and all the wars in the world. The true purpose is lost and what exists past those wars is just pieces of hazy truth mixed with spiced up vigilantism.
The British did very bad and evil things in the past. But why not talk about evil things performed now by another powerful and smart country that uses methods incomprehendible to most people.
Yes one of the great quirks of European history is that the British Empire is not held in the same esteem as the Nazi empire. The British Empire was bizarrely racist and killed tens of millions of people worldwide. Maybe even more than that if you include the promotion of slavery as a business on global scale. England is so lovable now though.
What people forget is that the norms of the past are not the same as the norms of today. At one time, slavery was normal across vast swathes of the planet. That it isn't today, is in part due to a moral revolution that took place in Britain and resulted in a policy change by the British empire - despite its own commercial interests - to abolish slavery and the trade in slaves, even while nearly all other countries in the world at the time were totally fine with it.
Yes one of the great quirks of European history is that the British Empire is not held in the same esteem as the Nazi empire. The British Empire was bizarrely racist and killed tens of millions of people worldwide. Maybe even more than that if you include the promotion of slavery as a business on global scale. England is so lovable now though.
Shouldn't we as humans bury the longer past and move on and look at the present-day scenario? I know many will say - "What about justice to our ancestors?". Justice is done to them when their children(descendants) do not suffer similar injustice and/or live a better life. How many parents want their kids to live in a war-waging world? I understand what she did was very hard work. But what's the point? People who rais…
I encourage everyone to look into the Truth & Reconciliation movement in Canada. It's truly inspiring to see how important Truth is, and how important reconciliation is, only because of truth.
Really, the question can be of one's own guilt and blissful ignorance when we're reminded how clueless we really are of the plight of others. Looking in the mirror in that simple way isn't always easy.
I'll never forget a discussion with a very intelligent professional American (in the software business) who refused to believe that America could possibly be engaged in torture. She just refused to believe that a country as 'great' as the US could commit torture. (this was a few years ago under GWB when Guantanamo was all over the UK papers but presumably still being suppressed in the US media). The more stories like…
There was no suppression of the Guantanamo abuses in the US media. It was widely reported. I also wonder if you misremember. It's plausible that the person you described refused to believe that the abuses were systemic . It is implausible that a "very intelligent professional" would legitimately deny the abuses entirely. They were widely reported and well documented. Edit: Actually, you could have just been dealing w…
Anyway, one thing that isn't in doubt is that it was only one data point. It's good to have some balancing opinions!
Shouldn't we as humans bury the longer past and move on and look at the present-day scenario? I know many will say - "What about justice to our ancestors?". Justice is done to them when their children(descendants) do not suffer similar injustice and/or live a better life. How many parents want their kids to live in a war-waging world? I understand what she did was very hard work. But what's the point? People who rais…
For events only 50 years ago, it's more likely that the hatred is already there and the effect of it on families gets ignored because "the past is past".
"Creating an uprising" only happens when there's already tension and unhappiness floating around and people don't feel like they have any other way for their problems to be heard.
Yes one of the great quirks of European history is that the British Empire is not held in the same esteem as the Nazi empire. The British Empire was bizarrely racist and killed tens of millions of people worldwide. Maybe even more than that if you include the promotion of slavery as a business on global scale. England is so lovable now though.
British concentration camps predated Nazi's