Endless Self-Flagellation

[Paigntonian]

Newsnight features a long report on the British record with Palestinians in the early 1940s. We obviously got a lot wrong but will it never end? Perhaps we could pursue compensation from the Normans for 1066, the Danes and Norwegians for their invasions of our islands. All so tedious, predictable and, as always, has the faint whiff of compensation culture.

[naomi24]

Untitled, The British were racist - but then so was the rest of the developed world. We weren't the only people exploiting other countries either - but overall we brought more to the undeveloped world than any other nation. Like so many, you're so busy seeking the bad that the good passes you by unrecognised.

[Untitled]

what’s your opinion of the torture used against the thousands of kenyans put into camps in the 1950s? Some of the survivors describe men being *** raped with machetes and women having their breasts cut off. More were beaten or worked to death.

what’s your opinion of the opium wars?

what’s your opinion of the concentration camps in s. Africa?

what’s your opinion of the empire arresting thousands of cypriots and torturing them to death?

you say we brought a lot to the undeveloped world but it’s meaningless because they could have made those economic and technological achievements without being conquered and exploited by us… india already had a huge textile industry when we arroved which was dismantled by the british.

[Untitled]

the word censored in the above post is the adverb for “anal”

[naomi24]

I'm not about to write you a lengthy thesis, untitled, and faced with that aggressive attitude I've no intention of encouraging you with counter argument. I've given my opinion.

[Untitled]

i don’t think i am being aggressive… i certainly do not feel that way

[Spicerack]

They were all Shangri-La's of peace, love and equity before we interfered. And as untitled explained, they were steadily developing their own super modern societies without any 'help' from imperialist trogs. (see the documentary about Wakanda)

[Paigntonian]

Untitled: Do you think you could consider giving yourself a name?

[Untitled]

my name is Untitled!

[Spicerack]

We should be grateful that our forefathers lived a long life of ease and opulence, wanted for nothing, thanks to the raping and pillaging of other lands.
The least we can do is hand over a bit of compo and attend mandated CRT courses daily until the end of time.

[sandyRoe]

This thread reminds me of Kipling's poem. It was all about àltruism, yes?
Take up the White Man's burden—
Send forth the best ye breed—
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness
On fluttered folk and wild—
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child.

Take up the White Man's burden—
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain.
To seek another's profit,
And work another's gain.

Take up the White Man's burden—
The savage wars of peace—
Fill full the mouth of Famine
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought,
Watch Sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hopes to nought.

Take up the White Man's burden—
No tawdry rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper—
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread,
Go make them with your living,
And mark them with your dead!

Take up the White Man's burden—
And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard—
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:—
"Why brought ye us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?"

Take up the White Man's burden—
Ye dare not stoop to less
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloak your weariness;
By all ye cry or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples
Shall weigh your Gods and you.

Take up the White Man's burden—
Have done with childish days—
The lightly proffered laurel,
The easy, ungrudged praise.
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years,
Cold-edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers![11]

[Untitled]

many people in the UK itself were oppressed by the same elites that ran the empire… though it is indisputable that the home country’s economy as a whole did benefit from the profits of empire…

the british empire was fine only if you were not in its way… if you wanted political independence or in some countries to vote or to work in industries the empire did not prioritise or to receive a fair wage then british rule could get pretty brutal pretty quickly.

[FatticusInch]

naomi24
//I'm not about to write you a lengthy thesis, untitled, and faced with that aggressive attitude I've no intention of encouraging you with counter argument. I've given my opinion.//

That’s naomi-speak for:
I will not address the salient points nor respond to recorded facts, other than disagreeing.
It’s standard.

[Peter Pedant]

the British people will never forgive the Irish people for the Omagh massacre either,
the oirish massacred each other at Omagh innit?

Murder of Ld Moutbatten. Will it be forgiven, it is certainly almost forgotten. "Oi tink of the liddle oirish lad oi blew up along widda Lard, every day." - oh great, just great....wounds almost healed

[Peter Pedant]

That’s naomi-speak for:
No and I wont tell you Y

[naomi24]

No, it’s Naomi speak for what it says.

[Peter Pedant]

well OK go on- tell us and perhaps tell us Y