I’ve noticed what I’d consider a substantial amount of hatred towards the British empire recently, and I’m not really sure why
The colonies we had were far better treated than most colonies of the era, or ever to be honest.
Almost every country has had empires that have treated their subjects terribly. But I’ve never seen anyone talking about the Roman, Mongolian, Persian, or Aztec empires with anything but being impressed. No one shits on the French, dutch or Spanish (who were notorisly cruel to their colonies).
The British empire was a huge part of ending the trans-atlanric slave trade. One of the first European countries to condemn it.
The British museum was set up to preserve artifacts which would have been looted or destroyed, not to mention it’s completely free to enter. Almost everything in there would have been lost (although I’ll admit the Greek stuff seems like it was probably not given)
Yet it seems we’re despised for by many people online, is it a fad?
I’d just like to reassure Lemmy that there are a lot of us (Brits) who are fully aware of the shitness of our Imperial past and its negative (and still felt) effects on people all over the world.
The only excuse I can offer for this persons stunning lack of tact and knowledge is that the Empire is not really taught in any meaningful way in British schools. It’s not unless one chooses to discover for oneself what our ancestors did that you can find out the true horrors of it all.
The colonies we had were far better treated than most colonies of the era, or ever to be honest.
Have you ever heard of the famine in Ireland or India? Have you ever read what caused it? I grew up in a country that used to be a Spanish country, then spend my teens and twenties in one that was a Portuguese colony, and now I’ve been living for a few years on one that was a British colony. While Spain and Portugal were bad, only one of those countries was statved and massacred by their ruler.
Almost every country has had empires that have treated their subjects terribly. But I’ve never seen anyone talking about the Roman, Mongolian, Persian, or Aztec empires with anything but being impressed. No one shits on the French, dutch or Spanish (who were notorisly cruel to their colonies).
Romans, Mongolians and Persians were too long ago, Aztecs didn’t colonized any civilization with which you keep contact, French, Dutch and Spanish are shitted upon on French, Dutch and Spanish speaking places regularly. Also none of them were as bad as the English to their subjects, yes they removes a LOT of gold from them, but didn’t starved them to death or put them in concentration camps, so while there is some talk, it’s mostly in the past. Compare that with Ireland where people’s grandparents were killed fighting for their independence, because their grandparents starved to death, it’s too close for people to have forgiven and forgotten. Next you’ll want the Jews to stop speaking badly of the Nazi regime.
The British museum was set up to preserve artifacts which would have been looted
They were looted, by the British empire.
Edit: Within 28 mins I’ve got -9 votes and nothing to answer. Think it proves my point.
The fact that you think there is a “point” to be made when you’re supposed to be the one asking a question and trying to learn, shows us that you had ill intent from the start. You told on yourself with this one.
The British museum was set up to preserve artifacts which would have been looted or destroyed, not to mention it’s completely free to enter. Almost everything in there would have been lost (although I’ll admit the Greek stuff seems like it was probably not given)
I guess that’s what you’re referring to as “hate”? but just to clarify… the museums… looted… artifacts. You can try and justify it with “but it was to preserve and protect them and to expose that culture to others”; but at the end of the day, it’s still looting and it wasn’t the British’s artifacts to preserve; and many of the artifacts were sacred to the cultures they came from.
Not that this is a uniquely British offense.
Every country ever has “looted artifacts”, that was literally the point of war for like 4000 years. The vast majority of the British museum’s items were legally purchased. Just like every other gallery in the world.
Would you take Mona Lisa from the Louvre? Obviously italian.
legally purchased from whom?
some how I doubt the people that were looted see it as “legally”…
also, did I not recognize that it is not unique to the British Empire?
oh and the Mona Lisa was probably finished in France, and was purchased by the french crown after DaVinci’s death… and has remained in France more or less since. (for a time it was on Napolean’s bedroom wall; after the french revolution it moved to the Louvre where it remained.
this is compared to the Elgin collection, which were removed by Lord Elgin under the auspices of the Ottoman Empire… or the collection of human remains so vast that they don’t actually know how many they have.
As someone born in Britain, it saddens me to see so much hatred throw around casually.
That’s like someone from Germany being sad that hatred for the Nazi Party is thrown around so casually. Evil things from the past are evil. Hating them is the mark of morality. Them happening in the place you were born hundreds of years ago doesn’t mean you should take it personally. No one hates you for the actions of the Empire.
But hating Germans and hating Nazis isnt the same. The degree of separation is quite important.
That’s exactly my point. Hating British people and hating the British empire isn’t the same, no one is doing that. Don’t take it personally, think critically, not defensively based on what invisible lines you happen to be born between. If you want the world to improve, hate imperialism, no matter where you are from.
So is the distinction between hating the British empire and British people. The empire caused mass harm around the globe, like the Nazis did. Your concern seems to be about people’s view of the empire, which would be similar to someone complaining that people unfairly hate the German government of the early-mid 1940s…
As someone born in Britain, it saddens me.
There, FTFY.
What a pathetic comment. Judge the person not the nationality.
¿Por que no los dos‽
Your history sucked, make sure your future doesn’t suck. Reasonable people don’t hold you personally responsible for what Britain did previously but it isn’t unfair to point out how you’ve personally benefited from that exploitation and expect you, as part of the wider British society, to try and share those advantages.
Why? I doubt you influenced any part of British colonialism, they aren’t throwing hatred at you personally.
Colonialism is bad and should be regarded with hatred. Are you internalizing that? You’re not the British empire, you don’t gotta do that to yourself
Actually, you’re responding to the Sir John Colonial.
My question is, why are all the other empires not judged to the same standards? Colonialism sucked, but Britain didn’t invent it. Yet they seem to be the only target.
Yeah you already said that.
It’s not true, it’s pretty selective reading on your part, but you did say it
Bro, who tf are you talking to?
The Spanish empire is horrific in its treatment of indigenous people in the Americas.
Ask any Algerian about the French Empire.
King Leopold’s crimes against humanity in the Belgian Congo are impossible to ignore.
Just because the other empires aren’t talked about as often, doesn’t mean they’re forgiven.
No one shits on the French,
Once I read this I knew OP couldn’t be serious.
Why is the British empire so aggressively hated right now?
You communicate in English, so the British empire will be the focus.
The colonies we had were far better treated than most colonies of the era, or ever to be honest.
Reads early Aus convict history and the extermination of the Aboriginal people. … Are you fucking delusional?
If you want to educated yourself reading The Fatal Shore and Aboriginal wars:
New book reveals sophistication of Indigenous tactics during frontier wars
The killing times: Australia’s map of frontier war massacres updated
You are not to blame for the actions of the past but to hand wave away the historical reality of colonialism is not helpful in any way.
India genocide want a word .
Oh dear
Say this to an Irishman, mate.
The colonies we had were far better treated than most colonies of the era, or ever to be honest.
No need to read any further. It’s one thing to be ignorant of a subject, no one knows everything, but it is another all together to be wilfully ignorant and also so confidently incorrect about it, especially after admitting you know nothing about it.
I’m sure at least a couple of people will have the time and patience to spoon feed you information that is readily available all around you to, at the very least, refute this bullshit, though I doubt you’ll be open to hearing what they have to say, so I honestly don’t know why you’re wasting not only your own time, but that of anyone who would try to actually educate you, too…I willfully admit that much my knowledge about British history comes from Monty Python. That group didn’t pull punches when they went off on their own culture, though. (Honestly, it doesn’t take much to see through the satire.)
The whole concept of empire and expansion is being a cunt to people. It’s dominance and subservience, broadly speaking.
That never goes well. As for why other empires don’t get much flak for it, perhaps you’re in the anglosohere (not sure if that’s the best term?) so everything is tainted by that?
Try asking Taiwan about China, Ukraine about Russia, etc…
The British empire was a huge part of ending the trans-atlanric slave trade
You don’t get credit for being the first to stop punching when you full throatedly joined the beating. You don’t get credit for being cruel, but (debatably) less so than someone else.
Yet it seems we’re despised for by many people online
White people when their victims don’t immediately forgive and forget centuries of atrocities:
The British museum was set up to preserve artifacts which would have been looted or destroyed,
This is fairly disingenuous. If the sole purpose was to preserve artifacts, then they would be happy to return said artifacts to original owners once shown they can appropriately store and maintain them. That is clearly not the case. I think your definition of “legally purchased” may be a little creative. Sure they may have paid money through a trader… but there definitely was not due diligence, it’s basically an old cash converters.
