Letter to the ICBR: Faulty Logic
dear british reparations.org,
i stumbled on your website recently and read with interest. i am a fairly
average british citizen of average intelligence. i have studied in the
states, and i went to school in england. i do agree that the british empire
was not only a travesty of justice, but a travesty of humanity. through
incompetence, gross stupidity and malice this small island inflicted its way
of life on every corner of the globe. while some of my compatriots including
the prime-minister think this is reason for celebration, i am of the mind
that it is a source of shame.
yes, i can give you several incidents of british colonial idiocy.
concentration camps in africa, trying to "breed the australian aboriginals
white", massacres the chinese during the opium wars(not to mention hooking
them on opium!), turning jews away from palestine when they were trying to
escape nazi germany and several massacres of indians, for instance the
amritsar massacre. indians fighting for the allies returning home to nothing
more then slave status.
yes, the british have a lot to answer for. you should always remember the
evil things your ancestors perpetrated , so you are not doomed to repeat
them
but i think you have to take a look at the human condition and not focus on
a single human element . how about the spanish annihilation of latin america
through greed, the europeans gradually wiping out native americans in the
new world. us troops along with the british raped thousands of women in
germany after wwII. japanese atrocities in wwII.
while the british turned away jews from palestine during wwII, the US did
not exactly cover itself in glory. anti- foreigner sentiment was rampant,
and undesirables (jews and italians included) were turned away in their
droves. guantanamo bay cuba is another human indignity.......the list of
human tragedy stretches through history, and will continue to do so. the
most technologically superior faction is always liable to inflict its way of
life on all others, and in the nineteenth century that was the british.
your logic is a bit faulty if you think inventing the machine gun makes you
responsible for all machine gun deaths.
yes, british education did not teach me all the evils of the empire, but
having studied in the states, i see just as many flaws in your education
system as well. looking at history through the eyes of the oppressed and
downtrodden has been my best tool for learning just how evil human beings
can be to each other.
i am british, but i am a human being first. look at nationality long enough
and you realise it should mean nothing. mr x hates mr y because their
countries happen to be current enemies, it is a sad state of affairs. you
sound smart enough to know that you should be judged on who you are, not
where you are from
my nationality is irrelevant to me. the queen is not my monarch .if i could
make this country a democracy, and not a constitutional monarchy i would,
trust me
once again it was an interesting read, good luck getting the money out of
the british government, but i get the feeling that every government in the
world will have to start reaching into its pockets,
steve c. chester, u.k.
Dear Steve,
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. It's always heartening to hear such nice accolades. You regurgitate some good points: the British Empire was a travesty, monarchy needs to be done away with, and the British have to answer for their crimes.
However, Steve, when you start arguing against Mr. Grasse, your judgement becomes clouded and illogical. A country is absolutely responsible for the technologies it develops. Are you proposing that a country should not be held liable if a weapon it develops is used for cataclysmic purposes? Please, Steve, stop filling our mailbox with such rubbish. Lastly, If you are passionate about a cause (you mentioned overthrowing the monarchy), don't just sit there writing cordial letters about how you would like to do something. Take a page out of Steven A. Grasse's book, and do it.
Regards,
ICBR
YES, I WOULD LIKE TO SIGN THE PETITION AND GET PAID!
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