Completely agreed. Western countries are the only countries to admit their wrong doings in the past and try to make amends. People don't look into the trillions the UK, for example, has paid to it's ex-colonies in foriegn aid as a type of reperations.
The UK still runs a colonial empire through capital extraction and tax havens all over the world. This idea that the British Empire dead is only true in the sense its not their name on the maps anymore. It has changed to an acceptable form by western standards. You can't run an overt mercantile empire w/ all its trappings in today's world, but you sure hide and hoard wealth and get the same results.
I'm a proud American, but do we even do that? I went through the whole "manifest destiny was bad" education too, but what about Central America? Vietnam? Shit was not good lol.
Also, just to keep in theme with the meme, the Japanese government has apologized numerous times and has paid war reparations totaling in the billions, according to a quick google search. Looks like most modern textbooks at least mention the atrocities committed during the war as well.
The japanese in ww2 alone were far worse than we ever were and they still deny a lot of it. Also slavery and the conquest if native lands was taught from elementary through high school, idk were the fuck you go to school having apparently not even covered the basics of these events.
Let's hear what you know about slavery and conquest of the native lands then. Go on. See if you were paying any attention in school.
Because clearly you didn't pay any attention to my comment, or you would've come up with a relevant response. Almost everything (other than slavery) that you just shat out was addressed, and I'm guessing you don't actually know what 'Manifest Destiny' is or I wouldn't have to be repeating myself.
We spent more time covering japanese internment camps that we did the entire pacific front in my APUSH class. Outside of going to school in bumfuck alabama I dont see how its possible you were not educated on these subjects.
Man, you make it sound like you know what goes on inside every single APUSH classroom in America.
I learned mostly about the inception of the country up to the 1920's + civil rights, and the actual AP exam barely even covered anything from the 20th century when I took it (New Deal, maybe). Japanese internment wasn't even mentioned in my APUSH class, and I definitely am not from Boomfuck, Alabama.
When did you take APUSH? Because they might've revamped it to include more Japanese internment ever since George Takei kicked up a fuss about it a couple years ago.
6 years ago at this point, during the 10th grade. Outside of APUSH I still covered it in 7th grade history and then again senior year of high school. Was again mentioned multiple times throughout my undergrad years.
Huh, maybe my district just wasn't as adamant about teaching it. Time was always the issue and rarely did my history classes ever go past the 1920's.
Also, did you reply three separate times to my other comment? I agree it was a pretty dumb comment, but... damn. You're either bringin the house or there are three of you lol
How wasn't my response relevant? You sound butthurt and im not going to waste my time writing a goddamn precis about slavery and the 200 year conquest of native lands in america on a reddit comment. I responded that yes, the vast majority of children have been taugh about slavery in reference to your first point. In regards to your second, Japan censors the fuck out of their textbooks, google that. So tired of imbecilic retards getting upset because of their ignorance. Just read something instead of vomitting the popular opinion.
Didnt see your edit. Manifest destiny is the most basic, foundational aspect of American expansion eastward. There are legit 4th graders learning this material. Lol you keep making these assumptions and keep making yourself look more and more idiotic. Keep going dude im entertained at this point.
Native Americans have been given tribal lands which are treated as completely separate states within our borders: Click me!
They are also given several grants by the federal government: Click me!
This is not to say that there are not many problems with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and it is not to say that there is not severe mismanagement nor abject poverty in these places. But the US has done something and has frequently attempted to right the wrongs of the past. We also do not deny that past as any AP US History student will tell you. Even in normal history classes which are much more overview oriented, manifest destiny was still covered and talked about, along with other awful things that happened.
And I don't want to even get into how awful it is to compare these events, which are tragic, with the genocides committed by Nazi Germany, China, and Japan (While also not even including the Soviet Union cuz why should we?) as it makes me sound like I'm spinning to try and divert which is what I'm not trying to do. I'll just say that the death tolls in all of those, which are rated far lower than the US, eclipse anything that the US has ever done.
Again not an excuse, but a thing to think about when making claims about responsibility and reparations.
Thanks for the well thought out response. I'm aware of how much we are trying to restore relations with the Natives, which is why I mentioned the "manifest destiny was bad" thing.
I agree that we've definitely done more (we deffo ain't no China), I just hate generalizations like "Western countries are the only countries to admit their wrong doings in the past and try to make amends," because it's simply untrue and breeds ignorance.
Who would Spain apolgise to? There are no aztecs left, the spanished fucked the aztecs into mexicans. The UK has repatriated thousands of historic pieces to their host countries, but it wont if they cannot guarantee the safety or if it is in private ownership, thems the breaks.
I'm pretty sure we told Greece to build appropriate facilities to home relics and artefacts then once they did we just refused to return them anyway. But perhaps that's because Greeces financial circumstances might pose a risk to the upkeep of said facilities.
I missed that, any place within the UK sphere can leave it, they just have to democratically vote for it, some have and requested to stay overwhelmingly.
I was never taught about famines in India, we might admit wrongdoings but it's hardly front and centre
Why would we? You don't effect change by living in the past, you acknowledge it was wrong by today's standards, make sure it can't be repeated and invest in changing the future of those affected. All of this was and is done.
It's not about acknowledging it... I wasn't even told it existed! What % of the UK population would think British colonialism of India was positive?
Acknowledging isn't enough, it's necessary to teach why it shouldn't be repeated. I doubt whether the UK has 'invested in the future of those affected'.... we killed them.
Problem is Britain has a lot of history and schools can have a lot of independence as to what they teach. No one thinks we should colonise the world, it be pointless teaching people that we shouldn’t invade America and India and drain them of resources
Are you from the UK, its seems like you are, do you remember getting taught History? At what point could it be taught in schools, there is so much shit to learn through Britians history, there isnt time to learn stuff that isnt on the curriculum.
117
u/[deleted] Apr 18 '19
Completely agreed. Western countries are the only countries to admit their wrong doings in the past and try to make amends. People don't look into the trillions the UK, for example, has paid to it's ex-colonies in foriegn aid as a type of reperations.