Well, reducing Egypt to Rome's granary was something often done in the 60's / 70's / 80's, but History has changed, has all social sciences do, and so have its many perspectives.
Yes, I was a bit too blunt in my statement. What I only meant was that Africa, and especially North Africa, wasn't truly a land of freedom and independence and peace until the white man arrived.
The results of colonialism and the slave trade are perfect examples of that, but are often glossed over by people in the west.
Indeed. The specific topic of the Muslim slave trading is largely forgotten and hushed. Arabs played a huge part by getting black africans themselves to sell them to white merchants who would only trade for them in the city's port. Some black africans also traded captured members of other tribes. The reason why north african countries don't have a big black former-slave population like the US does is that they used to castrate their slaves. References needed though.
It was always a joke between my french ex and I. While I have a quarter of muslim Algerian blood and ancestors who participated in the North african slave trade some centuries ago, my boyfriend had a black grand father who was a reunion island Creole. Meaning a descendant of french slaves. We both look more caucasian than anything else, so I enjoyed mentioning how our pairing was a hidden reconciliation between descendant of slaves and descendant of slave traders. (plot twist, my ancestors sold his ancestors away!)
@Raptori It's startling to see prejudices like that last so long, and that people are so unable to see past the problems of the past and realise that the people alive right now didn't even commit them.
Mmmh... While I fully agree that resentment is lasting a bit too long, I don't share your surprise. What people resent is not the war (that's a pretty mundane human behaviour after all, even as gruesome as it got).
It's the Jewish extermination. And I don't even think it's the genocide itself either, but mostly the way it was organised and executed.
What still shock people about the whole thing is how such a cold killing machine could be instituted and then ran. You'd think there would be enough people to refuse to take part in it... but mentalities and times where probably on their side, along with indoctrination and prejudices.
Today most people react pretty indifferently to Genocides like the one we had in Rwanda and the one that started in Sarajevo. I think in a way it's because there is a chilling difference between a mob of angry people with machetes and the construction of buildings specifically designed to mass execute people, sort their belongings, and such.
On that topic, read
Night by Elie Wiesel
As a french person, I can confirm that most of the younger generation feels no anger towards the current german population. I think the internet and the european union are both to be thanked (though the EU will probably also be our downfall).
it's pretty logical. Europe still has a very heavy tradition of remembrance. As a french kid I was brought to movies on the topics at school, we studied the war exceedingly, and not many months can ever go by without commemorations, military or civilian.
I completely agree when you guys mention the way countries tend to apologize to everything. However it isn't a German privilege. France, especial
socialist France is on a perpetual guilt trip, with presidents spending a lot of time apologising to every former colony or harmed country or entity.
I think it soon becomes absurd and I regret this attitude in my country. Yes we colonised a lot of people. Blame Napoleon. Blame the times. Imperial France was a different time. It's good to say you're sorry, or good to make amends in a way, but it's ridiculous to bow our head every time someone raises their voice with some incriminating memory. We did what we did, it was another generation. As it is, when I see my country having fun rescuing Mali and stealing their resources in the same movement, it strongly smells of double standards.
I despise the thin line making patriotism and nationalism good or bad. Frodo adores Shire, Boromir loves Gondor, elves are loving their forests... are they good patriots?
I appreciate patriotism. To an extent. I agree that Frodo or Boromir are patriotic characters. Frodo gets a lot of his motivation from the sights of a devastated Shire if he were to fail, after all.
I think patriotism is great in the way it helps preserve national particularities and identities. Would we love Japan if it had the same culture as ours? Would we enjoy visiting India or Italy or the USA or Aussie, if all those countries looked exactly as ours? I think not. In that aspect I'm rather opposed to the European Union and the way things are globalized. How depressing is it when you cross half of Europe and arrive in a town where you hear more touristy english than local tongue, and recognise every single shop?
The current wave of nationalism in Europe is mostly due to people reacting against that generalisation and the way Europe over-rides national laws, especially the ones that happen to be locally popular somehow.
When it comes to EU fuelled hate, Greece is a perfect example. I grew up in a France that believed vaguely that Greece was a lovely summer destination, filled with lovely ruins, goats, cheese makers, gay men and broken statues. Ever since the crises hit, I've been hearing a
lot of hate. Greeks are lazy, they deserve their problems, they're corrupted, they're going to drag us all down, they don't deserve our help, they never worked, they lived way above their means.... All of that because our already endebted state had to empty millions of Euros down the Greek hole. And then came Italy, Spain... Ireland. Countries we never had any grief against suddenly became an issue to us. Germany, I believe, is also pretty strained, as their very strong economy is part of the problem, and also what keeps the EU together to this day.
Anyhow, I'm glad I left Europe. What I genuinely loath about my country's "patriotic/nationalist" side and parties, is just how incredibly stupid they are when it comes to nuclear power and resources management like over fishing and soil protection. It makes me murderous when someone who loves his patrimonial, his land, his region, his soil, his "terroir", says that nuclear power in France is great and welcome. How morbidly illogical is it?
And Marine Le Pen, wanting to abolishing fishing quotas... Gee, European quotas are scientifically proven as decimating our fish population. To the extent that Tuna is about to go extinct. Scientists are desperate to lower those quotas who don't allow population renewal, but our nationalist party wants to fully abolish those quotas (serious facepalm)...
People interest in the danger faced by fish populations and how close most our to extinction ought to watch the documentary "The end of the line". It starts slow but you end up pretty stunned.
Sadly, the honourable samurai is largely fictional as well, just like the medieval knights!
Yeah a lot of good anime and manga cover that.
