Originally posted by Iceberg :
“However, would you rather slavery never happened and those African-Americans living in the First World today not existed or instead be brought up in a non-colonised Africa where their lives would end at 30 from tribal violence, disease, or malnutrition?”
Strange as it may seem to you, the answer is yes !
Somehow, I can’t kid myelf into believing that getting rounded up like animals and shipped in chains ( and packed like sardines in overcrowded cargo holds, shackled in pairs in leg irons ) to distant shores to be whipped, underfed and worked to death on cotton or sugarcane plantations was a heavenly expeience compared to a life of freedom in one’s own country, no matter how short !
Nosireeee !
Let me remind you that Europeans DIDN’T invade Africa or enslave its population to improve their conditions : they were simply after cheap labour ( apart from gold, ivory, diamonds etc etc ) --- that could be owned for life and re-sold at a profit --- for their settlements in the New World ! Young slaves often died of starvation, disease and ill-treatment before their 30th birthdays so their life expectancy didn’t increase that much ‘in captivity’ , --- Western medicine was in its infancy in the 17th century and, in any case, slaves were often denied adequate healthcare --- and getting killed in a tribal war seems an honourable and glorious end in comparison! BTW, tribal disputes claimed far fewer lives in those days before Western culture brought with it deadly weapons and greed for material wealth ( no wonder, some of the worst dictators in Africa like Idi Amin and Bokassa came out of colonial armies ) ! And long before widespread poaching became a menace to the continent’s wildlife, white hunters had already pushed many species to the brink of extinction.
Without colonization / slave-trade, Africans would have STILL come in contact with European explorers, missionaries ( who had begun educating the blacks ) and traders and taken advantage of contemporary technology and medicine Western world had to offer; they would have eventually acquired new skills, learnt statecraft and taken their first steps towards building an egalitarian society free from tribal disputes. Incidentally, the liberal values traditionally associated with the Western civilization like free speech or gender equality barely existed in 17th century Europe !
Territorial ambition wasn’t considered a bad thing in the 17th century , I know , but most colonial rules continued well into the second half of the 20th century --- when it was !
I remember you showcasing Morocco and Egypt as examples of ‘success stories’ of colonialism. Aren’t you forgetting ex-colonies like Bangladesh and the Congo who’re virtually underdeveloped ? In contrast, Japan and Taiwan, who’ve never been colonized, grew into industrialized societies that compare favourably with any Western nation !
Sure, African-Americans experienced many hardships in the past (and some would argue today as well). However, today they live a life much better than they would in Africa.
I agree but nearly two centuries of brutalization, humiliation and exploitation were too heavy a price to pay for the high quality of life black Americans enjoy these days thanks to their long and bitter struggle and to the support they received from some kindly whites who treated them as equals. Unlike European immigrants who got a chance to realize their ‘Ameican dreams’ ( because they shared the skin colour of the WASPs ), blacks had to face overwhelming odds every step of the way especially in the Deep South.
I’m not sure if I can make you understand this but, freedom, dignity and right to self-determination can ACTUALLY be more precious to a people --- any people --- than just economic well-being ! Given a choice today, most African-Americans would wish their ancestors were left unmolested.
Would you, if given the chance, change the course of history since the midpoint of the second millennium AD so colonisation would not happen? I think not!
Sorry to disappoint you again, but if I had an opportunity to re-write --- literally --- medieval and modern history, I would grab it in both hands !
I would gladly remove from it the Inquisition, the Great Depression, the two World Wars, the Holocaust, Stalinist purges, Apartheid, Cambodian Year Zero, the Rwandan genocide, the Turkish massacre of Armenians, the Vietnam war, the Arab-Israeli conflict ….. the list could go on !
And, no , colonialism, slavery , racism, sexism or anti-semitism --- indeed any form of religious / ethnic intolerance ---- wouldn’t be part of that history : people would share their knowledge with other peoples, teach one another new skills and respect one another’s culture !
“Though he may be poor / not a man shall be a slave / shouting the battle cry of freedom” !
Sorry, I got carried away but, let ME ask YOU a question : if colonial rule was good for everyone, WHY did Americans have to start a revolution to drive the British out and take charge of their destinies ( who knows, the Brits might have restored order in the Wild West faster if they stayed in power ) ? WHY do you think Canadians rebelled against the British colonial government in 1837 instead of letting them lord it over them ? Or , ( as you probably believe ) is there one set of rules for whites and, another for the rest ?
Sure, the course of history has had its problem points. Thousands and thousands of them. However, what kind of world would we be in if the history that is studied today never happened?
Millions and millions of people were killed and millions more lost their homes and livelihoods as a direct result of other men’s greed and intolerance and all that is simply “problem points” for you ?
No doubt, a lot of conservative whites would agree with you : modern history has by and large favoured Caucasians who’ve always come out on top ! They’ve suffered only in the wars they started themselves and the economic hardships they occasionlly endured had NOTHING to do with non-whites who, in contrast, have often experienced serious misfortunes because of whites. They’re doubtless happy about the way things have generally turned out --- they wouldn’t have it any other way !
It’s sad that far right politics is on the march in almost every corner of the globe today and emboldened by its swift growth in the West, white supremacists are regrouping under new banners. Their experience has, however, taught them to be more subtle in their approach to reasserting themselves these days. They --- and their right-wing sympathizers --- are trying a different tack : instead of making noisy claims to racial superiority like the KKK in the US or the National Front in Britain, they’re playing down the brutalities of former colonial regimes,trivializing the sufferings of former slaves, highlighting the “failures” of any former colonies, attributing the high living standards enjoyed by Westerners to Caucasian ingenuity alone, minimizing the contribution of non-white minorities to Western societies, attacking liberals as “PC hypocrites” and presenting a carefully sanitized version of the history of Western imperialism --- in short, trying to give the younger generation the impression that their ancestors actually did the Asians and Africans a huge favour by invading and occupying their countries and the resulting economic exploitation is nothing to make you feel guilty about ! Makes me sick to the core !
I’ve deliberately posted this on August 15 : a historic date which marked the end of the oppressive and unjust colonial rule in India nearly six decades ago.
) but I seriously believe liberal, tolerant and progressive whites deserve a little more respect than that for their efforts !
