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In 1971, England began interning thousands of Irish who opposed the English army in the six counties of north Ireland. The New York Times wrote editorials call
by imbokodo 8y ago
In 1971, England began interning thousands of Irish who opposed the English army in the six counties of north Ireland. The New York Times wrote editorials calling the interned without trial "diehards" and "uncompromising bigots". A few months later, a march for their civil rights through Derry was met by gunfire as 14 unarmed men were shot by the British.
It's strange (well, not really) how easily we see sympathy or shrugging when the English speaking West interns without trial, or incarcerates Muslim radicals under torture, or mass incarcerates its former slave population etc., then dabs a handkerchief for Muslim radicals in China. It reminds me of the tears shed in Washington DC for the Muslim terrorists blowing up Chechnya in 1999, and 2000. That kind of slowed down in 2001.
I suppose this is "whataboutism", which is amazement at Western professionals who pontificate about far-off lands of competitors, when the westerners have done or are doing worse.
- fiter 8y agoI think worse than "whataboutism" is the conflation of all westerners as one.
- lainga 8y agoThe British did not make captured IRA members renounce Catholicism, nor the Americans make Guantanamo internees "erase their Islamic beliefs and reshape their very identities". Here is an article from the CBC, if you can't bear to see an American outlet report on the issue. Or are the Canadians complicit with their actions as well? http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/china-internment-camps-1.4666686 http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/china-internment-camps-1.466668...
- imbokodo 8y agoAnd here we see it...the British intern people like Michael Farrell without a trial, and he is said to be a "captured IRA member" and so forth. He's still alive actually, acting as a lawyer for refugees. You people still have to invent lies for why you interned people like him, shot unarmed people in the street that protested the internment etc. But the Chinese are the real bad guys. It's why the British had to burn his winter palace at the end of the Opium wars.
- nate_meurer 8y agoIt's nice, don't you think, that we here in the West are free to analyze the many disgraceful parts of our history, question our culture, criticize our leaders, insult our icons, etc., without fear of being imprisoned or killed for our beliefs. This is a luxury sadly not available to people living in (or near) China. That's where your whataboutism really exposes your twisted thinking.