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Why? Why does a conquering group owe the people they conquered anything at all?

by natalyarostova 7y ago

Gaelan 7y ago
Because we recognize that we were evil and want to make amends.
- natalyarostova 7y ago
  I wasn't evil. Were you? Human history is littered with blood and conquest. Trying to settle the score seems pointless; we should instead (I propose) recognize that we are all individuals without historical guilt and work together to build a better future.
  - pryce 7y ago
    Ideas don't exist in a vacuum; they emerge from concrete relations of production and power. They serve or hinder the interests of people and groups. 'Wiping the slate clean' is a noble path to peace when both sides have done something wrong; it is a far less noble idea when the injustice was severely one-sided, instead it can actually make the injustice worse. Suppose someone had -unprovoked- attacked you violently and and taken your home and possessions, and then moved his family into what used to be your home. Then suppose his family, still living in that house and intending to continue doing so, suddenly proposed 'wiping the slate clean'. Would you be right in suspecting their proposal of 'wiping the slate clean' to be in this case completely self-serving?
- wtdata 7y ago
  I hope you do realize that they were conquerors themselves (between the tribes) and that many tribes happily fought besides the Europeans in order to gain the upper hand over other tribes, specifically, the Cherokee: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee It also begs the question: What are the Romans and the Arabs going to give my country in return for having conquered us 2000 and 1000 years ago, respectively.
  - johnday 7y ago
    "Other people were also bad back then" does not negate "we were bad back then". White colonists have had the upper hand for a few centuries now. It's undeniable that some indigenous groups are still actively suffering from the colonial occupation in the USA. Any and all attempts to help level the playing field are laudable. If you feel like you are currently underserved by your state as a result of the Roman / Arabic occupation of your state then I hope you too are seeking to redress the balance.
    - wtdata 7y ago
      The point was not the "other people were also bad back then" the point was that, the Chereokee themselves were bad people back them. Chereokee were oppressing the other tribes before the arrival of the Europeans and then fighting along the Europeans in order to dominate other tribes.

Why? Why does a conquering group owe the people they conquered anything at all?

Gaelan 7y ago

Because we recognize that we were evil and want to make amends.

natalyarostova 7y ago
I wasn't evil. Were you? Human history is littered with blood and conquest. Trying to settle the score seems pointless; we should instead (I propose) recognize that we are all individuals without historical guilt and work together to build a better future.
- pryce 7y ago
  Ideas don't exist in a vacuum; they emerge from concrete relations of production and power. They serve or hinder the interests of people and groups. 'Wiping the slate clean' is a noble path to peace when both sides have done something wrong; it is a far less noble idea when the injustice was severely one-sided, instead it can actually make the injustice worse. Suppose someone had -unprovoked- attacked you violently and and taken your home and possessions, and then moved his family into what used to be your home. Then suppose his family, still living in that house and intending to continue doing so, suddenly proposed 'wiping the slate clean'. Would you be right in suspecting their proposal of 'wiping the slate clean' to be in this case completely self-serving?
wtdata 7y ago
I hope you do realize that they were conquerors themselves (between the tribes) and that many tribes happily fought besides the Europeans in order to gain the upper hand over other tribes, specifically, the Cherokee: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee It also begs the question: What are the Romans and the Arabs going to give my country in return for having conquered us 2000 and 1000 years ago, respectively.
- johnday 7y ago
  "Other people were also bad back then" does not negate "we were bad back then". White colonists have had the upper hand for a few centuries now. It's undeniable that some indigenous groups are still actively suffering from the colonial occupation in the USA. Any and all attempts to help level the playing field are laudable. If you feel like you are currently underserved by your state as a result of the Roman / Arabic occupation of your state then I hope you too are seeking to redress the balance.
  - wtdata 7y ago
    The point was not the "other people were also bad back then" the point was that, the Chereokee themselves were bad people back them. Chereokee were oppressing the other tribes before the arrival of the Europeans and then fighting along the Europeans in order to dominate other tribes.