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 t

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?