4 ms·

How confident can we be that we didn’t just do better PR/cover-ups than the Belgians?

by gmac 5y ago

hermitcrab 5y ago
Do some reading about King Leopold and the Congo. I am not aware that anything the British Empire did was that horrific. And if we did, I think it would be very hard to cover up.
- MrsPeaches 5y ago
  This is still one of the enduring images that comes to mind: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/father-hand-belgian-congo-1904/ https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/father-hand-belgian-congo-1... Truly horrific.
  - jlokier 5y ago
    Wow. The text that accompanies the image is so much worse than the image. I had never heard of the state-sanctioned Belgian cut-off hand trade, and state-sanctioned child cannibalism and beheadings really takes it to another level. It makes modern terrorism seem mild in comparison. This is the sort of thing that should be taught in history classes.
  - hermitcrab 5y ago
    I think I might have seen that picture before. I have no plan to see it again.
- rbg246 5y ago
  British equally carried out similar atrocities there is so much evidence of this. But none of it is taught in British or Australian schools, I also was brought up with the myth of "British weren't as bad as so and so" Here is the map of British massacres in Australia that have written evidence (so you can double, triple the actual number). They have this right across their empire. https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/map.php https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/map.php If detail accounts I recommend reading "Conspiracy of Silence" a detailed account of massacres throughout colonial Queensland in Australia, the accounts and actions and just as horrifying. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17674559-conspiracy-of-silence https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17674559-conspiracy-of-s...
  - hermitcrab 5y ago
    >"British weren't as bad as so and so" While it is probably true, it is a woefully low bar to clear. The Australian aborigines have clearly been treated appallingly. Whether it amounted to a deliberate genocide I don't know enough to say.
    - rbg246 5y ago
      I totally agree - and just wanted to point it out as people always reach for the what about those other people when discussing these topics. I had my awakening on this subject in my 30s, I started to read academic writing on colonialism. Having grown up in Australia and knowing colonial history having been learnt from the British perspective I was just shocked at my ignorance on British Empire and it's colonies was.

How confident can we be that we didn’t just do better PR/cover-ups than the Belgians?

by gmac 5y ago

How confident can we be that we didn’t just do better PR/cover-ups than the Belgians?

Do some reading about King Leopold and the Congo. I am not aware that anything the British Empire did was that horrific. And if we did, I think it would be very hard to cover up.

MrsPeaches 5y ago
This is still one of the enduring images that comes to mind: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/father-hand-belgian-congo-1904/ https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/father-hand-belgian-congo-1... Truly horrific.
- jlokier 5y ago
  Wow. The text that accompanies the image is so much worse than the image. I had never heard of the state-sanctioned Belgian cut-off hand trade, and state-sanctioned child cannibalism and beheadings really takes it to another level. It makes modern terrorism seem mild in comparison. This is the sort of thing that should be taught in history classes.
- hermitcrab 5y ago
  I think I might have seen that picture before. I have no plan to see it again.
rbg246 5y ago
British equally carried out similar atrocities there is so much evidence of this. But none of it is taught in British or Australian schools, I also was brought up with the myth of "British weren't as bad as so and so" Here is the map of British massacres in Australia that have written evidence (so you can double, triple the actual number). They have this right across their empire. https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/map.php https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/map.php If detail accounts I recommend reading "Conspiracy of Silence" a detailed account of massacres throughout colonial Queensland in Australia, the accounts and actions and just as horrifying. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17674559-conspiracy-of-silence https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17674559-conspiracy-of-s...
- hermitcrab 5y ago
  >"British weren't as bad as so and so" While it is probably true, it is a woefully low bar to clear. The Australian aborigines have clearly been treated appallingly. Whether it amounted to a deliberate genocide I don't know enough to say.
  - rbg246 5y ago
    I totally agree - and just wanted to point it out as people always reach for the what about those other people when discussing these topics. I had my awakening on this subject in my 30s, I started to read academic writing on colonialism. Having grown up in Australia and knowing colonial history having been learnt from the British perspective I was just shocked at my ignorance on British Empire and it's colonies was.