4 ms·

You’re not wrong. They purposefully funneled opium into China to get their silver bullion to open up trade, whilst also destroying an entire generation. Destru

by mradek 4y ago

You’re not wrong. They purposefully funneled opium into China to get their silver bullion to open up trade, whilst also destroying an entire generation. Destruction of people was basically the EIC’s MO.

detritus 4y ago
Not really, it was 'just' sheer largely-unhinged capitalism. Plus ça change.
29athrowaway 4y ago
It doesn't stop with one generation. As Chinese workers immigrated into America, they opened opium dens here too. https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Chinatown%27s_Opium_Dens https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Chinatown%27s_Opium_... Then, the opium poppy, a plant not endemic to the Americas, started being cultivated in Mexico. Why Mexico? because the US banned Chinese immigration. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act We cannot ever blame the drug crisis on the British because it breaks the rules of history where history is written by the victors. We have to let people get away with stuff. We cannot describe the EIC as narcos, and if someone does, we have to downvote them.
- mjburgess 4y ago
  The problem with this analysis is: where does the buck stop? Why does moral responsibility always stop with Europeans? Does Europe posses some Adult Moral capability the Mexicans lack? Whatever story of woe you want to tell about why "china did X", can be told likewise about europe. The buck, stops where then? The Romans? The Celts?
  - 29athrowaway 4y ago
    Whataboutism. The only thing I can say here is that people like Lord Palmerston were aware of what they were doing.
  - SrslyJosh 4y ago
    > Why does moral responsibility always stop with Europeans? Probably because they were the ones violently subjugating everyone else.
somenameforme 4y ago
Fun historic footnote on that as well. After China tried to enforce their ban on opium trade, Britain declared war on them to try to force them to accept it. The Brits won and thereafter claimed Hong Kong as one of the spoils of war. A spoil that was returned only in 1997, after which an invisible (and on occasion not so invisible) game of tug-of-war ensued. Can't wait to read the next chapter!

by mradek 4y ago

detritus 4y ago

Not really, it was 'just' sheer largely-unhinged capitalism. Plus ça change.

29athrowaway 4y ago

It doesn't stop with one generation. As Chinese workers immigrated into America, they opened opium dens here too. https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Chinatown%27s_Opium_Dens https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Chinatown%27s_Opium_... Then, the opium poppy, a plant not endemic to the Americas, started being cultivated in Mexico. Why Mexico? because the US banned Chinese immigration. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act We cannot ever blame the drug crisis on the British because it breaks the rules of history where history is written by the victors. We have to let people get away with stuff. We cannot describe the EIC as narcos, and if someone does, we have to downvote them.

mjburgess 4y ago
The problem with this analysis is: where does the buck stop? Why does moral responsibility always stop with Europeans? Does Europe posses some Adult Moral capability the Mexicans lack? Whatever story of woe you want to tell about why "china did X", can be told likewise about europe. The buck, stops where then? The Romans? The Celts?
- 29athrowaway 4y ago
  Whataboutism. The only thing I can say here is that people like Lord Palmerston were aware of what they were doing.
- SrslyJosh 4y ago
  > Why does moral responsibility always stop with Europeans? Probably because they were the ones violently subjugating everyone else.

somenameforme 4y ago

Fun historic footnote on that as well. After China tried to enforce their ban on opium trade, Britain declared war on them to try to force them to accept it. The Brits won and thereafter claimed Hong Kong as one of the spoils of war. A spoil that was returned only in 1997, after which an invisible (and on occasion not so invisible) game of tug-of-war ensued. Can't wait to read the next chapter!