3 ms·
I'm opposed to the death penalty. Thankfully the death penalty is rare in India. But that is not the point I wanted to make. It's that the casual cruelty to Ind
by sumanthvepa 3y ago
I'm opposed to the death penalty. Thankfully the death penalty is rare in India. But that is not the point I wanted to make. It's that the casual cruelty to Indians was rampant in way that it was not for British. It's not that the the British of that era suddenly became more moral when they went back to their own country. It's that in a democracy, the rulers dare not do what imperial rulers can.(they don't need to be British to be cruel. There were plenty of Mughal and Hindu rulers of equal cruelty.) Independence from British rule gave us our independence and allowed us to become a democracy, and flawed though it may be, democratic India never had famines that killed tens of millions every decade. Freedom and democracy are precious and I think we Indians have started to take it for granted after 75 years of it.
- kaycey2022 3y agoPrecisely said. It is simple psychology. I would rather have painful experiences with my own people, with whom we can grow together (hopefully, possibly), rather than an Imperialist who sees me as an other, and who I see as an other. Imperialism is undoubtedly a trauma. We can get past the experience and even do commerce but the distaste and unpleasantness (on an aggregate) will never really go away.
- sumanthvepa 3y agoI wouldn't tolerate cruelty from my own people either. That's the whole point of a democracy. It holds rulers accountable for their actions. (to some extent.) Also, as Mahatma Gandhi pointed out, we should distinguish between British rule of India, and the British people themselves. Indians and India have no problem with the latter, only with the former. Once British rule ended, we have no enmity with Britain. We parted as friends. Indeed Lord Mountbatten is still revered as the first governor general of Independent India. (Apt considering tomorrow is Republic Day.)
- kaycey2022 3y agoNeither would I. I never said I would tolerate cruelty from my own people either. Neither did I say that I hate the British people. But if someone from the country goes around saying that the Raj was a favor to Indians, I wouldn't like this person either. I would think they are an idiot. As for Mr. Mountbatten I am not sure what sort of a person would "revere" this man. He probably wasn't a bad person but he wasn't great enough to be revered either. Just some bureaucrat in the right place at the right time.