I'm trying to grapple with what I learned about Algeria and French colonization, and I just can't. I can't wrap my mind around one out of every three people being killed. And then I start thinking about the history of colonization worldwide and Iraq and Afghanistan and Rwanda and Sudan and on and on and on. We read about these statistics and I don't think they are ever quite real to us. They are numbers on a page and we might stop for a moment and sigh but then we just keep right on going. I'm very good at feeling sorry for myself and thinking I go through some stuff, but when I stop to actually try to put myself in the shoes of someone who has lost a loved one due to some kind of imperialist violence, I wonder if I know the meaning of the word suffering. I can't imagine the pain and the anger that would inflict on a human being.
Wikipedia states that Colonialism was often based on the belief that the morals and values of the colonizer were superior to those of the colonized.
Sound familiar?
Wikipedia states that Colonialism was often based on the belief that the morals and values of the colonizer were superior to those of the colonized.
Sound familiar?
4 comments:
sounds all too familiar!
Hi L. The picture reminds me of the film, "The English Patient." Have you ever seen it?
You stated...Colonialism was often based on the belief that the morals and values of the colonizer were superior to those of the colonized.
Ah, but what is the origin of said belief that a particular set of morals and values are superior? Religion, no?
Yes - I saw the English Patient a long time ago. I like the movie because it was beautifully filmed, but it frustrated me that the wife was unfaithful to her spouse when he was obviously a very loving and supportive man. Having come from a history of abuse, that didn't fly with me.
Understandable.
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