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Seems each generation is more sensitive then the last. It doesn’t take much to find someone that is offended by something anymore. So much drama and so little time.
I wasn't sure where exactly to post this, or if this has been covered before, but here I go.
Seems like lately that there has been a lot of controversy about monuments, statues, and other early pre abolitionist era Americana. This got me thinking the British empire had dominated the African slave trade, and colonized most of the world for hundreds of years along with other countries to a lesser degree. So why doesn't it seem that there is similar attitudes between the two?
The biggest reason the Confederate flag generates so much anger is because the Confederacy existed for a such a short period of time, and was devoted entirely to the preservation of slavery. It's hard to get away from that.
In the case of the Union Jack or the American flag, there's a lot more history, good and bad, that surrounds slavery. They represent a multitude of events, people and attitudes, and can basically mean a million things to different people. The Confederate flag, as previously mentioned, was in use a brief time to specifically represent slavery.
Nothing to gain politically or economically or victimhood status from the British.
But otherwise, you have a good point as the US only had slavery for 89 years (1776 to 1865).
Britain is not as much of divided society as the US is. There is very little resistance to the liberal message there so the leftists have not become as militant as they have here in America. Many modern Brits have simply accepted that their empire was oppressive to minorities and that the history of white Britons is not to be celebrated. Most European nations, the UK included have hate speech laws which protect the position of minority groups and makes open defiance to modern accepted social dogma very much legally risky. In short you are right, there is nothing to gain politically or financially to those who would attack the flag of the U.K. Most of the demands of the left have long ago been met and their society has already swallowed that pill. Most folks over there just accept political correctness as part of their world, something they must do.
Over here our nation is seriously divided politically, even dangerously divided. There is mass resistance to the leftist social values and political correctness that is being demanded. The Confederate flag has become so much more than a symbol of the South or a symbol of the confederacy. There are several reasons for displaying the confederate flag.
1. Southern pride: many people still do this
2: defiance toward political correctness: In my opinion most confederate flags are displayed for this reason
3. Actual racism.: a slim minority do it for this reason. It really seems the racist prefer Nazi flags anyway.
Half our nation detests the social changes being forced today by the activists. The confederate flag is often used to defy those demanding that change. It has become a symbol of that defiance. This in my opinion why it is being targeted as much as it is by those on the left. Nothing like this is going on in the U.K. The rest of the western world has already given in to the left, however in America a stout resistance remains. The U.K. Union Jack is not a symbol of resistance to the cause the way confederate flags and statues are over here. I guess I am trying to say this conflict is now just an American issue. Over there they have made peace with it and no reason exist to get bent out of shape over the Union Jack.
Believe me, there are people who absolutely hate the British.
I’m absolutely, emphatically, not trying to bring humour into a serious discussion, but reading that reminded me of the chant, almost club anthem, of Millwall, a London soccer club; NO ONE LIKES US, WE DON’T CARE!
I’m not saying that I don’t care if people hate the British, I’m a U.K. citizen myself.
If you’ve spent time on the Spanish Costas any summer, you’ll understand why they’re not universally loved.
If you chose to be offended (being offended is a choice) then you have the problem.
If somebody knows you're offended by it and choses to display it just to spite you, that's a problem you brought on yourself. Hateful people aren't going to cease to exist just because you made your feelings widely known, but you will give them some ammunition to further offend you.
If you chose to generalize everybody who displays something, then that's just bigotry and ignorance.
If you chose to get offended on somebody else's behalf, then that's just retarded.
using the word retarded is offensive. I guess that goes along with your concept that it's everybody else's problem but yours. Sounds a lot like the president. He daily offends half the population and whines that it's their problem.
Plenty of people are not fans of the British Empire and their actions.
And this is why - in the country that fought against British Empire and their royalty - movies are filled with British accent, aliens included; anywhere I look, it is queen, king, royal, imperial? So you fought against what you crave now? With media crazed on Lady D-s and other royal family dirty laundry?
using the word retarded is offensive. I guess that goes along with your concept that it's everybody else's problem but yours. Sounds a lot like the president. He daily offends half the population and whines that it's their problem.
I agree with ziggy100. People choose to be offended. Constantly worrying about our societies thin skinned people’s feelings is leading to our history being white washed and sanitized. We are very close to burning books in this country. In a free nation with freedom of speech and expression we do not have the right to never hear offensive speech. It is the price of our freedom. Your political opponents and people who may unjustly hate you have every right to speak out on their hatreds just as you can speak out against theirs. You should have no right to silence or punish your opponents in any way simply because you find their views offensive. The confederate flags and statues are something that some Americans do not like. Others find rainbow pride flags offensive or images of socialist historical figures like Che to be troublesome. In a free country be prepared to see images, flags and monuments to causes and people you do not like or approve of. This is still a free country, political correctness is an effort to reduce that freedom in the name of our most sensitive citizens. Free citizens must grow some thicker skin or they will lose the freedom we have all been taught was so hard won.
Oh here we go, is this another one of those 'lets blame the English (note - not usually the British)' for all of the worlds problems thread! So the age old human tradition of slavery is the fault of the English I suppose? Stalin murdering all those Russians - probably the fault of the English...........Roman butchery? Because of the English no doubt, the Conquistadors? Definitely because of the English, Native North Americans? Wiped out no doubt because of the English, apartheid in the Southern states of the US up to the 1960's! English b*stards eh. Ghengis Khan was probably a native Londoner, Adolf Hitler? Definitely a Yorkshire name, the holocaust has got to be thanks to the English. the Hutus and Tutsis were only slaying each other because of some English chap (probably). The Belgians murdering their way through the Congo were probably 'English' Belgians eh. The Scots though - salt of the earth they are. Thank god the rest of the world are such 'peace loving' people or else we really would be in trouble!
PMSL!! This post made my day. So true! I'm unapologetically English, but the only thing I've pillaged and plundered lately is the office stationery cupboard. Must try harder.
Seems each generation is more sensitive then the last. It doesn’t take much to find someone that is offended by something anymore. So much drama and so little time.
It is true that enslavement and its historical proponents have gotten less popular over time (oh, the horror!).
But as for each generation getting 'more sensitive' in general? Please...
In the 1950s, at the height of the Cold War, the Cincinnati Reds had to become the 'Redlegs' in order to avoid the toxic association with communism. Popular music and television tipoed around the masses so as to avoid giving offense: not showing Elvis below the waist, editing out the phrase 'she gets high' from the Doors' Brea on Through. When was the last time we saw regular burnings of records in the United States? (we did after Lennon's 'we're bigger than Jesus' comment). Attire: long hair, facial hair, women in pants, etc. - the basis of these things were, in part, that they offended the usual suspects (conformists, who not only practice conformity themselves but demand it from everyone else). And does anyone really need a primer on how utterly offensive even the mere existence, much less any acknowledgment, of gays was until comparatively recently in American history?
Keep telling yourself that we're 'more offended' these days. We're not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by easthome
Oh here we go, is this another one of those 'lets blame the English (note - not usually the British)'
Actually, it's pretty obvious that the OP's intent is not to 'blame the English' but to create the false equivalency between a nation that practiced slavery for a time (the United Kingdom) and a nation that was founded entirely around the idea of slavery (the Confederacy), thereby legitimizing the latter.
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