Brit Rant: The Other Harry - Big TO DO...

[Steve]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Caius Marcius"
<coriolan at w...> wrote:
> 
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboyminn at y...> wrote:
> > 
> > ...edited... Perhaps we should ask the peopleof India what they 
> > think about the countless thousands of Indians who were 
> > mercilessly slaughtered and enslaved by the British Colonial 
> > Empire.


> Caius Marcius:
> 
> Jeez Louise, Steve, you're going to trash talk the Empire all on 
> account of a few paparazzi gate-crashing the half-brown(shirt) 
> Prince's National Socialist soiree? 
> 
> If the British are going to be indicted for their crimes, they 
> should at least get some credit for their positive accomplishments. 
> But don't take it from me  - look to see what Dadabhai Naoroji had 
> to say in his 1871 
>
> The Benefits of British Rule:
> 
> In the Cause of Humanity:...
> 
> In the Cause of Civilization: ...
> 
> Politically:... 
> 
> Materially: ...
> 
> Generally: ...
> 
> Summary: To sum up the whole, the British rule has been: morally, a 
> great blessing; politically, peace and order on one hand, blunders
> on the other; ...edited...
> 
> End quote
> 
> Dadabhai Naoroji also notes some debits, more to do with unfair 
> taxation and lack of representation rather than merciless massacres 
> and slavery. The British legacy in India, despite its manifold 
> evils, has resulted in what seems to be a rather well-functioning 
> democracy these days. At any rate, India is lucky that its 
> colonizers wore British uninforms as opposed to the group who 
> adopted one of India's own mystical symbols as their very own 
> (i.e., the one Prince Harry  wore).
> 
>    - CMC

bboyminn:

First and foremost, my point was not about demonizing the British for
their history; it's about reasonable proportion and perspective. The
way the media and the goverment responded to the 'Harry' incident was
blown way out of proportion by adopting an extreme and inflamed
perspective. My point was that if the British tabloids are going to
crucify Prince Harry over the costume uniform he wore, then perhaps
someone should force a more realistic perspective on them. That was
the point of my comments about the British. 

If I take the same attitude that they took, and adopt an extreme and
inflamed perspective regarding the British military colonial uniform,
I can rage and storm with the same sense of overblown outrage as the
media displayed. 

There is an absolutely legitimate claim of British atrocities in
India, and the Indians have every reason to hate the British. But it's
not really in their nature to foster hatred. So, while the world could
associate the British Colonial military uniform with these atrocities,
it generally doesn't. We remember, but we've let go of that part of
history. 

And it's time to remember, but let go of this other part of history.
True, there are still people in the world who are using the swastika
to promote a modern inflamed version of the Nazi ideology. So there is
still reason to view this symbol with suspicion and disdain. But Harry
 did not use the swastika symbol in this way. He wasn't promoting or
given any direct, indirect, or implied approval to this ideology. He
simply wore a costume to a party, and he did so in a half-hearted and
slovenly way that showed no respect for the symbol at all.

Just a boy in a costume, certainly a costume in poor taste, but a
costume none the less, and it didn't even deserve a fraction of the
response it got. 

Regarding, India's history with the British, while I'm certain some
Indians found useful aspect of then modern western politics and
culture, overall, India improve not because of the British, but in
spite of them. India itself, and world opinion, force Britain out of
India.

Not trying to start a debate on India/British history, just trying to
show how rediculously out of proportion the response to Harry's
costume was.

Further, I'm not say the press and the people shouldn't have
responded, just that the media response had more to do with making
money than any true sense of justice or outrage. 

Just one man's opinion.

Steve