If the snowflakes don't like it

[WTFH]

One of the best places to go and learn about British Imperialism working for good is Zanzibar, where "we" did a pretty good job and Brits are now held in fairly high esteem

[NigelJK]

How come we didn't end up speaking French after 1066?

Because back then 'educated' people used Latin. The Nobs installed did of course still speak French, and renamed many towns in the French manor.

Slavery was part and parcel of the Roman empire, and continued in various forms right up to the need for Labour in the New World when the industrious Brits ramped up the export from Africa.

Brits were among the slaves sent to Rome. Where's our Reparation?

[Jog On]

Because back then 'educated' people used Latin. The Nobs installed did of course still speak French, and renamed many towns in the French manor.

Slavery was part and parcel of the Roman empire, and continued in various forms right up to the need for Labour in the New World when the industrious Brits ramped up the export from Africa.

Brits were among the slaves sent to Rome. Where's our Reparation?

I'll take mine in gelato

[malvolio]

While Britain helped build the 17th C slave trade, they were also instrumental in killing it off when the full horrors became known as the result of campaigning by British politicians and other senior people, who finally realised that slaves were people too, and not some exploitable sub-human underclass. That is a point routinely ignored by many supposed students of history.

However the morality of 17th C Britain, or any other historical society, is not going to change because misguided, futile idiots now decide it was wrong by contemporary standards
. The whole point of studying history is to learn from others' mistakes and so make things better going forward, not to try to undo those mistakes.

[vetran]

How come we didn't end up speaking French after 1066?

the ruling class did. They tended not to mix with the locals so we didn't lose "English" and like other conquests the language became a mix.

about 30% of English is french, the other is Latin & Norse etc.

https://www.quora.com/How-much-Engli...ed-from-French

[WTFH]

The whole point of studying history is to learn from others' mistakes and so make things better going forward, not to try to undo those mistakes.

True, the question is when is something "studying" history, and when is it "glorifying" history.

I think a lot of the complaints are wrong, because they see things as glorifying, but maybe that's because we're looking back to history from a long time ago.

Now I'm not trying to make up some kind of equivalence, the following is more about a recent thing where something was considered good but now isn't...

If a hospital had named their cafe after someone who donated a lot of money to them, but now, looking back, they can see that the generous donor/fund raiser wasn't a good guy, I don't think there's anything wrong in erasing his name.

[vetran]

Interesting viewpoints from India

British Raj: The good, the bad and the ugly

However it is my understanding that most Indians believe the UK is responsible for the grief caused by Partition.

BBC - History - British History in depth: The Hidden Story of Partition and its Legacies

That is probably true but I am sure it was not by design.

[vetran]

True, the question is when is something "studying" history, and when is it "glorifying" history.

I think a lot of the complaints are wrong, because they see things as glorifying, but maybe that's because we're looking back to history from a long time ago.

Now I'm not trying to make up some kind of equivalence, the following is more about a recent thing where something was considered good but now isn't...

If a hospital had named their cafe after someone who donated a lot of money to them, but now, looking back, they can see that the generous donor/fund raiser wasn't a good guy, I don't think there's anything wrong in erasing his name.

You don't think that is embarrassment because certain places enabled the scumbag?

[NotAllThere]

However it is my understanding that most Indians believe the UK is responsible for the grief caused by Partition.

BBC - History - British History in depth: The Hidden Story of Partition and its Legacies

That is probably true but I am sure it was not by design.

Really sure about that?

The logic is compelling...

[Old Greg]

Then scratch it out.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan...ester-44884913

Just as well it wasn't Gunga Din.

Take up the Gammon's burden -
Send forth the bile ye breed.