Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul
How is that different from the opposite which seems to be the in thing atm, focus exclusively on the perceived negatives and ignore all of the positives ?
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Why are the negatives "perceived"? I think these are pretty real negatives to those we colonised. Of course, there are benefits to imperial rule: nice new roads, the "British" way of running things, etc. but I doubt, the invaded view these as what they needed to "focus" on.
The bottom line is we have a recent* past that, in a modern context, can and should be viewed as containing many wrongs and as such, a recognition of these need to happen. It is the quiet admiration of our imperial past that drives a lot of today's English Nationalism. Until we recognise this past is flawed, we will never be able to make an objective assessment of our place in the world.
* recent meaning in the last 150 years