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Things you often Wonder


mjmooney

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12 minutes ago, Genie said:

He seemed to start going out of his way to be funny, which made it not funny and very cringey.

His post during that animal world cup that was on here, 'I half expected zebras to be dark horses' is still my favourite post ever I think.  I'm not convinced he was an actual human being, rather some sort of comedy robot that wasnt quite hardwired properly.

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3 hours ago, Wainy316 said:

Why Britain is (rightly) criticised for it's imperial past and related atrocities but the same scorn is not directed at Spain, Portugal, France and Belgium etc.

I think it is, but just not in this country (for obvious reasons). Anyway, that would be whataboutism. 

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4 hours ago, Wainy316 said:

Why Britain is (rightly) criticised for it's imperial past and related atrocities but the same scorn is not directed at Spain, Portugal, France and Belgium etc.

why america is always missed off lists of empires

the non imperial economic empire, possibly the greatest ever seen

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On 24/02/2019 at 17:05, Xela said:

I always wonder why fairly prolific posters just stop posting. I hope its nothing serious as to why they have stopped. 

I always like the ones that go out in a blaze of swear words at 3am ... it’s how I see myself finally going out , once I’ve mastered every swear filter avoidance technique :)

 

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4 hours ago, Wainy316 said:

Why Britain is (rightly) criticised for it's imperial past and related atrocities but the same scorn is not directed at Spain, Portugal, France and Belgium etc.

Interestingly I find on my travels that the British are quite reverred  and respected for their role in the world , both past and present  , obviously I’m not talking places like France here but generally you get a good reception once people find out you are English ... not that I expect to find much sgreeemnt with that viewpoint from yogurt knitting sandal wearing Villatalk  :)

 

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5 hours ago, Wainy316 said:

Why Britain is (rightly) criticised for it's imperial past and related atrocities but the same scorn is not directed at Spain, Portugal, France and Belgium etc.

They are criticised. Belgium is renowned for the brutality of its small number of colonies for instance.

As for why it seems Britain gets more of it... Firstly the obvious - we tend to see more stuff because it's about us. We're in our own bubble. Relatedly it's also a language thing.

Combined with that, the extent of British imperialism and the fact that former colonies comprise of, for instance, the greatest superpower the world has ever seen, who also has become a cultural juggernaut whose identity is informed by it's ascendency from it's status as a British colony, and one of the most populous nations on earth, means the impact is magnified. It is assessed more, viewed through more lenses, permeates more things

Compare that with France. France lost many of its colonies as the British Empire grew, and after that it's colonial desire was sated in Africa and South East Asia. Africa is rarely given much real focus in these matters, and French involvement in South East Asia gets consumed in the Vietnam War discussion. Then add in the obvious fact is a French history, in French. And then consider that the biggest 'story' in French colonial history, excluding Indochina, is probably Algeria. Which doesn't really compare to the American origin story or the Indian independence sage.

As for American imperialism... I always liked this quote from Dan Carlin's excellent Hardcore History episode 'The Destroyer of Worlds' (note to mods - I can't find this quote online anywhere. I've transcribed it from the podcast myself (from 2:36:05 to 2:37:03). Carlin quotes it from an article in Fortune magazine in 1952 by Hedley Donovan. I hope this is acceptable)

Quote

A Californian named Robert Carney now commands the greatest striking power in the Mediterranean world, the seat of the classic empires of Alexander and Caesar Augustus. Admiral Carney directs all NATO forces in Southern Europe, and the US 6th Fleet. 

In Northern and Western Europe, the old realms of Charlemagne and Napoleon, extraordinary military and political influence is held by a Kansas man, Dwight David Eisenhower.

In Korea, the bridge and battlefield of half a dozen Oriental imperialisms, the largest Western army ever lodged on the Asiatic mainland is lead by Matthew Ridgeway, from Virginia.

All of these officers are answerable, of course, to a native of Independence, Missouri. If the President of the US were ever tempted to think of himself as Emperor Harry the First, there is no evidence that he has been, he could look about the world with considerable satisfaction'.

It's a fun quote, and puts things in an interesting perspective that still resonates today.

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4 hours ago, sharkyvilla said:

His post during that animal world cup that was on here, 'I half expected zebras to be dark horses' is still my favourite post ever I think.  I'm not convinced he was an actual human being, rather some sort of comedy robot that wasnt quite hardwired properly.

That's the cleverest thing he ever posted by a mile.

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2 hours ago, lapal_fan said:

Wasn't it @useless who put the photo of what he thought was villa park in the 1800s, was told it wasn't and said "well, it's a nice picture all the same"?

I cried. :crylaugh:

 

We've done this before, but the camouflaged skirt on a coathanger was right up there with the most I've laughed using this site.

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1 minute ago, Stevo985 said:

We've done this before, but the camouflaged skirt on a coathanger was right up there with the most I've laughed using this site.

I searched for it but couldn’t find it 

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