How much is Queen E to blame for Britain's colonism, really?

[Anonymous]

"My great grand father was marched into the woods and shot in the head along with thousands of others. My grandmother hated every Russian until the day she died. I now have friends who are Russian because sitting around randomly hating people has never made for a better world and because they are cool people."

What I find frustrating about this thread is people who go to extremes. We shouldn't hate on the Queen and your Gma shouldn't hate all Russians. Talking about restorative justice doesn't have to mean all of us abandon this continent, except native Americans.

Of course we aren't guilty for other people's actions, or the past. We are responsible for acknowledging reality and our actions here and now. Instead of getting angry for being "blamed" why can't we ask ourselves some honest questions about how history is impacting us and our fellow citizens now, today? And whether there is anything REASONABLE that can be done to address that?

With great power comes great responsibility, and she had great power. Generally I am an admirer of QE. We can still ask questions about colonialism and her role in, not the enactment of it, obviously, but HER actions or lack thereof in relation to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"My great grand father was marched into the woods and shot in the head along with thousands of others. My grandmother hated every Russian until the day she died. I now have friends who are Russian because sitting around randomly hating people has never made for a better world and because they are cool people."

What I find frustrating about this thread is people who go to extremes. We shouldn't hate on the Queen and your Gma shouldn't hate all Russians. Talking about restorative justice doesn't have to mean all of us abandon this continent, except native Americans.

Of course we aren't guilty for other people's actions, or the past. We are responsible for acknowledging reality and our actions here and now. Instead of getting angry for being "blamed" why can't we ask ourselves some honest questions about how history is impacting us and our fellow citizens now, today? And whether there is anything REASONABLE that can be done to address that?

With great power comes great responsibility, and she had great power. Generally I am an admirer of QE. We can still ask questions about colonialism and her role in, not the enactment of it, obviously, but HER actions or lack thereof in relation to it.

Well said. I am not a fan of the Queen, nor do I dislike her. As a citizen of a commonwealth country, I recognize the role of the British Empire on me and my ancestors, and I also recognize that while she may have done what she saw as her duty, that duty caused harm to my family whether she explicitly made those decisions or not. At the end of the day she was the Head of State, and, while she may not have had direct influence, she did have power through her position and role as Queen. I view her no different than leaders in the U.S. and what they have done in the name of "spreading democracy." One man's victor is another man's tormentor.

[Anonymous]

Its like being German. There is inter-generational guilt about the War and the killing of innocent people. In the early 90s I spent a lot of time in Hamburg and Berlin and the older people I saw, I knew were part of that experience. I just never knew if they were victims or perpetrators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its like being German. There is inter-generational guilt about the War and the killing of innocent people. In the early 90s I spent a lot of time in Hamburg and Berlin and the older people I saw, I knew were part of that experience. I just never knew if they were victims or perpetrators.

Mic they were still alive, they were perpetrators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its like being German. There is inter-generational guilt about the War and the killing of innocent people. In the early 90s I spent a lot of time in Hamburg and Berlin and the older people I saw, I knew were part of that experience. I just never knew if they were victims or perpetrators.

And I think Germany has done a LOT to atone for what happened and make sure it never happens there again. right?

[Anonymous]

I thought the whole We Are the World, Band Aid and Live Aid were the atonement and the fix. Maybe we need a celebrity sing along again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its like being German. There is inter-generational guilt about the War and the killing of innocent people. In the early 90s I spent a lot of time in Hamburg and Berlin and the older people I saw, I knew were part of that experience. I just never knew if they were victims or perpetrators.

And I think Germany has done a LOT to atone for what happened and make sure it never happens there again. right?

There are Nazis throughout Austria and Germany, especially in Bavaria. We saw them in Leipzig and Salzburg, and it was chilling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought the whole We Are the World, Band Aid and Live Aid were the atonement and the fix. Maybe we need a celebrity sing along again.

Your snide, dismissive attitude is not attractive. Those were famine relief efforts. Largely targeted at Ethiopia. Which was not colonized by Britain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought the whole We Are the World, Band Aid and Live Aid were the atonement and the fix. Maybe we need a celebrity sing along again.

Your snide, dismissive attitude is not attractive. Those were famine relief efforts. Largely targeted at Ethiopia. Which was not colonized by Britain.

Everyone says something needs to be done but no one is offering any suggestions. A celebrity sing along is as good as what's been offered thus far.