stefantalpalaru
stefantalpalaru t1_j6ot8bi wrote
Reply to comment by Hambredd in TIL that between 1895 and 1908 the population of the Belgian Congo declined by between 2 and 13 million due to colonial brutality and diseases caused by colonialism. by hetkleinezusje
> Education isn't a punishment
Isn't it, though?
stefantalpalaru t1_j6osga4 wrote
Reply to comment by Hambredd in TIL that between 1895 and 1908 the population of the Belgian Congo declined by between 2 and 13 million due to colonial brutality and diseases caused by colonialism. by hetkleinezusje
> So what's your solution?
Awareness.
stefantalpalaru t1_j6oriai wrote
Reply to comment by Hambredd in TIL that between 1895 and 1908 the population of the Belgian Congo declined by between 2 and 13 million due to colonial brutality and diseases caused by colonialism. by hetkleinezusje
> I don't think you should suffer from the sins of your countries past
It's unavoidable, and so is benefiting from them. Go walk around Brussels sometime.
stefantalpalaru t1_j6oqnx9 wrote
Reply to comment by Pay08 in TIL that between 1895 and 1908 the population of the Belgian Congo declined by between 2 and 13 million due to colonial brutality and diseases caused by colonialism. by hetkleinezusje
> I'm not Belgian.
The problem is your morality, not your nationality.
stefantalpalaru t1_j6mxtjw wrote
Reply to comment by Hambredd in TIL that between 1895 and 1908 the population of the Belgian Congo declined by between 2 and 13 million due to colonial brutality and diseases caused by colonialism. by hetkleinezusje
> That's not what 'sins of the fathers' means.
That is exactly what it means.
> how about we look into your cultural history and work out what you should be feeling guilty about
Tu quoque?
stefantalpalaru t1_j6mxoqm wrote
Reply to comment by Pay08 in TIL that between 1895 and 1908 the population of the Belgian Congo declined by between 2 and 13 million due to colonial brutality and diseases caused by colonialism. by hetkleinezusje
> we stopped doing that "you're responsible for your ancestors crimes" thing after the middle ages
Is that why you keep defending those crimes and rewriting history to unburden your guilty conscience?
stefantalpalaru t1_j6mllnr wrote
Reply to comment by Pay08 in TIL that between 1895 and 1908 the population of the Belgian Congo declined by between 2 and 13 million due to colonial brutality and diseases caused by colonialism. by hetkleinezusje
> Even if I was, I sure as hell not a 150 years old.
The sins of the fathers...
stefantalpalaru t1_j6mjksi wrote
Reply to comment by Pay08 in TIL that between 1895 and 1908 the population of the Belgian Congo declined by between 2 and 13 million due to colonial brutality and diseases caused by colonialism. by hetkleinezusje
> Saying the Belgian government was complicit because they gave him a loan is just idiotic.
Read again what you wrote. Then read it again, and again, and again, until you see all that blood on your hands.
stefantalpalaru t1_j6mcmub wrote
Reply to TIL that between 1895 and 1908 the population of the Belgian Congo declined by between 2 and 13 million due to colonial brutality and diseases caused by colonialism. by hetkleinezusje
Belgians like to pretend it was all the king's fault, because he acted on his own. That is far from the truth.
"King Leopold’s Bonds and the Odious Debts Mystery" (2020):
«Eventually, and in violation of an earlier pledge that the colony would not be a drain on Belgium’s finances, the King sought a loan from Belgium itself. That loan was made—interest free, in the amount of 25 million francs—in return for his agreement to give the Congo to Belgium in his will.»
«Moreover, Leopold agreed that “at the end of ten years, either the loan would be repaid, or the Free State would be handed over to Belgium.” The colony, in other words, was security for the loan.»
«Leopold therefore had to sell, but the terms of the deal were, from a modern perspective, generous. Belgium not only took over his debt obligations, but also committed to pay for many of his ongoing pet construction projects in Belgium (palaces, gardens and more), and pledged a 50 million franc payment to Leopold “as a mark of gratitude for his great sacrifices made for the Congo.” As Hochschild notes, “[s]ome of the debt the outmaneuvered Belgian government assumed [and then put on the Congolese] was in effect to itself—the nearly 32 million francs worth of loans Leopold had never paid back.”»
«Stengers concludes that “King Leopold extracted money from the Congo, but used it almost exclusively to enrich the [Belgian] national heritage by acquisitions of property, by monumental constructions, and by works of urbanization. His obsession was not with his own fortune but with the embellishment of his country.”»
stefantalpalaru t1_j1z1cq1 wrote
Reply to comment by ExtremePrivilege in TIL that on average women live five years longer than men, and that by age 85 around 67% of the population is female in the US. by Successful-Depth-235
> Just off the top of my head.
And it's all wrong, because all those factors do not make a dent in the life expectancy difference.
stefantalpalaru t1_j1igb78 wrote
Reply to comment by BloodSteyn in "BLOOD SPORT: The Bondi Gay Murders" (2009) - the tale of the Bondi Beach murders. Lasting for over 10 years, with 30 to 90 victims, the organized hunt for gay men remains one of Australia's darkest secrets. Most of the identified culprits, including a major sports star, remain untouched. [00:54:19] by BurtGummer1911
> prison island
penal continent
stefantalpalaru t1_j6ovp0v wrote
Reply to comment by Hambredd in TIL that between 1895 and 1908 the population of the Belgian Congo declined by between 2 and 13 million due to colonial brutality and diseases caused by colonialism. by hetkleinezusje
> it's a net positive
You think Germans enjoy learning about Nazi Germany? You think the French enjoy learning about Napoleon?