The world is full of sad memories from colonialism

 

The world is full of sad memories from colonialism 

When we are looking at the statues, we are seeing things, which means nothing to our generation. But in the past, they were symbols of slavery, humiliation, and non-humanity. We always remember the Nazi- and Soviet concentration camps, but we are forgetting things that happened far away in history. 

Those things should not be accepted. And we should realize that things like Auschwitz are the result for the advantage, what began in the colonialism. And do you know why we convict those concentration camps so hard? Those things happened in Europe and victims were mainly white. 

If we would meet some slave trader from the 18th century we would meet the man, who was in the same position for slaves, what Rudolph Hoess was for his prisoners. During the 18th-century slave trade was legal business, and somehow we are forgetting that Nazis took the model for death and slave-working camps from the age of colonialism. 

We are thinking that colonialism is belonging somewhere past, but we are facing racism in everyday life. And at this point, we must remember that racism doesn't mean only that ethnic minorities are somehow non-tolerated. Racism means also isolating other minorities like sexual- religious and people, who have things like ADHD. 

And the same way we can think that Nazi-concentration camps were a legal thing because Nazi-government was a legal ruler in Germany. When we are facing the legislation, we are forgetting that in some countries physical punishments are still allowed, if they are targeted to children. The thing that the physical violence, what is targeted to children was accepted because they had no right to hire lawyers because they were underage. 

In the 1980s the physical punishments like hitting to fingers were allowed in the British schools. And raping in marriage was also accepted in many countries. This is one version of racism. If domestic violence is the worst thing in the world. The idea of domestic violence and racist violence is always the same. Being in power justifies the violence.

 And in that kind of case, we are seeing the attitude that because the majority is making the laws. The only thing, that we must remember is to please the majority. The idea is that the majority has always legal right to make things because they are making the laws. 

We remember that in South Africa British troops closed many white people in the concentration camps, but we don't remember how many black people died in the railroad projects in Africa. In that area, only white victims were calculated.  

When we are looking at history, we can see things, that are not acceptable. If we are thinking that Adolph Hitler killed six million Europeans in the concentration camps, we must ask one question. Does the thing, that something happened in the 18th century make those things acceptable? If we are seeing the modern world, what is full of monuments, we are forgetting that some of those monuments have different means for some people, who are different, what we are. 

The statues of General Lee and the Slave traders statue have a similar symbol in history. The thing in the American Civil war was that Union was against slavery, and the Confederate uphold slavery. Somehow this thing is forgotten, when people are talking about the confederates or rebels. But after the Civil War, the U.S military started to persecute native Americans. 

When we are looking at some statues and other things, we are seeing people who are still symbolizing something. Those people are symbols of contempt and persecution. Even in the 21st century, we are facing the truth, that inside us lives a small colonialist. When laws change, we are thinking that everything is fine. But the important thing is also an attitude. Chancing attitudes is also an important thing.