I don't think they would believe it nowadays?

[heimlaga]

I agree!
China has clearly studied the growth of the British empire in great detail and learned their lessons. Economic dominance and trade monopoly combined with destabilisation of governments followed by fairly peaceful land grabs and just the occasional bit of gunboat diplomacy or military intervention gives a lot more empire for the bucks than a full out military conquest.
I don't tell this to bash you Brits. It is just a fact of history that your ancestors pioneered a new sort of empire building which did not involve large scale military conquests and subjugations. The Chineese are now perfecting what you first started experimenting with in India.
Consequently we could also learn from your history how such an empire can be resisted....... and at that you Brits should have an opportunity of becoming the great masters as you have experience from the other side and know every old trick anyone tried against you!
This is your chance!

 

[DBT85]

This is your chance!

We could start by giving back all the stuff we nicked over the centuries.

 

[Gremmy]

We could start by giving back all the stuff we nicked over the centuries.

“Saved”

 

[Sachakins]

“Saved”

Rescued/Salvaged/moved to place of safety/long term safety.......

 

[DBT85]

“Saved”

That certainly seems to be the prevailing excuse. Heaven forfend that we let cultures that existed for several thousand years look after their own stuff. We had no right to it then and we have no right or excuse to it now. Take laser scans of it all to recreate it and send the originals home with an apology and a box of chocs.

 

[paulrbarnard]

That certainly seems to be the prevailing excuse. Heaven forfend that we let cultures that existed for several thousand years look after their own stuff. We had no right to it then and we have no right or excuse to it now. Take laser scans of it all to recreate it and send the originals home with an apology and a box of chocs.

I agree with your sentiment but the fact is a lot of stuff actually wouldn’t be here today if the hadn’t been plundered.

 

[DBT85]

I agree with your sentiment but the fact is a lot of stuff actually wouldn’t be here today if the hadn’t been plundered.

Even if that were true its still no excuse for not giving it back in the year of our blessed jeebus 2021, which is the prevailing mood.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Even if that were true its still no excuse for not giving it back in the year of our blessed jeebus 2021, which is the prevailing mood.

I agree things should go back. I was responding to your “no right” and that “people could look after their own things” statements. That patently wasn’t always the case.

 

[DBT85]

I agree things should go back. I was responding to your “no right” and that “people could look after their own things” statements. That patently wasn’t always the case.

That may be the case in some instances, but we still had no right to just take them. The common idea is that we were somehow saving these cultures from themselves, cultures that had been doing just fine before we rocked up and told them that actually we owned their country now. Chop chop and shine my boots while you're about it.

There may well be things that survived only because we stole them, it's neither quantifiable nor an excuse especially when it is considered the cost of life that was inflicted on some of the very same places in the name of the glorious empire.

I'll leave it there as its likely unpopular opinion.

 

[pidgeonpost]

And they wonder what has gone so wrong today, kids start school with zero discipline and soon know that the teachers cannot say or do anything otherwise it may affect the childs human rights. They continue through schooling without discipline or being held accountable for their actions and watch morons on Tv making far more money than you can by doing a regular job so thats who they aspire to be and look upto. Then so many organisations cannot understand whats gone wrong, acting dumb but it is so obvious that modern society is now the root cause and what kids can be exposed to on Tv and unsocial media.

I wonder how many of those kids who were badly behaved, undisciplined and never held accountable for their actions went on to be amongst the politicians around today?

 

[pidgeonpost]

My dad was in the RAF. We lived in married quarters at RAF Waddington during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. We watched the standoff between the US and Russian fleets unfold in the Atlantic each night on the TV. The world was literally teetering on the brink of armageddon. I asked him one night what would happen to us if the Russians launched an attack.

Now, at that time, Waddington was home to a large part of the Vulcan first-response nuclear bomber fleet which was on instant readiness alert. A couple of squadrons bombed-up with nuclear weapons ready to go stood on the tarmac less than a mile from our house. Dad explained that, because of this, if there was an attack Waddington would be one of the first places hit, and I shouldn't worry because I wouldn't know a thing about it. I was 11 and it took a couple of minutes to figure out what he meant.

I remember being on the school bus when it looked like WW3 was imminent. One of the girls who was no better than she needed to be said that she would be terrible to die before she'd had chance to experience intercourse (not exactly her words). There were one or two knowing glances from others around her on the back seat who knew it was a bit late for that.

 

[DBT85]

Apparently 50% of the people in the country who were asked think they are less free to say what they think today than five years ago as cancel culture has taken root.

I'm sure many that say this are the same people that say things like "oh you can't say anything these days".

People can and do say the same bigoted crap they said 70 years ago. There are now just consequences to hurling racial epithets at minorities where even 25 years ago I'd regularly hear things like paki, ******, ****** and far worse being used in casual conversation. Say it now and more people will say "hold up, what did you just say?". The other big difference is that 25 years ago it was among your mates in the pub. Now some tit spouts off on twitter and because civilised people call them out on it they are somehow oppressed or "cancelled".

Children for generations are brought up to be kind and treat others how they want to be treated. When those same children tell their parents that you can't call people ****** any more or you can't call people poofs, it's the parents who seem to get upset rather than for one second going "actually maybe it isn't everyone else that's wrong".

If anything the label should be "consequence culture". If you don't want people to call you a racist or a homophobe or anything else your options are simple. Keep your mouth shut, only say your screwed up crap in private, or... Learn from those around you, think from others perspectives and be less of a bigot. Doesn't seem all that hard really.

Like, I get it. Times have changed and it can be difficult to adjust for some people. I've called wife 2.0 wife 1.0s name years after we split up. But learn. Even attempt to understand.

Even on this forum we had people defending a guy covered in nazi tattoos because "well he hugged the coloured bloke so he must be fine" even after he was caught lying about the origins of the tats. And yes, I think they actually used the word coloured. And before I hear "we were told not to call them black" No you were told not to use their colour to identify them if it had no relevance, not just repurpose a different word to do the same job. They just wanted to be called "b******" or "di******" just like the white people. Just not "black di******.

Say whatever you want to say. But don't come crying if you get clapped for chatting nonsense.

Probably best I stop browsing this bit of he forum

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It was fine til people started ranting.

 

[gwaithcoed]

I started work down the pit when I was 15 in 1952. I mentioned to my supervisor that I had to go to the dentist He said you don't know how lucky you are
He had complained to his Dad for a day or two that he had toothache.
His dad sent him to see a workmate of his who pulled teeth.
He knocked the door and said dad had sent him to have a tooth out
Has he sent any money he was asked
Yes a tanner 6pence old money 2 1/2 pence today
It'll hurt fo a tanner he was told
He was sat on a kitchen chair while the wife held back his head and the man took out his tooth
He said he wasn't wrong when he said it was going to hurt.

and these were the good old days

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My old dentist came from oop north, he qualified in 1970 iirc. He told uswhen he was a child that it wasn't uncommon for people to have all their teeth out and dentures for a 21st birthday present - to save the hassle later in life.

 

[MikeJhn]

What ever happened to freedom of speech, whether bigoted or not?

 

[Daniel2]

What ever happened to freedom of speech, whether bigoted or not?

Aah.... But freedom is often misconstrued as being without condition.
True freedom requires responsibility.
That includes not negatively affecting, or offending, others.

 

[Jameshow]

What ever happened to freedom of speech, whether bigoted or not?

Whose to judge if your a rightwing bigot or a left wing bigot.......!

Who is qualified to define what bigotry is.....

Cheers James

 

[Robbo60]

Why are there discriminatory organisations such as Black Police Officers Association? If there was a White equivalent it would be classed as racist. I think there is something similar in NHS Doctors. Why have the MOBO music awards. Why not just music? MOBO is not a genre before someone suggest that.

 

[Auldfart2010]