Chris Grant, a participant on a sister list of Zion-L's, posted a question he asked of Christopher Hichens who is what I think you might call in the US a "good liberal" if that isn't oxymoronic. I've long been a fan of his, and I think Christ liked Hichens' latest book, "Why Orwell Matters." But it was another question and answer that caught my eye here (although I liked the one Chris posted, too, and Hichens gave him a respectful answer).
The person who asked this question is, imho and put as tactfully as I can, dumber 'n a brick. But judge for yourselves: TWO CHEERS FOR COLONIALISM: Christopher Hitchens has written approvingly of Orwell's courage in fighting the great evils of the twentieth century, which included Stalinism, Hitlerism, and British colonialism. But aren't there some kind words to be said for colonialism? Didn't colonialism, in the end, liberate, educate, and "bring into the twentieth century" many of the countries it visited? In India, before colonialism, suttee was practiced. Came and went the British, and now there is parliamentary democracy. A halfway decent result, wouldn't you say, even while keeping in mind the moral cost? Or is my moral calculus way off? The talk at NYU wasn't good, it was great. Dear Two Cheers, Marx was a great defender of British colonialism as a dynamic force that broke open feudal and despotic societies, but he didn't confuse this with the actual motives of the colonialists, which were greed and conquest and exploitation. (Even Edmund Burke conceded that much, in his great indictment of Warren Hastings.) Orwell and Kipling* both served the empire in its moribund days, when "divide and rule" had negated the promise of civil society, and when the occupiers had become racist and proselytising, and when the "native" peoples had outgrown tutelage. They can both be read as exemplifying this great contradiction, which I agree is one of the most fertile subjects of literary and critical study. Orwell's essay on Kipling is one of the best points of entry into this argument, as is Salman Rushdie's essay on the special place of the English language in forming what is now a triumphant sub-continental literature. I even have a chapter on all this in my own book, available at fine stores everywhere... *Kipling has what I think is an unfair reputation for defending British imperialism, but iirc he's also the one who termed the coin "jingoistic" to refer to the "for king and country" mad dogs and Englishmen who stayed out in noon-day sun too much. -- Marc A. Schindler Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada -- Gateway to the Boreal Parkland Guns don’t kill people; people with guns kill people Note: This communication represents the informal personal views of the author solely; its contents do not necessarily reflect those of the author’s employer, nor those of any organization with which the author may be associated. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ${list_promo}
