Yes David, it is possible to talk about racism without espousing racist
attitudes. I'm just not certain that you were doing that.
On 2/1/06 12:06 PM, "David Bircumshaw" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> I do strongly disagree on this: there was never a cultural myth of
> British 'innocence'
Wow! Even my personal experience speaks otherwise. My mother (a product of
the Raj, as were many of my ancestors - the administrative upper middle
class that ruled India) is full of it. The British were benevolent and did
the countries they colonised enormous good; they were there to civilise and
to help the "natives"; the "natives" loved them (like my Great Great Uncle
George, who was "adored" by the Tibetans because he "looked after" them)
&c&c. George Monbiot quotes a few of those myths as currently retailed in
his article. And yes, Victorian English novels, children's histories and so
on are full of this kind of rubbish.
Best
A
Alison Croggon
Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
Editor, Masthead: http://masthead.net.au
Home page: http://alisoncroggon.com
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