(no subject)
So there are people protesting Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Richmond on Thursday... I am alone in seeing the humor in this? I mean really, what a colossal waste of time! Apparently this is to protest the "colonialism, imperialism, and racism that the monarchy represents". Ok fine, but why waste your breath on the monarchy in the UK? Maybe 100 years ago this would have been a worthwhile endeavor, but the English monarchy in the present day yields no power whatsoever. On paper maybe, but in practice they can't do a damn thing. Hell, the Queen even opposed the Iraq War from the beginning and it didn't do any good. Shouldn't people be putting their energy into protesting to people that have some sort of power to change things? I see something like this and it's no wonder people don't take protesters as seriously as they did 30 years ago.
Of course it doesn't stop there. The organizers of the protest go on to say that "this is in addition to the undeniable fact that Jamestown’s founding was predicated on the genocide of Native Americans and the enslavement of African Americans." As much as I hate to say it because I really am saddened by slavery and the massacre of the Native Americans during the formative years of the country, the above statement just isn't historically accurate. Not even close really, and it just makes the person look really stupid. Jamestown was formed to make money, period. They didn't come here to attack the natives. At first anyway, relations were somewhat peaceful at least in the fact that attempts were made by both sides to form a truce or alliance. As far as slavery, that horrible chapter in our history didn't begin until 1654 in Northampton County. The first Africans to come to Jamestown in 1619 were indentured servants who were eventually freed. It didn't stay like that for long unfortunately, but to blame slavery on the forming of Jamestown just doesn't make any sense. Things were handled really terribly in the later part of the 17th century, but it didn't have to be that way. Colonizing Jamestown wasn't the cause. You might as well blame the Phoenicians or the Vikings for coming up with the idea to travel here.
The sad thing about all this is that I agree with the organizers' principles, but their execution leaves a lot to be desired. I really thing it's doing more harm than good to the causes they are supposedly fighting for.
Of course it doesn't stop there. The organizers of the protest go on to say that "this is in addition to the undeniable fact that Jamestown’s founding was predicated on the genocide of Native Americans and the enslavement of African Americans." As much as I hate to say it because I really am saddened by slavery and the massacre of the Native Americans during the formative years of the country, the above statement just isn't historically accurate. Not even close really, and it just makes the person look really stupid. Jamestown was formed to make money, period. They didn't come here to attack the natives. At first anyway, relations were somewhat peaceful at least in the fact that attempts were made by both sides to form a truce or alliance. As far as slavery, that horrible chapter in our history didn't begin until 1654 in Northampton County. The first Africans to come to Jamestown in 1619 were indentured servants who were eventually freed. It didn't stay like that for long unfortunately, but to blame slavery on the forming of Jamestown just doesn't make any sense. Things were handled really terribly in the later part of the 17th century, but it didn't have to be that way. Colonizing Jamestown wasn't the cause. You might as well blame the Phoenicians or the Vikings for coming up with the idea to travel here.
The sad thing about all this is that I agree with the organizers' principles, but their execution leaves a lot to be desired. I really thing it's doing more harm than good to the causes they are supposedly fighting for.