Comment 75498

By moylek (registered) - website | Posted March 28, 2012 at 07:38:12 in reply to Comment 75491

the 500 years prior to John Cabot

To say that our history is the history of the land we live on more so than that of the culture we inherit and are developing is naive - or more likely disingenuous. We do not carry on the cultural traditions of the Neutral or Tobacco tribes who used to live here. Our history is that of the ideas and the values and the laws of the Greeks and the Romans, of Europeans and British and Americans. For good and for ill.

our rule of law for most of the time was the rule of law for landed gentry

That's a skewed view, but sure, let's agree. But, as you say, "was". Ours is an evolving tradition. It gets better, for the most part. The rights and responsibilities of the few have become the rights and responsibilities of all of us. It might stop getting better, of course. Look at Rome. Or the Neutral Indians.

eradicated entire civilizations many of which were far more liberal than them.

You don't perhaps a) over state the case? and b) speak whereof we cannot know, for if we eradicated these civilizations, how do we know about their liberality?

I know it's still terribly the thing to engage in unqualified cultural self-castigation - but it's no less jingoistic and unconvincing than"my country right or wrong" patriotism.

We have a tradition and culture which have produced ... us ... this. It's great and has unleashed horrors and we need to know where we've been and and to get somewhere better. I'm not saying that what is is right, but I am saying that there's no point in going on like a morose teenager who hates everything because it's all stupid, including the family which made them who they are.

Comment edited by moylek on 2012-03-28 07:38:36

-- Kenneth Moyle Hamilton, Ontario

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