Stop with the YOUR Country is EVIL bull!

I need to rant about something.

I've been reading a few posts on ATS which make a mention of white guilt, black-on-white, white-on-every-color crimes, people against Thanksgiving, Israelis vs. Palestinians, so on and so forth.

There are some people who become incredibly angry over these posts, arguing back and forth that it was that group's fault or this race responsible for all the evils in this world,... some people claiming responsibility, others pushing it away, etc. It got me thinking. Here's what I have to say about that:

From the beginning of time, as far as history goes and as far as we can remember, human beings have been butchering and enslaving each other over land and resources without consideration for anyone else but themselves. This is called "survival". Borders of nations have changed in size and shape so many times even in recent history that it's difficult to keep up with! Hell, we STILL can't agree on the borders as they are drawn today!
If the Romans weren't out there enslaving the Slavs (that's how the word "slave" came about), then it was the Turks exterminating the Armenians. If it wasn't the Mongolians invading China, then it was the Russians invading Mongolia. China invaded Nepal, Austro-Hungary invaded Czechoslovakia, Germans invaded Poland, Russia, France, ... Persia invaded countries all the way up to Greece, France invaded England, England invaded parts of Africa, India, America,... Spain and France also invaded America,... The Vikings invaded England and other neighboring nations,.. Muslims invaded the Western world, Christians invaded the Eastern world, so on and so forth. Tribes in Africa continue to enslave each other to this day, exterminating each other for land, for beliefs, for political power and for whatever other reason. I don't think anyone can be sure to whom the land truly belongs, because at one point in history we've all had our taste. It belongs to everyone and no one.

Everyone wants the others' land and resources! Everyone is looking out for their own group. We are all conquerors, and every now and then we find a way to get what we want in a peaceful way. We may not always be inseparable friends, but we both have something the other wants and find a way to make an exchange. Hundreds of years ago it was the Persians who ruled the world. Then the Romans came and took over. Maybe someday the Hispanic or Asian race will become the "privileged" race, and the whites will become the minority needing the help. Everyone seems to be getting their turn. The bigger the group and the better their communication, the more successful they seem to be at conquering the world.

It's not always just about race, it is often about a belief or a religion that binds a group and creates conquerors out of them. Had the Africans come together as one nation to fight against the British, French or Dutch, I doubt those countries would have come out victorious, carving up the African continent the way they did. Had the Native Americans come together as one strong fighting force against the English, I don't think I'd be sitting here right now speaking English. When the Muslim Turks invaded Christian Europe, what did the Europeans do? They came together, briefly ignoring their political differences and fought them off. That's the trick to survival,... knowing when to ignore your differences, finding something you have in common and fighting for it.

Now that I've said all that, here's my rant:

People, please stop this nonsense about who did what to whom. We're all guilty in one way or another just by voting or paying our taxes to a particular government! If you're enjoying your Mocha Latte on a quiet Sunday morning while watching your kids play happily in the yard without a care in the world, thank your conquering armed forces for providing you with that luxury. Your tax dollars are buying you that privilege. Your peace probably comes at someone else's expense, but don't feel too guilty. If the other group could experience that same peace at your expense they probably would, will, and probably have in the past.

If you happen to be part of a group who has been conquered in recent times (in the last 3-400 years), you're just living a part of history that some group in the past had to live through, and some group in the future will have to live through again.

I'm part of a group who's ancestors and family lived through these types of hardships up to the late 80's. I'm part of a nation who's been enslaved, trampled on, brainwashed,... who's culture could have been wiped out completely had it not been for a few strong people who fought for it and held onto it with all their might. If you live in the U.S. you probably never heard of it, because the only three groups you hear about these days are the Jews and the Holocaust, the African Americans who's ancestors were enslaved by the Americans, and the Native Americans who's land was taken from them by the English, Spanish and French. My point is that somewhere down the line every group, race or religion falls to another.
If it happened to you, all you can do is try to remain strong, educate yourself and work your way through it. Don't dwell on blaming your enemies.

Now to the conquerors:

Don't get so worked up about things like "guilt". It's a new part of the conqueror/conquered game. Creating "white guilt" or guilt of any kind is a new way for certain groups who have been oppressed to fight back. In my opinion the U.S. is the perfect place to carry out this defensive/offensive strategy. I don't think there are many countries on this earth where such a strategy would work, but it works in the U.S. because it's society has reached a level where people are so content with their lives and have so many luxuries, that they have the time to be more introspective. The majority of us feel at peace because we haven't seen/experienced bloody war first-hand in so long (if ever!). For this reason the individuals believe they are "peaceful" people, and feel it is their responsibility to make everyone else as "loving" and accepting as they are. That's when they start fighting for the oppressed or underprivileged.
The country also contains such a huge mixture of different cultures that certain things just cannot be ignored. If one group has a right to do something, then another group of equal number should have a right to do whatever it is they want to do, as long as it is not harmful to anyone else.

I ran out of space, not sure what else to add to that. Just needed to get it out of my system. Thanks for reading.

Wow! I really take my hat off to you...I wish I could give you a hundred stars and flags for that, and I sure hope you get an applause, because you deserve it.

The only thing we can do is move forward, and stop dwelling on the past. Unfortunately, someone said we need to remember history so we can make sure we don't repeat it. But remembering certain things in history passes from parent to child and the hatred and need for revenge continues.. Sadly, revenge is taken on the innocent ones, who 'must pay' for the sins of their ancestors. I hope we can change & hope your mentality rubs off on people, because it's needed.

Incredible post! Good job!

Thank you! Sometimes I just get so sick and tired of the finger-pointing. People seem to miss the point that just because they are in a position where they don't have to physically fight for their next meal, it doesn't mean they are incapable of actions that would be considered "evil" by some.

There are very few people in this world I would consider truly peaceful people, and I'm sure that even they, in case of extreme starvation, might consider doing things they'd never do otherwise. Deep inside we're all animals with physical needs and a fear of dying, fortunately some of us are lucky enough to live in a country who's presently at the top (or at least close to the top) of the food chain.