We’re not the only ones getting our history defaced and then destroyed. This pre-genocide process recently claimed a statue of Belgian King Leopold II, which after being vandalized, was removed by the government because he did racisms in the Congo. The government then issued a groveling apology to the Congolese President and announced a “formal investigation” into their colonial racism activities.
I spent a decade abroad, although I’ve only been to Africa once. I firmly intend to never do that again. I actually had an offer a few years back that would’ve involved relocating to Lagos, Nigeria. It was explained to me that expat professionals could live pretty well since the cost of domestic help was so low. I envisioned myself getting dismembered by an angry mob and immediately declined.
There was a church I went to where I was basically the only white guy and everyone else was an imported Filipino factory worker. The priest was from the Congo. Although everyone was speaking English, they were basically mutually unintelligible. It was pretty funny actually.
The Congolese priest was quite an amiable fellow. Sometimes, we would drink with each other in the evenings. He had some rather interesting stories. The gist of his take on his homeland was that Congolese generally aren’t up to very much, but if they get agitated, then well yeah, there’s going to be some rapine cannibalism. It was a fact of life kinda thing for him and he didn’t seem terribly worked up over it.
In another place, I had some associates from Malawi and Burkina Faso. This was quite a hot location, and in that sort of weather I prefer drinking vodka tonics. When I offered them one, a look of shock came across their faces. According to them, Africans who ingest vodka in hot weather put themselves at risk of spontaneous combustion. They figured this was self-evident science that I should’ve known since there were black people in my country.
One thing I’ve never heard from the Africans I knew was that their continent would be Wakanda if whitey hadn’t screwed the place up. This was long before that Black Panther movie came out, so maybe their opinions have changed. However, I doubt it because they were always clear on causality.
Even though they were from different countries they had rather consistent opinions on most things. A big one was that the people of their countries weren’t exactly industrious or well organized. They also shared an amazement at the sheer amount of free stuff that black people get in America. They pointed out that folks in their country do nothing and have nothing, but you can also do nothing in America and live like a king compared to Africans who don’t even have running water.
They thought that Obama was simply the greatest thing ever, but they were adamant that the presidents of their countries were not presidents in the way that an American would understand. According to the priest, an African president serves as his nation’s premier looter. He doesn’t run the country. In fact, nobody really does. These guys seemed more in tune with political reality than the average American.
These were men with university educations from the upper echelon of societies in which most people aren’t even literate. If I never heard them complaining about statues or colonialism, I really doubt that anyone else in their countries gives a damn, either. That was the same situation with Confederate monuments.
I’m proud to officially announce my candidacy for the office of Dogcatcher.
Tom Shackleford – Empire of dust
As someone who is a half-breed, I grew up at the end of The Olde South with feet in both worlds – that of a Jew and that of a Southern Gentile.
I am two people, all at once, and learning to balance that has taken a lot of work in my life, though, all in all, I do feel blessed and thankful to The Good Lord for allowing me to be, and to be in Dixie.
From the time I was a tyke, I marveled at, struggled with, and tried to figure out how, in the name of cricket, two peoples, as different as they are, could occupy the same earth.
Oddly enough, my two families – one Urbanite Hungarian Jew and the other Rural Appalachian Southron got along quite well and went out of the way to be with each other.
Certainly my two grandmamas had a lot in common – both fiery strong willed perfectionists who dominated their respective milieus.
And, in watching these two human worlds, I became keenly aware of what the special talents and shortcomings of each race were, and that I share now –
Jews are out of the box thinkers, connection-makers, and compulsive tinkerers, they always looking to somehow make things better – for better or for worse.
Whenever possible, Jews prefer above all to be brilliant and successful.
Southern Gentiles are great restrainers – they settings up limits, borders, boundaries, and boxes all over the place and ever observing them, all the while requiring others to do so, as well.
Whenever possible Southern Gentiles prefer to be right, fair, and honourable.
Having said all that, I would say this – I think Jews still know who they are and what they are about, while Southerners, on the other hand, have lost themselves, and have done it so entirely, they are in peril of entirely disappearing.
To be fair, I think the Western Races of the West are also in this peril, too.
How is this pertinent to a statue of Leopold being vandalized?
Because, as a Tarheel, I am reminded how, if someone had tried to lynch our monuments in 1970, they would have been the ones lynched.
But, then, such a thing never would have occurred, because, just a short 50 years ago, no one would dream of doing such a thing, if for no other reason than fear of the consequences.
And that brings me to my conclusion – in this world, if your neighbours think they can abuse you, and do not have to fear the consequences, you are in for a very bad and sad time.
Praying will not protect you. Jews know all about that, which is why the motto of The Israeli military is, ‘Never Again.’
At this time in history, Jews have also forgotten their place, they, instead of taking stock of what they are doing, and making some adjustments in their course, they are busily steaming ahead with their societal tinkerings, all the while evermore paranoid about the anti-Semitism that seems to be rising.
Nowadays, Jews seem to see no connection between their actions and the resentment directed at them.
They have lost that talent they used to have for perceiving connections between things, especially those invisible.
So, oddly, enough, both peoples are in trouble, though for different reasons, The Jews because they seem to have to sense of limits and connections, and Southern Gentiles because they seem to have lost all self-respect and their sense of connection to themselves.
It’s a bad time to be a human in The West, and, indeed, all over the West.