To wonder why it's so controversial to talk about white behaviour throughout history?

You need to understand that it was an EXCUSE made my people in power to justify treating a minority in such a terrible way... They did not care about their skin colour, they only cared that they needed to convince the masses and probably themselves that they didn't matter because of their skin colour and it worked far to well for far to long, it's still being fought today.

I see it more as going from extreme to the other. It's like no nuance is allowed. One group blaming another group for everything. It won't end well, it never has. You can already see anger between people growing all the time, it feels like we're losing the ability to see things from anyone but our own perspective. I actually find it quite scary.

There are lots of unethical practices throughout history.

The transatlantic slave trade is a key feature of modern history because it, along with colonialisation, has massively shaped the modern world and its legacy remains to this day, fuelling political and social tensions.

I think another reason the TA slave trade is so important, is because its existence sparked the change in attitude which led to slavery being considered a moral wrong in the first place. In that way too, it has shaped human history.

It is really interesting though to see what is household knowledge and what isn't. It's a reflection of what particular cultures hold on to and want to teach and pass forward.

I think this is kind of what the OP is on about.

Nobody is saying that stuff didn't happen or shouldn't be discussed.

It's more, bringing it up in the face of any discussions about white people, like it's some kind of mitigating factor.

The discussion of specifically white history, is because of the prevalence of Eurocentrism in modern culture, and a desire to challenge the status quo where "the victors write the history books".

There seems to be a lot of transfixed views on this thread that allege that historic slave trading is somehow attributed to some magical "white behaviour" throughout history.

So where does the Arab slave trade fit in to this little narrow minded view. After all it lasted for more than 13 centuries or is this to be ignored in this hypothesis. 🤔

The British Empire was at least as Scottish as it was English. Inconvenient, isn't it?

I think it's fair to say that King Leopold did regard the people in the Congo as subhumans, and treated them as such. I also do think that racism definitely played a part in the British empire generally.

But it's not "white behaviour", it's sadly just human behaviour. The development of universal human rights is a very. very recent one. And tbh, even now it's mostly an idea in theory rather than fact.

I think it's naive to suggest that racial superiority had no bearing on the British Empire. Colonisation was often based on divide and rule. Africa was described as the dark continent and natives were likened to savages. The British saw themselves as very much superior and enlightened.

There you go again with the white... he was a bad man who happened to be white.... his skin colour had no baring on his actions. His power and status had plenty to do with it though...

I doubt you will find a child over the age of ten who hasn't heard of slavery. By their teenage years most will have at least a little knowledge that the UK held pivotal roles in the negative aspects of our colonial history.

Have to say I disagree. I think it's important to acknowledge the bad things that all humans have done. Singling out one particular group as uniquely guilty has never ended well.

One thing that King Leopold and Ghenis Khan have in common that transcends their skin colour is that they were both men.

We do see it though as clear as day.... of course there is anger of course you want acknowledgement that it happened and you want us to never forget but we don't. Do you think we're proud of that history? and yet we speak of it honestly... we acknowledge it but it's never enough. It wasn't us.... we've actually nothing to apologise for and yet we do over and over. We're told it's because "we are white, we are privileged" let me tell you i don't feel it. I'm paid far less than people I know who are not... is that their fault no, they worked their butt's off for everything they have, but I'm so sick of being made to feel guilty and "lucky" to be white.

So you'd say the Viking invasion of Britain was a great thing and should be celebrated.

This will probably sound very patronising, but is any of this making sense in your head?

What about Ghenis Khan?
I don't believe he was white and he was a bit naughty, reputedly killing 40 (forty) million people..

I have mentioned King Leopold twice, conveniently it’s been ignored. I do think it’s a prime example of colonial white supremacy at its worst being glossed over in modern teaching/acknowledgement of history. I didn’t find out about him until I was an adult.

I guess another way to look at it is what's done is done. Using the example of Britain, as this site is predominantly used by British users, the least we can do as a nation is learn from our history and acknowledge it.

What most people of Commonwealth heritage now want is their history to be understood and acknowledged instead of apologies and reparations.

Just being seen and spoken of to the next generation factually and clearly would go a long way.

No one is arguing that the history isnt important though.... we're arguing that it isn't because we are white that it happened and that it isn't taught from our point of view.

I mean what do you even mean by that? No one sat in history and said "well yeah we enslaved people but there were positives too" Not once in any of my lessons were we taught that it was OK to be a colonial country and enslave people.

I have an Indian friend, who's moved to Britain acctually. His impression of Britain is the colonials "who came pillaged and decimated India then turned around and left again with all the money" what bothered me most is I knew he was absolutely right! I told him so aswell. He also pointed out that we're still doing it now (Iraq) for instance and again I couldn't disagree. He knows though that it's governments and people in power who do this stuff, not your average friendly Brit like me.

Erm ..do you recall a little thing called the British Empire?

@Mummy2024. we've done better than you suggest. The world wants to live in their version of the USA, speak English and rely on the fairness of common law (just look at the refugees). All created in England, over an 800 year span, before I mention freedom of thought and creative expression, and solid scientific method. Shared credit with France, Italy, Germany and Scandinavian countries, but Africa? Seriously?

I didn't say the experience of every single British person did I. It is however the history of the country. Everyone will have experienced colonisation differently. From the poor with rickets living in squalor to the rich plantation owners.

Leopold has been mentioned by a previous poster

You can say that about literally any categorization. British history - do you think that means every single British person had the same experiences? Or do you exercise some common sense and acknowledge that it is part of British history and not the singular entirety of it.