The American Civil War as a continuation of a lasting British division

I think it's again Anglo-American propaganda to put the blame for the American civil war in the camp of those who had nothing to do with it. The French, the Irish and the Scots. Glad they didn't mention the Dutch..
The same as always.. Anglo-Americans commit crimes, and blame it on the others.
Yawn.
 
Thanks, both

Humour - the panacea? A beautiful thought. Yes, we do all laugh at the same things!!

Not wanting to play the 'ethnic blame game' though, I am left wondering how learning about the crises of the past might help us avert those waiting in the wings. How easy it seems for peoples to be divided from one another (civil wars, international conflicts etc)

A common sense of belonging seems to evade most peoples today (and not just here in the UK) and this must spell difficulties ahead.

It would be wonderful if it were simply enough to empathise with one another and simply celebrate being human, whilst laughing WITH each other about our frailties etc

We live in hope that a critical mass of people will one day achieve this...
 
I think it's again Anglo-American propaganda to put the blame for the American civil war in the camp of those who had nothing to do with it. The French, the Irish and the Scots. Glad they didn't mention the Dutch..
The same as always.. Anglo-Americans commit crimes, and blame it on the others.
Yawn.

I don't know, I think that the people who advance the ethnic component of the theory the most often are those from the South, not the North. So, it's not Anglo-Americans blaming French, Irish, and Scots for driving the Confederacy, but rather Southerners who see their culture as fundamentally distinct from that of the North, due to ancient divisions. Hence they think that their secession was more justifiable because it wasn't just about politics. See A Southern View of History (not the best site in terms of facts IMHO but it proves my point here... also, they mention the Dutch...). I want to be cautious myself in following that line of thought, and I think that I have done so, so far. As I have mentioned before, I don't think that ancient cultural difference caused the conflict, nor am I about to blame any particular ethnicity for the conflict. But I still see a persistence in the same division, which warrants historical investigation.

I also like to think that I'm not too biased here... my American ancestry is from the border states mostly, and I have both Unionist and Confederate ancestors.

Not wanting to play the 'ethnic blame game' though, I am left wondering how learning about the crises of the past might help us avert those waiting in the wings. How easy it seems for peoples to be divided from one another (civil wars, international conflicts etc)

A common sense of belonging seems to evade most peoples today (and not just here in the UK) and this must spell difficulties ahead.

It would be wonderful if it were simply enough to empathise with one another and simply celebrate being human, whilst laughing WITH each other about our frailties etc

We live in hope that a critical mass of people will one day achieve this...

I agree, a lot of the persistence of conflict that we see results from those who fail to learn from history and who continue to see another segment of society as the other. We are all human, after all.

The ancient British division that I speak of still persists today in different forms, but I think it has found more healthy outlets most of the time. Things like voluntary devolution in the UK and celebration of local culture in the USA have helped people keep their unique cultures and ideas without bloodshed. Ideally, we should all be at peace, communicate with one another, and maintain our diversity of culture. I hope that that's where we're all headed... but history may have something else to say about that.
 
The ancient British division that I speak of still persists today in different forms, but I think it has found more healthy outlets most of the time. Things like voluntary devolution in the UK and celebration of local culture in the USA have helped people keep their unique cultures and ideas without bloodshed. Ideally, we should all be at peace, communicate with one another, and maintain our diversity of culture. I hope that that's where we're all headed... but history may have something else to say about that.[/QUOTE]

Thank you.
It's fascinating how events, coupled with the power of the media, can either quickly galvanise or divide people. The royal wedding today is seeing a surge in national pride / patriotism unseen in years. Super! Billions around the globe are watching...and perhaps there is even an international galvanisation occurring as 'a large part of humanity' send their best wishes (and prayers) to the young couple (who really do seem the 'genuine article'). People love goodness, wherever it is to be found.

And yet, the words or actions of a maverick leader or a militant few can just as quickly turn the tide of opinion of the masses violently against communities with just the slightest links to those few who spread dissent and violence eg with what is happening in the Muslim communities.

In the English / US civil wars, led on by the passion of a growing few, whole communities became bitterly divided previous to which people had peacefully co existed. Admittedly, this happended without a mass media to fan the flames.

But the slaughter in Rwanda WAS exacerbated by mass media, just as media machines were used to demonise 'the Hun' or the 'Boer' or 'Charlie' in 'Nam.

After a conflict, people can quickly return to co existence (Europe after the second war)....although no doubt passions can still run deep after many conflicts (the confederate identity in the Deep South). Mass media (feeding on a human urge for peace) no doubt plays a powerful role in how quickly relations can be normalised.

So questions remain about who controls the media, how feelings can be manipulated, how old tensions can be scratched, how conflicts can be stoked up (perhaps to serve the interests of a few) ...........and how the radical agendas of a few can be stopped before whole communities are radicalised.

Humour and the sharp analysis of people blessed with wisdom and a sense of justice should be able to save us from ourselves. Let's hope the mass media is always prepared to give such voices spaces to be heard. :)
 

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