A Box Without Hinges

the Doctor

I would just like to add:

That is England’s empire during WWII.  It covered about a fourth of the world, and England’s severe exploitation of all those countries was what allowed it to survive the war.  So: not a tiny island.  Certainly not a tiny island saving the world.  Modern nationalism is dangerous and I don’t like it and I don’t like seeing this quote so here.  Just look at that map for a while.

(via reelaroundthefountain)

Except that the Nazis weren’t directly besieging all of those countries in 1941. It was because of them (and the US) that Britain was able to defy the Nazis until the Japanese pissed off the US enough to actually be involved in the party. That the ‘damp little island’ could get such an empire in the first place is pretty awesome, let alone being the sole power aside Russia to tell Hitler to GTFO.

(via crimsonbubbles)

You are missing the point of the commentary, but I really take issue with the empire bit. As someone whose country was part of that empire, whose country fought for that empire in WWII, and whose country — region — was let down by that empire, no. No, it is not ‘awesome’ that that damp little country got themselves an empire in the first place because it put itself in charge, exploiting our society in the process (because the Japanese weren’t the first to covet — there isn’t even a name for what is now Malaysia that isn’t steeped in our colonial history, so for want of a better word — our natural resources), and then shirked its responsibility to defend its empire. I learnt about this shit in primary school — the deprivation of basic necessities, the destruction of the local economy, the horror of living in a police state. People survived on sweet potato porridge because they were too poor to buy anything else. There are people who refuse to wear Japanese kitchen clogs because of the Japanese Occupation. It was a let down for Britain and a three year nightmare for us.

(You should also look up Neville Chamberlain and Appeasement.)