Comments on: Winston must be spinning in his grave. https://habitablezone.com/2019/03/11/winston-churchill-must-be-spinning-in-his-grave/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:51:21 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2019/03/11/winston-churchill-must-be-spinning-in-his-grave/#comment-43105 ER Fri, 15 Mar 2019 00:09:32 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=76282#comment-43105 As critical as I've been on this forum of American policies and culture, there is a lot of good in this country too. When we go, the world will miss us, there are a lot worse actors out there than us, and there have been many worse ones in the past. No, we're not perfect, but neither are we monsters, and in spite of all the evil we've done, we've done much good as well. And most important, over the years we have improved, we've actually gotten better. And that's exactly why I am so concerned and so angry now. There are forces in this country who are trying to push us back to that ugly past we have struggled so hard to climb out of. That's what the forces of reaction are trying to do, not "Make America Great Again". They want us to go back to the Gilded Age, or Jim Crow, or even the ante-bellum South. They want to resurrect the evils of racism, nationalism, militarism and religious fanaticism. What I fear is not that history will remember us as evil, but that we threw away a fighting chance of being truly good. Like the ancient Greeks and Romans and the British Empire, we will leave a brilliant legacy. But like them, I fear we will also fail to achieve the true greatness that was within us and that we were capable of. Sad. As critical as I’ve been on this forum of American policies and culture, there is a lot of good in this country too. When we go, the world will miss us, there are a lot worse actors out there than us, and there have been many worse ones in the past.

No, we’re not perfect, but neither are we monsters, and in spite of all the evil we’ve done, we’ve done much good as well. And most important, over the years we have improved, we’ve actually gotten better.

And that’s exactly why I am so concerned and so angry now. There are forces in this country who are trying to push us back to that ugly past we have struggled so hard to climb out of. That’s
what the forces of reaction are trying to do, not “Make America Great Again”. They want us to go back to the Gilded Age, or Jim Crow, or even the ante-bellum South. They want to resurrect the evils of racism, nationalism, militarism and religious fanaticism.

What I fear is not that history will remember us as evil, but that we threw away a fighting chance of being truly good. Like the ancient Greeks and Romans and the British Empire, we will leave a brilliant legacy. But like them, I fear we will also fail to achieve the true greatness that was within us and that we were capable of.

Sad.

]]> By: mcfly https://habitablezone.com/2019/03/11/winston-churchill-must-be-spinning-in-his-grave/#comment-43101 mcfly Thu, 14 Mar 2019 17:29:26 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=76282#comment-43101 I wonder if watching the Brexit debacle would remind Winnie of trench warfare. British politicians are drowning in mud and shit but know that anyone who raises their head will get their ticket punched. The worst option--a hard Brexit--seems likely, and the best option--a delay of (or even better a retreat from) Brexit--seems impossible. In some circles, disdain for the EU is so toxic that lawmakers are willing to risk massive disruption and uncertainty, including a foolish roll-of-the-dice over the border with Ireland, all so that they can rid their country of all vestiges of cooperation with the continent. It reminds me of Trump's psychotic need to destroy every aspect of Obama's legacy. Here in the US, at least we still have the luxury of hoping for better days ahead. We'll never be able to fix everything Trump has destroyed, but gawd willing we might yet get a chance to pull the country back from the brink. In the UK, however, only days remain until the remnants of the British Empire will cease to cast a shadow. But as you say, the hegemony of Churchill's precious pale Anglos has already been relegated to history, and none too soon. As I have no choice but to regard myself among them, I can say that the future will not remember us kindly. For what it's worth, generations of history students will be able to write papers about what it took to survive us. I wonder if watching the Brexit debacle would remind Winnie of trench warfare. British politicians are drowning in mud and shit but know that anyone who raises their head will get their ticket punched.

The worst option–a hard Brexit–seems likely, and the best option–a delay of (or even better a retreat from) Brexit–seems impossible. In some circles, disdain for the EU is so toxic that lawmakers are willing to risk massive disruption and uncertainty, including a foolish roll-of-the-dice over the border with Ireland, all so that they can rid their country of all vestiges of cooperation with the continent. It reminds me of Trump’s psychotic need to destroy every aspect of Obama’s legacy.

Here in the US, at least we still have the luxury of hoping for better days ahead. We’ll never be able to fix everything Trump has destroyed, but gawd willing we might yet get a chance to pull the country back from the brink. In the UK, however, only days remain until the remnants of the British Empire will cease to cast a shadow.

But as you say, the hegemony of Churchill’s precious pale Anglos has already been relegated to history, and none too soon. As I have no choice but to regard myself among them, I can say that the future will not remember us kindly. For what it’s worth, generations of history students will be able to write papers about what it took to survive us.

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