Before I get in to trouble with this post I want to make it very, very clear that I think the slave trade was a very bad thing and that Britain has nothing to be proud of as far as this is concerned.
That said, do I think I can apologise for the actions of my ancestors? Do I believe that Tony can? I am afraid not. I can say that I am sorry, and I am, but that is not apologising for the actions of others. The bible may say that the sins of the fathers will be visited upon their sons, but even so we can't speak for what others did.
An apology cannot change what happened. It can't change the course of the world. I believe this of the slave trade, I believe this of the actions of Japan during the war, of the Germans, of Americans against the Sioux. They have happened, they are the past, and the people who are guilty can no longer be touched.
If we are to apologise for the actions of our fathers and their fathers then when should we stop. Do we stop at what one country did to another? Why there? Surely clan fought clan, tribe fought tribe, family fought family. At some point if we looked far enough back I am sure my family probably did something against yours, even if it was hitting an ancestor over the head with a jawbone. If they did then I, personally, am sorry. Doesn't make them wish they had put down the jawbone though.
2 comments:
What if one party is still deriving undue benefit?
It is, of course, a complex problem, and one I would be happy to discuss when we next meet. There is certainly an issue if a party is deriving an ACTIVE benefit (say, oh I don't know, one country went to war in order to gain access to oil and they were still using it).
But my basic premise is correct, when do we stop, when do we draw the line. I am part welsh and part scottish. Both those countries have suffered badly under the english. Do I expect an apology from every english person I meet? No. Do I expect you to recognise what you did was wrong, yes. D I want assurance you won't do it again, yes.
Every country has gained some benefit from their neighbour (possibly not Switzerland!). Every tribe, every family. Do I have a duty to help those worse off than myself (and therefore quite possibly those my ancestor hit with the jawbone), yes. Do I feel a personal regret at things that have been done, yes. But can I apologise for their actions, no. The apology is meaningless because it is something that was done by people I had no control over. That doesn't stop me acting to reverse the inequalities created. Action, not words, are needed.
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