Colonialism: Crash Course Geography #39
video description
Date: 2022-04-04
Related videos
Comments and reviews: 10
crash_course
Thai food being categorized as cultural colonialization is laughable.
Colonialisation is not mere words or attitudes, it's a material condition. It's the destruction of other people's means of life, a parasitic way to subjugate other countries.
My Canadian ways of life are not threatened by the Thai Express down the road, it adds to my life's diversity of options, just as a native american restaurant next door would not be colonializing.
Call it -culture advertizing-, or preferential subventions from abroad, an unfair competition maybe given their easy access to loans. But not colonialization.
Similarly, reciting a litany of colonializing sins you have nothing to do with does nothing to actually counter the deep wounds and unfair practices levied against the people's listed.
It's the favorite tool of those benefiting from this state of affair. It's empty posturing, the secular -thoughts and prayers-.
Slapping titles on a representative of the oppressed, while native americans are arrested by the dozens for trying to block pipelines on the few remaining lands that were not stolen, while they have no clean water in their communities, while their women are killed. it rings really empty.
What I would have loved to see in this video would have been actionnable political actions that would meaningfully regress the state of things.
Say -We stand in solidarity with the indigenous people of this land, which mean opposing structures of power that propagate their subjugation-.
Capitalism has been a huge force against them (and many more people.
States that stole their lands.
Companies that pollute and buy governments to criminalize opposition to their land grab and the exploitation of nature (pipelines, mines, industries.
The police that betray their class interests and perpetuate the direct violence of colonialization.
The IMF and other predatory lending that still subjugate countries across the world.
The military and intelligence agencies that support destabilization and shock doctrine, which is a way capitalists seize assets (neo-colonialism.
Denounce those institutions and power structures. You can still recite your prayer of guilt if you want. But at least point to the real actionnable levers of power that need to be dismantled for a meaningful effect on colonialization.
Heck, instead, just give or refer people to funds that support indigenous actions (such as direct opposition to the structures of power listed above, if you don't want to call for insurectionnary resistance against those.
reply
Thai food being categorized as cultural colonialization is laughable.
Colonialisation is not mere words or attitudes, it's a material condition. It's the destruction of other people's means of life, a parasitic way to subjugate other countries.
My Canadian ways of life are not threatened by the Thai Express down the road, it adds to my life's diversity of options, just as a native american restaurant next door would not be colonializing.
Call it -culture advertizing-, or preferential subventions from abroad, an unfair competition maybe given their easy access to loans. But not colonialization.
Similarly, reciting a litany of colonializing sins you have nothing to do with does nothing to actually counter the deep wounds and unfair practices levied against the people's listed.
It's the favorite tool of those benefiting from this state of affair. It's empty posturing, the secular -thoughts and prayers-.
Slapping titles on a representative of the oppressed, while native americans are arrested by the dozens for trying to block pipelines on the few remaining lands that were not stolen, while they have no clean water in their communities, while their women are killed. it rings really empty.
What I would have loved to see in this video would have been actionnable political actions that would meaningfully regress the state of things.
Say -We stand in solidarity with the indigenous people of this land, which mean opposing structures of power that propagate their subjugation-.
Capitalism has been a huge force against them (and many more people.
States that stole their lands.
Companies that pollute and buy governments to criminalize opposition to their land grab and the exploitation of nature (pipelines, mines, industries.
The police that betray their class interests and perpetuate the direct violence of colonialization.
The IMF and other predatory lending that still subjugate countries across the world.
The military and intelligence agencies that support destabilization and shock doctrine, which is a way capitalists seize assets (neo-colonialism.
Denounce those institutions and power structures. You can still recite your prayer of guilt if you want. But at least point to the real actionnable levers of power that need to be dismantled for a meaningful effect on colonialization.
Heck, instead, just give or refer people to funds that support indigenous actions (such as direct opposition to the structures of power listed above, if you don't want to call for insurectionnary resistance against those.
reply
PiHung
This is a really nice summarization of the colonial history of Taiwan (which is (sadly) probably all that there is.
As a Taiwanese people, I can see you try to not step into the current -dispute- between China and us; nevertheless, this is still a great starting point to understand why Taiwan is where it is now.
Fun facts:
1. The indigenous people listed in the end credit are the current recognized 16 tribes, plus a general term -Pingpu- for those people that originally lived in the lowland regions (-pingpu- means -flat plain-, and been mostly assimilated into the Chinese immigrants. Because of this, their original culture are quite hard to recover, and only Kavalan successfully received recognition; all other listed 15 tribes lived in mountains or islands, which don't get much assimilation.
2. This one may be known by many people: Taiwanese indigenous people is said to be the origin of Austronesian people that currently lived in Pacific islands.
reply
This is a really nice summarization of the colonial history of Taiwan (which is (sadly) probably all that there is.
As a Taiwanese people, I can see you try to not step into the current -dispute- between China and us; nevertheless, this is still a great starting point to understand why Taiwan is where it is now.
Fun facts:
1. The indigenous people listed in the end credit are the current recognized 16 tribes, plus a general term -Pingpu- for those people that originally lived in the lowland regions (-pingpu- means -flat plain-, and been mostly assimilated into the Chinese immigrants. Because of this, their original culture are quite hard to recover, and only Kavalan successfully received recognition; all other listed 15 tribes lived in mountains or islands, which don't get much assimilation.
2. This one may be known by many people: Taiwanese indigenous people is said to be the origin of Austronesian people that currently lived in Pacific islands.
reply
Antiskill
It feels like imperial Japan is often portrayed as simple villains, but like this video shows, it's important to remember that they were reacting to the colonization happening around them. There likely wasn't any other way to gain an economic & military foothold against encroaching western empires. Japan absolutely DID do horrific things, and -the other guys started it- is not an acceptable justification, but they were in a difficult position with no good options.
reply
It feels like imperial Japan is often portrayed as simple villains, but like this video shows, it's important to remember that they were reacting to the colonization happening around them. There likely wasn't any other way to gain an economic & military foothold against encroaching western empires. Japan absolutely DID do horrific things, and -the other guys started it- is not an acceptable justification, but they were in a difficult position with no good options.
reply
julia
Talking about imperialism and colonialism is not about making one group or another feel guilt and shame. If you, yourself were not directly involved in that past history why would you feel shame? Sadly, this is the accusation from some political groups that when they have power, go on to suppress any more than superficial education about the history of both. Dealing with emotions seems like a part of teaching geography, history, and other types of human behavior.
reply
Talking about imperialism and colonialism is not about making one group or another feel guilt and shame. If you, yourself were not directly involved in that past history why would you feel shame? Sadly, this is the accusation from some political groups that when they have power, go on to suppress any more than superficial education about the history of both. Dealing with emotions seems like a part of teaching geography, history, and other types of human behavior.
reply
cactusofdoom
I think it's an immense disservice to colonized people that this episode did not give enough attention to the central role of horrific violence in colonization. How the colonizers wield genocide as a tool to force submission and assimilation. Yes, some instances of violence being used to that end were mentioned in this episode but the episode failed to emphasize how such violence is INTEGRAL in colonial projects.
reply
I think it's an immense disservice to colonized people that this episode did not give enough attention to the central role of horrific violence in colonization. How the colonizers wield genocide as a tool to force submission and assimilation. Yes, some instances of violence being used to that end were mentioned in this episode but the episode failed to emphasize how such violence is INTEGRAL in colonial projects.
reply
LO
As careful and walk-on-eggshell-y as this presentation of colonialism was, it still comes off as more aggressive than when John Green treated it. I'm not American but I'm starting to understand what they say about mid westerners. They really mellow prickly topics.
reply
As careful and walk-on-eggshell-y as this presentation of colonialism was, it still comes off as more aggressive than when John Green treated it. I'm not American but I'm starting to understand what they say about mid westerners. They really mellow prickly topics.
reply
Rayal--
Omgggg yayy! Thank you guys for always providing very informative information. So glad I subcribes you guys have really been helping me alot in other courses. Even tho I am not doing geography I am always open to learn new stuff-
reply
Omgggg yayy! Thank you guys for always providing very informative information. So glad I subcribes you guys have really been helping me alot in other courses. Even tho I am not doing geography I am always open to learn new stuff-
reply
Nic
This is why I love Crash Course! I consider myself moderately informed about colonialism's effects, but your examples about Taiwan's multiple invasions and the Thai government's PR through cuisine were really eye opening!
reply
This is why I love Crash Course! I consider myself moderately informed about colonialism's effects, but your examples about Taiwan's multiple invasions and the Thai government's PR through cuisine were really eye opening!
reply
Oslo
Just a reminder that people adopt a culture which they look up to, while people make fun of a culture that they look down upon. Therefore Cultural appropriation is not a negative thing, but Cultural degradation is.
reply
Just a reminder that people adopt a culture which they look up to, while people make fun of a culture that they look down upon. Therefore Cultural appropriation is not a negative thing, but Cultural degradation is.
reply
Quinn
Frustrated and disappointed that you did an episode about colonization without once mentioning the IMF and the World Bank's predatory loans as outline by Naomi Klein in -The Shock Doctrine- and other works.
reply
Frustrated and disappointed that you did an episode about colonization without once mentioning the IMF and the World Bank's predatory loans as outline by Naomi Klein in -The Shock Doctrine- and other works.
reply
Add a review, comment
Other channel videos
