Eh? Mate? Buddy?
I am from colonies. I have lived my life in Canada, the United States, and Australia; nations sometimes perceived as the off-shoots of other, more powerful, more authentic cultures. If I'd spent longer in Quebec I might add a French-speaking cultural cringe.
Indeed, if I remember Austrian and German ancestors and their cultures, I could add them to the mixture. What a Hell-brew...
I am what I am, and where I am, and what I have made of myself. Not a lot, I admit, but not a product of London, Washington, Ottawa, Wein, or Berlin. You may think I am not as good as the people from these places - and welcome to your thoughts - I've considered them and am grateful that I am not as bad as some of them...
I have deliberately avoided finding out the sins of my ancestors, and equally have avoided bragging about their virtues. They turned in their dinner pails a long time ago, and I do not propose to draw rations based upon being related to them. I can be proud or ashamed for myself.
Colonies are fine, as long as the colonials eventually revolt and go their own way. Toss their tea in the bay, along with the old statues, and get on with their own lives. Their children are the ones who will be ashamed of them and that is all they need to worry about; the natural progress of the world.
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