Love Thy Rich Conqueror

Love thy Conqueror!

As you travel you will visit many countries that had been colonized by
one or another colonial power. You will also probably become aware of a
strange paradox- usually, if Country A was Colonized by Country B, and
Country B was richer and more developed than Country A, many of the
natives of Country A will continue loving and admiring it long after
the independence; despite the horrors perpetrated by the colonial power
on its soil. It does not matter that Country B was dictatorial and
oppressive. It does not matter that it had killed and tortured the
natives of Country A. Many people there will love and respect the
culture of Country B and treat Country B tourists and investors with
supreme welcome. On their vacations, they will yearn to go to visit the
former overlords' capital city and brag to their family and friends of
their travel to that place.

In Latin American countries, anything that is related to Spain is still
seen as sophisticated and proper. Never mind that Spain destroyed so
much culture of South America and so many natives died from diseases
brought there by the Spaniards. They were masters and they were
stronger than S. Americans. They were richer, too- through stolen
wealth, but hey, it does not matter.

The admiration for anything Spanish is alive and well there. Being
fluent in the Spanish language is seen as a sign of being cultured and
"high-class". Listening to music from Spain is also seen as something
very respect worthy.

In the US, a person with a British accent is seen as someone very
intelligent, and one of the main destinations of American tourists is
still Britain.

In the Philippines, after all the struggle for independence, the
natives proudly display American symbols and wear bright T-shirts with
letters "USA" on them. The dream of many a Filipino is still to go the
States.

Many Japanese worshipped the Americans after the bombings and the
occupation, studied English and went to the US on holidays. Their
resoect for America waned when thier economy became more productive
than that of the US. Now when their are in the throws of the recession,
are they back to respecting the US?

Malaysians also love going to London on holidays and British tourists
are received with a big smile
and a warm handshake when they visit Kuala Lumpur. Tunisians and
Moroccans look up to France. The dream of many a Ukrainian is to go to
Moscow to live. Taiwanese teens go crazy about Japanese music and
culture.

However, if the colonizers were poorer than the colonized, the former
colonial subjects have nothing but scorn for them. The Balts
discriminate against the Russians and do not want them in their
countries but may look up to Germany in spite of what the Germans had
done there. The Vietnamese have the same scornful attitude towards the
former USSR while young people there adore anything American and
marriage to an American is a desirable choice of many a Vietnamese
woman. Go figure! But then again, who has got more money? The Russians
do not kowtow to Ulaan Bataar or dream of visiting the Mongolian
capital on their honeymoon. Few dream of emigrating to Lovely Mongolia
or studying there. The Mongols were powerful militarily but they were
not necessarily richer than the Russians when they put thousands of
them to the sword.

I guess it is human nature to kowtow and respect the strong and the
rich, no matter what bad things they have done to you. After the
revolutions and the wars of independence pass, the former "oppressees"
are back to the business of adulating the former oppressors.

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