2005-10-03 - 9:19 a.m.
1607 - whose side are you on?
We hit Jamestown this weekend for a day and a bit (one morning class) of instructional goodness. There was a moment where both Bob and I mentally debated interpreting a fire alarm, but it passed. Jamestown is gearing up for the big 2007 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, and the TV channel in the hotel that tells you all you need to know about attractions in the area (if you can stay awake through the droning narration) had a long program about how peachy it's all going to be. They extolled the joys of the oldest successful colony, the birth of democracy (with a capital D), how exciting the birth of America was, and how they'll have all sorts of cultural events and things that will tell us how unequivocably *wonderful* the whole thing is. I turned to Bob at that point and said "Activities that will be enjoyed by white people and white people alike". For at least two groups of people, I would hazard that the celebration of Landing Days will have the same delightful flavour of a celebration of impending doom that Thanksgiving at Plimoth Plantation has for certain groups of people in Massachusetts. I don't think the remnants of the Powhatan tribe think of Landing Days as the "birthplace of democracy (with a capital D)". And I'm pretty sure that the African-American population that can trace their ancestry to the original slaves brought over to work the tobacco crops don't think it's all skittles and beer, either. (No, not the candy skittles, though they do turn the beer interesting colours. Try it with a Miller Light sometime; you won't regret it.) (For God's sake, don't *drink* it.) Personally, I'm rather hoping for a bit of protest; it livens things up a bit, and I really think people need to view the English and Spanish domination of the "New World" with a less Euro-centric eye. But enough about Colonial expansionism - better (and more serious) writers than me have written endless coffee-table sized books about the subject, and I have to get back to my real job. I like Jamestown, and they are actually more aware of the human rights problems associated with the venture than most of the people visiting. I don't think there's a nation in the world that has no blood on their hands - the English get picked on a bit because we were unfortunately rather more successful at it than most other nations (except for Spain, but we beat them in the 19th century). I think the success was mostly due to the complete lack of usable space in Britain (hence the perceived necessity of moving outwards, bringing "civilization" with us as we went), but there was definitely a bit of the general acceptance of piracy (as economic tool) mixed in as well. England certainly accepted piracy throughout the 18th and 19th centuries - you need only look at the big "Hall of things we stole from other countries" at the Victoria and Albert museum to see that it's true. On a smaller level, my family has participated in the acquisition of things by not entirely honest means - I have an amazingly beautiful Mughal (India) necklace that family legend says was "liberated" from an Indian princess (saying "I like that" amounted to "Give me that" in 1920s Britain-occupied India). My mother refused to wear it, but I do. I suppose in some people's eyes that means I tacitly condone the actions of my grandfather (I don't), but in turn, I could make the argument that everyone who emigrated to the US is using land and resources that were originally owned and traded by the people who lived on this continent before us. Weighty subject matter for a Monday, I know. I think it's great to celebrate the beginning of America as we know it. I think it's great that we managed to write up a system of government that allows people to protest that beginning. So celebrate. And think. Thinking is fun.
Dorsal - Ventral
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all words copyright Laura Mellin 2000-2005
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