History Memes

While that’s a good example it’s an exception not the rule. Imperialism vs the racist genocidal settler colonialism witnessed by European global expansion isn’t quite mom-and-pops old style imperialist or empire-style expansionism.

You can argue while some newer players like WWII Japan and modern-day Israel may not be as Eurocentric, that doesn’t change its birthplace.

Also, when you mention modern slavery and indigenous genocide people don’t go, “oh right! Japan!! The Ottomans or the Ming Dynasty!” They immediately think of Native American or Aboriginal genocide and multigenerational slavery based on race and industrialized into a global economy; one still hellbent on erasure of local culture and homogenization of “values” globally.

In fact, if neo-colonialism has its way the only place for unique human expression will be looking down upon it from behind museum glass as a memory of a different “time”. Cultural uniformity makes stable profitable consumer markets (or so the theory goes). You’re not wrong but I wouldn’t be so quick to say “hey, but look, they do it too!”