Submitted by Youmeandthedevil t3_z0k5m7 in books
I just finished this book and it left me absolutely speechless. It’s a beautifully unflinching look at all the blatantly racist and imperial policies that the American government has done their best to bury. From the overt and explicitly racist policies of early America to the subjugation of overseas territories in the 1800s and the post WWII policies of eschewing territory for individual for military bases it paints a picture of American expansionism that is all too often brushed under the rug.
Edit, because I forgot about how bad the Reddit comment section gets
1: As some people have already pointed this is not just some “America bad” book. It is nothing but an objective presentation of facts, for both what the USA has done and what the people they colonized did. Those facts just happen to speak for themselves and are frankly pretty damning.
2: Many people have pointed out that they were taught a lot of the things presented in this book or were otherwise already aware. That’s excellent! These are things that should be taught in an effort to combat imperialism. Unfortunately, as someone who was educated in the USA, I was not taught anything about the nuanced history of the aggressive policies of American expansionism and I bet many Americans are ignorant as well. This book opened my eyes to more than a few things that should have been taught to all Americans.
3: The what-about-ism in these comments is ridiculous. Yes, every other imperial nation has done equally atrocious things many times over. That doesn’t change the fact that the nations and governments who commit these atrocities should be condemned regardless of if other people have been worse or not. Is it human nature to try and conquer and subjugate? Is it inevitable that the strong will rule over the weak? Maybe, but we should always try to be better and not use the terribleness of others to excuse the horrible things in our own past.