
Scramble for Africa - zerr
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scramble_for_Africa
======
ganeshkrishnan
"Native Congo Free State laborers who failed to meet rubber collection quotas
were often punished by having their hands cut off."

This is really heartbreaking. The most heartbreaking photo I have ever seen
was a father looking at the chopped up hands of his 4 year old son. The
Belgium army had his son's hand cut off as punishment for failing to fulfill
the daily work quota.

~~~
kentosi
Yes I noticed that too. It made me think that (a) it was somehow ok to do this
to (especially to children), and (b) what other non-photographed atrocities
were committed and never spoken of.

~~~
ganeshkrishnan
It was very common until late 1980's in Australia to shoot and kill aboriginal
children who would wander into your property. The Australian government paid
₤5 to kill an adult and ₤2 to kill a child during the Black War.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/ajzbia/til_t...](https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/ajzbia/til_the_black_war_was_a_period_of_violent/)

The killings were legal till the 60's and then overlooked till the 80's. Last
year a guy was acquitted by the court even after murdering 4 aboriginal
children due to double jeopardy laws. [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-
news/2018/sep/13/bowra...](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-
news/2018/sep/13/bowraville-murders-court-rejects-retrial-bid-over-aboriginal-
childrens-deaths)

~~~
lucozade
> The killings were legal till the 60's

That's an astonishing statement. Could you elaborate? The Aboriginal
population has been treated heinously since European settlement but that's a,
literally, incredible claim.

~~~
ganeshkrishnan
Have close friends who are married to Australians. It was common knowledge
that out in the bush, it was quite frequent to shoot Aboriginals who would
wander into your land. Australia had similar gun laws as US and it only
changed after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.

Also Aboriginals do not have the concept of land ownership and hence wouldn't
understand the concept of trespassing, especially the kids.

Here is a list of known massacres:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_massacres_of_Indigenou...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_massacres_of_Indigenous_Australians)

I spent some time in Queensland and the lawyers told me point blank that
courts would hardly rule in favor of "Non Europeans" even for
criminal/personal injury cases and that's why a huge percentage of
civil/injury liabilities are settled out of court.

~~~
lucozade
I see. So you have no basis for the claim.

I genuinely don’t see why you’d make something like that up when the truth is
awful enough. But I’m sure you have your reasons.

~~~
ganeshkrishnan
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Australian_referendum_(...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Australian_referendum_\(Aboriginals\))

They were counted in the population as "humans" only 5 years after this
referendum. Besides the law was such that you could kill Intruders on your
land and this invariably meant murdering the aboriginals

------
novacole
‘Msiri was the most militarily powerful ruler in the area, and traded large
quantities of copper, ivory and slaves – and rumors of gold reached European
ears. The scramble for Katanga was a prime example of the period. Rhodes and
the BSAC sent two expeditions to Msiri in 1890 led by Alfred Sharpe, who was
rebuffed, and Joseph Thomson, who failed to reach Katanga. Leopold sent four
CFS expeditions. First, the Le Marinel Expedition could only extract a vaguely
worded letter. The Delcommune Expedition was rebuffed. The well-armed Stairs
Expedition was given orders to take Katanga with or without Msiri's consent.
Msiri refused, was shot, and the expedition cut off his head and stuck it on a
pole as a "barbaric lesson" to the people. The Bia Expedition finished the job
of establishing an administration of sorts and a "police presence" in
Katanga.’

TLDR:

Can I please have your land? Can I please have your land? Ok, fine I’ll just
shoot you, chop off your head and stick it on a pole. Then I’ll have your
land.

~~~
novacole
There was something seriously seriously wrong with those people.

------
Y_Y
Let's apply modern interpersonal morality to this and see what happens.

~~~
ganeshkrishnan
"modern interpersonal morality" like what's happening in Syria, North Korea,
Venezuela, Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Russia, China?

~~~
Y_Y
Isn't everyone here presumed to be living in the US, or at least the
Anglosphere? North Koreans can't be worrying about the latest JavaScript
hotness.

(I don't live in a rich, English speaking country, but I can pretend so)

