
Rudyard Kipling’s American years - Thevet
https://newrepublic.com/article/154615/rudyard-kipling-american-years-imperialism-book-review
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abhinai
Sincere question: does this post belong on Hacker News?

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dang
Posts about history, arts, and literature have always had a place on Hacker
News. Please see the guidelines:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)

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abhinai
Downvoted to -4 points for asking a neutral question! People sure aren't
objective about this topic. I'll ask again: Are we sure these kind of
controversial topics belong on HN? They don't help the community in any way I
can think.

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DSingularity
I disagree with this. Here’s what Kipling has to say about colonialism:

“ Take up the White Man's burden — In patience to abide, To veil the threat of
terror And check the show of pride; By open speech and simple, An hundred
times made plain To seek another's profit, And work another's gain.”

Have they (the colonized) profited from colonization? This mans words beat the
drums for imperialism, he does not deserve praise.

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SuddsMcDuff
> "This mans words beat the drums for imperialism, he does not deserve
> praise."

Why this proclivity to view people as being either entirely good or entirely
bad? Is there no room for nuance in your world view? Kipling was a racist and
imperialist. He was also a talented poet and novelist who produced some
seminal work. Both of those things can be true, they are not mutually
exclusive.

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DSingularity
You mean to tell me that you have no lines, no limits? Would you be so
comfortable to praise an artist if you knew he was a murderer? What if he was
a rapist? A racist? A thief? What are your lines?

After seeing the lasting damage of settler colonialism in the “third world“ I
have little patience for these “nuanced” views. The Bushes and the Kiplings
should be critiqued at every chance. History should not be kind to George Bush
just because can draw a few puppies.

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SuddsMcDuff
> _" You mean to tell me that you have no lines, no limits?"_

Straw man.

> _" Would you be so comfortable to praise an artist if you knew he was a
> murderer? What if he was a rapist? A racist? A thief?"_

Yes, absolutely. What you fail to realise is that I'd be praising the art, not
the artist. I don't believe this makes me a hypocrite, I think this makes me
objective. Praising a piece of art on its own merits in no way condones
unrelated character traits of the artist.

> _" I have little patience for these “nuanced” views."_

I believe you.

> _" The Bushes and the Kiplings should be critiqued at every chance."_

I agree, but the critique should be rational and objective, and not based on
your emotional response to unrelated issues.

> _" History should not be kind to George Bush just because can draw a few
> puppies."_

Nobody said it should.

