Post AcsRamIABk4AspRJNA by aredridel@kolektiva.social
 (DIR) More posts by aredridel@kolektiva.social
 (DIR) Post #AcsRal5MfqEb8qRZmi by aredridel@kolektiva.social
       2023-12-16T19:41:07Z
       
       1 likes, 1 repeats
       
       Serious question for leftists: what is the difference between the successor government or country to one that has done terrible things, a government or country that has stopped doing terrible things, and a government or country that has been stopped from doing terrible things?(Like, at what point do you philosophically say "that wasn't us?”)
       
 (DIR) Post #AcsRamIABk4AspRJNA by aredridel@kolektiva.social
       2023-12-16T19:44:14Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       What does it mean for an ever-changing group of people to atone for horrors they've committed, some deeply unwillingly, some complicit, some only nominally included, fighting as best they know how?
       
 (DIR) Post #AcsRzX57sQhwwu94fA by mttaggart@infosec.town
       2023-12-16T19:50:38.069Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @aredridel The State of Theseus 😄I would contend that "atonement" is probably a false concept—or at least an unattainable one. The memory of the wronged is generations long, and even with acts that seek to make amends, the wounds may never fully heal.And consistency is critical. Even as power changes hands, the agreements established by one regime must be honored by the next, and the next. This is why the United States faces particular challenges in rebuilding and maintaining trust, given the vacillating nature of the Executive, and its prime role in foreign policy.
       
 (DIR) Post #AcsS8TQYph1yDoR0zI by aredridel@kolektiva.social
       2023-12-16T19:52:07Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @mttaggart Yup. But also its still unreckoned-with racism, legacy and profit from Manifest Destiny policies and actions, and sexism. Like the US is still undeniably the same state that committed those horrors. But also, the US is changing. Both of these things are true.
       
 (DIR) Post #AcsShCbfMeBmBjBmi0 by mttaggart@infosec.town
       2023-12-16T19:58:31.477Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @aredridel Exactly right. It's one of the reasons I bristle at absolute purity tests in politics—or anything else really. We're all sinners, and we all  have the blood spilled by our ancestors on our hands. The only thing to do is make constant, conscious effort to do better. And better can change with new understandings.