I like how the first article mentions the Native American genocide as being done by “European settlers.” It’s true, but I find that Americans have this habit of saying the genocide was done by Europeans and downplay what the Americans did. Erdogan still sucks btw.
Totally. For Americans, the European nationality of their ancestors is nowadays distancing, if not exculpatory. And then for so many Israelis, the European nationalities of their ancestors must be erased in order to ‘root’ them in the land.
In both cases, continuity and distinctness are both present in that history of evolving identities. And in both cases, the continuity is severed in favor of the distinctness so that whichever details are favorable can be retained/emphasized and the others can be discarded/minimized, in both cases to create a self-serving myth of national innocence and right.
I like how the first article mentions the Native American genocide as being done by “European settlers.” It’s true, but I find that Americans have this habit of saying the genocide was done by Europeans and downplay what the Americans did. Erdogan still sucks btw.
Totally. For Americans, the European nationality of their ancestors is nowadays distancing, if not exculpatory. And then for so many Israelis, the European nationalities of their ancestors must be erased in order to ‘root’ them in the land.
In both cases, continuity and distinctness are both present in that history of evolving identities. And in both cases, the continuity is severed in favor of the distinctness so that whichever details are favorable can be retained/emphasized and the others can be discarded/minimized, in both cases to create a self-serving myth of national innocence and right.