The British Museum of Shame

Recently, I went to London to visit the British Museum. I’ve been to London many times, but I never took the time to visit the museum until now.

After a tiring day battling the crowds, I checked Instagram to see what people had posted about their impressions. And I came across this post:

„It was disturbing to witness all the stolen artifacts that the British looted from all over the world. 99% percent of the objects are stolen, pillaged and plundered from other nations.

The British Museum is a museum of disgrace. It's an utter shame how the British raped the world.“

Right…
Obviously, the language in that quote is deliberately abrasive and meant to provoke, but it’s not entirely wrong, and it struck a chord with me. Many of the artifacts did indeed arrive in London through outright theft.

And while you ponder the theft of artifacts, you can’t help but make the connection to the larger crimes of the British Empire. When you take a step back, the British are directly responsible for a great deal of the suffering and injustice in the world today.

The Opium Wars, the rape of India, the partitioning of the Middle East, the betrayal on the Arabs. All the horrible decisions of the past that were driven by British greed continue to haunt us today.

I know, other empires committed unspeakable atrocities as well, but I would argue that none continue to shape the world today in quite the same way as what the British Empire did.

That kinda spoiled my day. I actually only wanted to write a story about a long day at the museum… but this turned into an unhinged rant.

Those British…