Originally Posted by rhaikh
These parties, their platforms, personas, etc exist wholly because of the developments of modern history.


This raises an important point: how far back, exactly, do you think should be gone? Everything that happens is influenced in some manner by everything that came before. So, how far back do you want to go to demand that the past be accounted for?

If you had a principled stance on this point that was universally applied, then that would go a long way towards achieving validity for your other points that mostly seem to follow from your premise that X was responsible for Y, and needs to do Z because their current situation followed from or benefitted in some manner from Y.

I mean, we could hypothetically go back to the Ottoman years and demand restitution for Muslim invasions of the West. In fact, many fraught areas of the world, specifically in the Balkans, still do. However, I don't think that is an example anyone should be interested in following. Conversely, if someone was doing racist crap yesterday, I would still hold it against them today - even if they uttered contrite words. So, how far back should we go and why?


For who could be free when every other man's humour might domineer over him? - John Locke (2nd Treatise, sect 57)