The Logic Off Topic list

This is more than a little unfairly relativistic.

Look, I think we can agree that there are forces in history that even when
they won we have looked back over time, even people in their time saw, that
it was "bad".

Hitler winning would be viewed as bad except in the official schools.
Outside that we'd all be whining and fighting to change things.  The
ethnically pure extremism had a real consequence.

In China the "regular" folks know the Cultural Revolution was overall an
atrocity.  They don't speak of it much and of course many will defend it but
most people know it for what it was.

Pol Pot's Kampuchea was reviled even in his time.  The Taliban's Afghanistan
is not happy with their regime.

In the big picture yes I agree that many of those villified because they
lost would be heroes had they won.  Yes, the victors do write the history
books.  But there are those who even victorious are not celebrated even in
their time or those we cannot pretend would be able to write off their
excesses.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kool Musick" <koolmusick@...>
To: <logic-ot@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2001 8:37 PM
Subject: Re: [L-OT] European "Friends" / Contributions to Peace


> I do not know, through all the quotings and requotings, who said this
>
> >Imagine how worse it might be if Hitler, Tojo, Stalin, Krushev or Mao had
> >fullfilled their wishes.
>
> They are simply the they who lost. And what did these theys who lost do
but
> try to remake the world in their image? And ... what of the theys who won?
> What did those theys also do but try to remake the world in their image?
>
> To the victor goes the luxury of remaking the world in their image. That
> remaking never involves heaping praise upon the they they have defeated.
> Nor does it involve awarding them medals for their gallantry, writing
songs
> about their uplifting presentations of humanity nor for their clear
> thinking and vision.
>
> If the they who lost had instead been the they who won then would we not
> all now be debating just how lucky we were that the they who lost won
while
> the they who won lost instead of us debating how good indeed it is that
the
> they who won won and the they who lost lost.
>
> Kool Musick
> Keep Musick Kool