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Yes, it's surprising to me that those who have mentioned the words guilt, and self-loathing etc are the ones who might generally label themselves as being more patriotic. It's as if their patriotism is being spoilt by the negativity of others. Like someone saying something nasty about their mother, they are emotionally upset by slurs on their ancestors.
Meanwhile these others are quite happy to accept the evils of the past as having past, it may complicate their feelings of patriotic pride, but it means they probably have a better (or rather more complete) idea about what that pride entails. In other words, they do not feel guilty of the crimes of the past - why should they? A fact is a fact, it was not us enslaving and killing people, but it is up to us to choose whether to attach a moral significance to those facts.
Slavery was the backbone of all of the great Civilisations from Egypt and Rome to the British and now Western Empires of the world. That always has been and will always be the case. Like it or loathe it, find it morally reprehensible or not, it is simply the case. I don't condem those people for enslaving the weak, but neither do I applaud them. If I met them tomorrow, I might be appalled at their conceit, but now they are long dead, that is not likely to occur.
While they are dead, some of their conceit (nationalism and patriotism) lives on - and I would prefer it if people would concentrate on being proud of their own achievements, rather than those of others who happened to be born, or land upon the same shores as themselves. Especially when one's nationality has plainly nothing to do with anything that matters like ability, acceptance, love or kindness.
And shouldn't it be the Spanish who are proud/guilty of Columbus rather than the Americans?
I think things like this are important to air - and am surprised by the emotion that has been generated by its airing. What damage does it do to understand in detail the events of the past?
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