I'm aware of that. Modern Turks may not need to apologize for the Armenian genocide, but the Turkish government absolutely needs to apologize for such blatant bigotry against the Armenians since then.

They will probably not, nor will Armenian government apologise for Khojaly, nor will the Serbians apologise for what happened in Kosovo and Srebronyca, nor will many perpetrators of ethnic or religious violence.

I realize that, and it's a shame. Although I'm pretty sure the German government did issue a formal apology for the Holocaust. I think the American government apologized (wayyyyy too late) about taking the land of the Indigenous Americans.

One of the reasons I say that the American government's apology was way too late is actually exactly the reasons we're discussing: nobody who participated in it was alive to make that apology. It doesn't mean much if Clinton (for example) says that he's sorry the American government forced Indigenous Americans from their land, because he played no part in that. He's in no position to apologize, so it's meaningless. The best a modern politician can do is recognize that it was a tragedy and take measures to prevent (or possibly compensate) for it.

Khojaly and Srbronyca were both in the past 20 years.

I know, I googled it.

I had to stop listening where he said he's hurt people over centuries. I'm still too unclear in my beliefs about reincarnation to listen to someone apologize for what he did in a past life. He wouldn't even know which past person was which new person and neither would those new persons (old souls) know he was the old body that did them harm were they to watch this video.

He may have hurt me in a past life but I don't remember who he was when he did it. He might've stole my wife, poisoned my well, and had relations with my horse and I don't think I'd remember that specifically in this life if he had.

He wasn't referring to reincarnation, he was referring to what his culture and ancestry did... No one here mentioned reincarnation...

Wait, reincarnation? Seriously?

Ah, at the part I paused he said, "I've hurt people over the years over the centuries really" and he hadn't mentioned his culture yet so I didn't know he was taking secondhand responsibility, I thought he meant first hand.

And yes, seriously. I have an open mind to reincarnation though I haven't made a cultivated opinion on it yet, I'm going to read a book on it soon and ponder more on it.

He's a conservative commentator who often satirises people in his videos, he's mocking the concept of apologising for what your ancestors may have done.

Speaking of, I want the Arab nations to apologise for what they did to the indigenous peoples of Egypt and North Sudan, as well as the Mesopotamians that lived in what is now Turkey.

Lulz...

I'm gonna volunteer that I feel stupid for not realizing it was satire. I honestly thought it was some random, "crazy" dude.

No-one can be compensated for slavery in America, since the last person to be enslaved would have died a hundred years ago. And if we're going to play the compensation for slavery game, then what about all the white slaves? Why are we pretending that slavery was uniquely white-on-black?

We do have a thread for apologising for past injustices, perhaps we should try to keep this to the holocaust. Although I don't know what else there is to say. Modern Germans should stop grovelling.

Fun fact: aside from a handful of scholars in the '60s, "the holocaust" only began to be called "the holocaust" after a 1978 NBC miniseries called it that. If you get a pre-'80s encyclopaedia and look for "holocaust", you won't find it.

Yes, I recognize that there are situations in which people can't be compensated, and so all you can do is express that it was a bad thing and that you have sympathy. Interesting note about the origins of the term "Holocaust."

From what I understand about German culture (and I don't know how accurate this is), most Germans are, as you say, "grovelling" over the Holocaust, and there's a sizable group who try to blame it back on the Jews by saying they try to pull the Holocaust card to get the world to accept their bad behaviour.

Relevant, though irreverent.

In response the video LiV posted, it's silly for an individual to apologize for wrongs committed by their ancestors, but an organization apologizing for wrongs previously committed by that organization, even if it's composition at the time was completely different, I think is reasonable. The same Connecticut legislature still exists that existed during the era of slavery, so I think it's a nice gesture for it to formally acknowledge its previous failings.

I agree with that, a non human entity apologizing for past things is totally OK. However, the longer you wait and the more turnover of power happens before that apology lessens the power of the apology.

Let me put it this way, its easy to apologize for slavery now that most (I think most reasonable) people are against. However, if say a southern state had apologized for it during a time when the KKK was still a popular organization, they would have more "street cred" now in present day than if they waited til now.

I don't see why anyone should feel guilty for something they had nothing to do with.

So the Federal Republic shouldn't apologise for the actions of the Third Reich.

No one should apologise every. We should just step on each other and accept that we as humans love it.

I meant no one should ever apologosize.

I see zombification has left your personality unchanged.

If the federal republic was comprised of people who voted for or aided the Nazis, then they should. If not, then I suppose they can just say "The Nazis were horrible: we're nothing like them, and here are some actions to help remedy the situation that can improve it."

Vorpisdead: why shouldn't we apologize?

I see you have been reading Atlas Shrugged since you have been away.

Does Ayn Rand even advocate that? I mean, she says we shouldn't do things for other people but that doesn't mean not apologizing when we unnecessarily hurt somebody.

Ayn Rand was basically a sociopath. I fucking hate Ayn Rand, with a neurotic passion. I watch Ayn Rand documentaries and seethe over how much I hate her. It's a little crazy... maybe...

Ayn Rand was a genius. I love Objectivism. And no, she advocated that while we all should fend for ourselves we must recognise as we're free to make our choices others are free to make theirs, trampling them was never considered fair in her philosophical outlook. Atlas Shrugged was dystopic, meant to show what would happen if no one recognised one another's right to individual choice.

Also, K, I despise communism and everything it stands for, I think Marx was an idiot but for the sake of your feelings I don't shout it out, please respect my political views as I do yours.