The Problem with Empire - Brexdamtwit

Empires are nothing but motes of sand blowing in the wind. Sometimes they phut around for hours; at other times, they whip along for centuries!

Empires have waxed and waned throughout the eons. They grow from slow mewling collections of the dirty unwashed who huddle expectantly around unsanitised watering holes. Periodically fight off four-legged animals stupid enough not to be at least partially eat-a-domesticable. Then move forward with shocked faux fervency, through the horror of public orgies held beneath prickly moist sheets.

The above usually occurs through a lens of no-nonsense rational expansion. Where higher beings nicely bubble along the top, insisting that their actions are aligned with the wishes of whichever deities they've taken as their own. This allows them to parade through their existence, cloaked with the hair of demurred gravitas. Luckily this also allows history to leave the most memorable of moments, as unexpected bonuses for future generations hilarity.

Society's progress rarely marches in a straight line, often experiencing setbacks peppered by climate, wars, the odd volcano, and those who dream of wealth, power, dominion and utter control, by whatever means necessary. Empires slowly peak in grandeur as their messy conundrums surpass the goals of interconnected villages, cities, regions, politicians and quickly jettisoned ideals; before, sadly, having the most insane of leaders inelegantly hoiked upon them. Experience terminal collapse. Then have the final indignity of ending up in the guts of some bookend eating worm.

When it comes to the less appealing sides of empire, they can have a deleterious effect on the populace of any country they are successful in overwhelming. Let's briefly take a very small country, which had a very large impact - belgium, and another country now called the democratic republic of congo. In the 1880’s belgium’s population was roughly around the 5.5 million mark whilst also been over 6,282(ish) km away from the congo. We, or probably very few of us will ever know the true death toll from that little romp into the interior. But with estimates ranging from 5 - 12 million people killed, outside of a world war they’d give any tyrannical dictator a run for the top spot of attempted genocide.

From such practices as severing a person’s hand, to outright murder, they could be viewed as lawful terrorists of their age. In terms of brutality, they still surpass many of the actions carried out by isis - in their onward march to an attempted caliphate. It’s probable the world might have mobilised had the group killed the same number of people as king leopold ii, if we believe there’s more than a raft of empathy and humanity amongst the global political brokers. But how many of us heard, or can recall hearing anything regarding such atrocities, whilst flicking snot balls during monotone history lectures?

History does repeat itself, it’s just that society usually has amnesia injected into its veins.