Isaac Rabinovitch: If I were Dutch, I would resent you erasing the imperial sins of my ancestors.

Everything wrong in the world is the fault of the British Empire when you think about it.

technically, the United States is very much Britain’s fault

If I were Dutch, I would resent you erasing the imperial sins of my ancestors.

Also Belgian, French, German, Spanish.

Austrians! Speaking of which the great Second Captains podcast said of Austria in Euro 2024: “every game Austria play is a grudge match”

China.

Japan

Japan derives from China, like USA derives from UK

Ooh it really doesn’t. Japan’s history is fascinating and whilst there’s been lots of crossover between the two, Japan is very much its own thing (sort of analogous to England and France)

I think we can blame them for capitalism.

No, I'm pretty sure that's a British thing too. @thetattooedprof.bsky.social?

Feel like the Dutch have a pretty good claim to the financial and merchant capitalism varieties at least #teamwork

But the British did industrial capitalism first, as I recall.

Well, as it’s the financial one that is the curse of the modern world, I’ll take that.

Yes. That was the epicenter of industrialization for sure

I thought it all came from Venice. Their merchants could buy monopolies and it kind of spread from there.

Isn’t that more mercantilism? I’m not exactly up to date on Middle Ages’ economic systems, I admit.

I’d agree — because I think the issues we are confronting today are a resurrected mercantilism, not straight capitalism at all. I’m a big believer in economic democracy, co-operatives, worker-run companies, which are consistent with socialism and capitalism, but not mercantilism.

I watched the movie Michiel de Ruyter and it sent me down a wikihole following some of the characters and their ancestors. Damn, the truly good guys frequently lost and lost ugly.

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