So to just call it a "drug trade", which implies that the British were pushing a known poison on an unwilling or unwitting Chinese population, is not really fair.
Interesting. Of course I could counter this with this remark in the link I quoted (which sounds right to me btw... Those robust people of those times were very aware of what they were doing. There was a different perception of what was socially accepted as right and wrong though, I agree on that point).
While a prosperous Chinese official could afford opium addiction, a Chinese worker would spend two-thirds of his wages, neglecting his family. Many Chinese saw opium as a poison introduced by foreign enemies. In 1729, the Emperor banned the import of opium, except for a small amount, licensed as medicine. In 1799 a stronger Imperial decree was issued prohibiting both the smoking of opium and its importation. This decree stated:
``Foreigners obviously derive the most solid profits and advantages ... but that our countrymen should pursue this destructive and ensnaring vice ... is indeed odious and deplorable.''
Confucianism strongly condemned the use of drugs like opium. Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716), the great German mathematician, physicist and philosopher, who wrote extensively on China, recognized that Confucianism contained many of the most positive features of Christianity. Leibniz worked for an ecumenical alliance between Confucianism and Christianity. In Confucianism, a man had a duty and debt to his ancestors. His body was given to him by his ancestors as their link to his descendants. Therefore, for a man to destroy his own body was a great offense against filial piety.
AND
The Governor-General of the East India Company stated in 1817,
``Were it possible to prevent the use of the drug altogether, except for medicine, we would gladly do it, in compassion for mankind.''
This explanation sounds like the famous bandit, Willie Sutton, who, when asked, ``Why do you rob banks?'' responded, ``Because that's where the money is.'' However, the true motive for Britain's Opium Wars was far more evil than mere greed.
BUT what interested me is the source of this awful anti British Empire stuff...[I say, in best appalled upper class Cheltenham accent] "GOOD GOD MAN, WHO ARE THESE NEFARIOUS ANTI BRITISH EMPIRE AGENTS"??.. Following the data upstream I arrived here.
larouchepub.com
Most interesting his "criminal record" lol
He says lots of things. Many I agree with too. NH is my favorite USA state (btw -g-)so his views are worthy of my full attention. Sounds like a fine USA citizen to me.
Wellcome any link to the contrary, whacko stuff aside. |
