CDR: Treatment of subjugated people (and bagpipes)

[Ray Dillinger]

On Thu, 31 Aug 2000, Sean Roach wrote:

>As regards Petro's response to same.
>Read up on the history of the U.S.A., and U.K.
>Unless I've misinterpreted, slaves were forbidden to learn to read in the U.S.

Not exactly. They weren't forbidden to learn; however, it was 
forbidden for anyone (including other slaves) to teach them. 
It amounts to the same general thing (instruction being unavailable 
to them) but when a bunch of slaves gathered around Sojourner Truth 
for lessons in reading, it was her that was breaking the law, not 
them. 

>Native Americans were made to give up thier traditions in favor of 
>"civilized" customs.

Yeah.  And some of them did and some of them didn't.  

>And the Irish were similary denied the ability to read, or to play thier 
>traditional music.  (Bards tended to sing songs counter to the english 
>policies.)  

It's a long damn tradition, unfortunately.  In England, it goes back 
to the Norman invasion and the way the Saxons were treated; but the 
Normans were just copying the Romans, and the Romans were just copying 
the Greeks.  

>Last I heard, the bagpipe was still considered a weapon.

There's a guy who gives Foghorn "concerts" in Golden Gate Park.  He 
has to wear hearing protection and a padded suit, otherwise it leaves 
bruises all over his body and he can't hear for a few days. His face 
still winds up black-and-blue, especially around the eyes. There's 
a law against playing amplified instruments without a permit -- but 
foghorns aren't amplified, they're just LOUD.  After hearing this 
guy once, I did an interesting study in sound physics, which leads 
me to believe it is probably possible to create a vehicle-mounted, 
deisel-powered bagpipe-like device that could be used to play tunes 
and which would simultaneously destroy buildings.  Considering the 
bagpipe a weapon isn't that far off.... and not just for reasons of 
the ideas behind the songs they traditionally accompany.

>If I heard right, It became illegal to speak Scottish Gaelic, for a time.

When the culture of a conqueror is sufficiently different, and they 
can get away with it, they always try to take the native language 
away.  That takes away all the old songs and poetry, and most of the 
stories, and makes it easier to stamp your own culture on a subjugated 
people.

			Bear