Date: 02 May 96 03:12:04 EDT
From: "Chris, London" <100423.2040-AT-compuserve.com>
To: marxismlist a <marxism-AT-jefferson.village.Virginia.EDU>
Subject: Basques and Celts


Gary:
-----

I have decided that Adolfo is so "mad, bad and dangerous to know" that he
must have Irish ancestry in there somewhere.


Chris B:
--------

The question that came to mind when I saw Adolfo's frank family 
history is how empires use minorities to oppress their next victim.
Adolfo's Basque ancestor made his fortune oppressing the Incas, in the 
service of Imperial Spain.

The dominance of English in the world and on the net, is connected with 
how the English (I come from the dreaded Saxon stock, Gary, I am afraid)
used the celtic fringe of Britain to do much of the work of spreading
the British Empire. Mainly the
Scots played a key role as officials in the British Empire, which
perhaps the Irish could not because of their national resistance 
through much of the 19th century, but in terms of spreading the 
language, the Irish and the Welsh, contributed, ironically enough.

Sorry to interject a degree of guilt-ridden seriousness into 
the outbreak of good humour. We cannot always alter power relationships
but I think we ought to be able to identify them clearly.

Chris 

London




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