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Comment by derrickdirge | Hacker News Reader

> global destiny

Does this mean what it sounds like it means?

People in the UK haven't quite gotten over that whole global empire thing. Every now and then they make documentaries about how they brought civilization to India or something.

I mean, the East India Company is still a going concern. It's worrying on numerous levels.

Oh dear.

Go check what the 'modern East India Company' actually sells, who owns it and why he bought it.

Oh, I know who owns it. Doesn't make the brand's continued existence any less repugnant.

Think of it this way: do you think anyone could get away with selling Triangle Trade Rum?

It's hard to convey just how incredibly huge and powerful was the East India Company. For example, they used to donate their used time-served warships to the Royal Navy as an act of charity!

The closest parallel today would probably be something like a merger between Halliburton and Academi, the varied enterprises of which profit hugely from foreign adventurism of their host state and which have autonomous military potential in excess of that of many countries. But even that would fall well short in terms of revenue. Perhaps throw Apple into that mix as well and you'd get close.

Source, or is that just some generalised opinion based on simplistic historical foreign parody?

Anecdotal, but many do hold that view.

Similarly anecdotal, whilst in India met many Indians who held the same view.

Not about documentaries, but May talked today about the Commonwealth and the importance for UK trade. They hope to get better deals just because they've occupied the country a century ago.

Empires were certainly established for the benefit of the empire builder but India also gained in many ways via British social reform - abolition of Sati (burning to death of widows) and child marriage for instance, construction of the railway system, roads, canals, mines, sewers, plantations and the establishment of English law and <language> and the idea of democracy.

I haven't checked but if the BBC still make documentaries on colonization by the British they almost certainly focus on its undoubted sins along with corruption within the East India Company.

Yup, and as a Brit I have to facepalm every time I recognise this in the people around me.

Yes, and it's something the Brexit crowd are relying upon in their visions of our prosperity after leaving the EU.

I happen to think it's a load of hogwash, but I really don't want to see them proven wrong because I'll still have to live through it.

Well, it's a marketing prop that tries to refocus the attention on a conceivably positive aspect.

Exceptionalism.

We all know how well that turns out.

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