The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

WEandtheTHIRDERIK VON. KUEHNELT-LEDDIHNANote ofChristian Dissent"Truth alone offends."- French proverbAs A WORLD TRAVELER more or lesspermanently on the move, I mustconfess to the odious crime of thoroughdisagreement with currentconceptions in regard to the Westernworld's relationship with, andduties toward, the so-called developingnations. My disagreementconcerns not only the secular viewson the subject but .also those prevailingincreasingly in the majorityof the Christian Churches. Travelsand intensive studies over a periodof fifteen years have convinced methat our general Western notionsin regard to this delicate subjectmust be thoroughly revised. Obviously,an exhaustive argument cannotbe expected within a shortarticle, nor elaborate statistics presented.All that can be done hereDr. Kuehnelt-Leddihn is a European scholar,linguist, world traveler, and lecturer. Of hismany published works, perhaps the best knownin America are Liberty or Equality? and TheTimeless Christian.is to tabulate various of the current- largely erroneous - views,followed by a few critical remarks."Colonialism Was a Crime,Its Record Entirely Negative"Let us begin with the widespreadassumption that "colonialism" wasa crime and its record entirelynegativee Many Americans especially,I would say, are "dedicated"to this notion, forgetting that theUnited States still has colonies (inthe Pacific) and that without theBritish colonial effort the gloriousAmerican nation would not exist.A patriotic American"anticolonialist"can be likened to a man in hisprime, proud of his record andachievements but fulminatingagainst fatherhood-without whichhe would not exist - an attitudereminding one of the Oedipus Complexand worthy of medical. attention.85