Referring to abuses from days long past is absurd

In what may very well be the dumbest newspaper letter I've read in my life, Somsak Pola yesterday argues that it's hypocritical for white people to lecture Thailand about the ivory trade when white people have killed many elephants throughout history. Using that "logic" I suppose if the Thais had slaves it would be hypocritical for white people to condemn that since many white people used to own slaves.

The obvious answer to this is that the white people of today who condemn the ivory trade are not the same white people of the past who slaughtered elephants. I also do not own any slaves!

As a white man, I am not responsible for what other white people have done - often before I was even born. So there is nothing hypocritical in my condemning Thailand's' current involvement in the ivory trade as well as its overall abuse of elephants in general.

Eric Bahrt

Pattaya

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/03/18/referring-to-abuses-from-days-long-past-is-absurd/