If we’re honest, any civilization that had risen to global dominance would have its own ugly history of expansion and colonization. In some alternate reality, we’d be debating Indian supremacy, Asian supremacy, or African supremacy. The specific histories would differ, but the patterns would be the same. Dominance leads to exploitation, but it also leads to progress.

The critical theory crowd has turned a useful analytical tool into a sledgehammer to smash Western civilization. They’ve lost sight of nuance and balance. They see every Western achievement as irredeemably tainted, ignoring the complex interplay of good and bad in history. We need to reclaim a balanced perspective. Yes, acknowledge the harms and injustices of colonialism, but also recognize the positive contributions.