DO YOU feel responsible for the sins of your ancestors? Or that you’re owed reparations for past oppression?
My grandfather built quays along the Amazon, thereby playing a part in the exploitation of the rainforests by opening the river to bigger boats. Should I feel guilty, or trump that guilt by concentrating on the long years of exploitation of women and demanding compensation?
The truth is that figuring out who owes what to whom is often a mug’s game, requiring PhDs in history, science and art just to make a start. Take one of the liveliest cases: the Elgin marbles.…
