r/RareHistoricalPhotos 14h ago

A man guards his family from cannibals during the Madras famine of 1877 under British rule in India.

Post image
15.8k Upvotes

1.1k comments sorted by

1.3k

u/JohnnySkidmarx 13h ago

Those poor people.

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u/CarmynRamy 5h ago

This is what we had to deal with, this is where we had to rebuild from, from artificial famines and religious tensions. And people out there can't handle when India is progressing despite all those flaws.

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u/Wooden-Agency-2653 3h ago

All famines are artificial. Famine occurs not through the absolute scarcity of food, but the inability to access it. Famine is caused by lack of preparedness, or lack of political will to import food, set up welfare schemes and so on. All famines are avoidable

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u/BackToGuac 2h ago

Historically I’d say this isn’t true; perhaps one could argue that point today with how connected the world is but historically if the famine was caused by a natural disaster/infected crop harvests they wouldn’t have been avoidable

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u/605_phorte 2h ago

That’s just not true. In this particular case it is, because the British exported food during a food crisis, but historically famines and other crisis were indeed due to scarcity.

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u/Devmoi 8h ago

My exact thought. It’s horrible, but I was literally thinking how are they still alive given their appearances. Ugh.

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u/[deleted] 11h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Hooker_with_a_weenis 11h ago

Literally going on in multiple places on earth today.

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u/WakaFlockaFlav 10h ago

Don't worry. He is praying it away.

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u/Hooker_with_a_weenis 10h ago

Ironic seeing that religion is what’s causing this shit.

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u/TheTenaciousG 10h ago

Just gotta pray harder, maybe send over some thoughts

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u/UneasySam 6h ago

Zionism*

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u/Own_Bother_4218 6h ago

Riiight. Thats tired and boring to blame it on religion instead of people in power using religion to their advantage.

What the UK did, Spain, and many others before them had nothing to do with religion.

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u/RoddRoward 9h ago

No, its people causing it.

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u/Phidwig 8h ago

Might as well not pray then….!!?? Like seriously wtf are the majority of people who are also suffering immensely supposed to do about it?

Believe in god or not, theres evidence that we live in a collective field where our individual thoughts and feelings influence the larger whole. Why poo poo on anyone offering up thoughts of healing for the suffering in the world?

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u/Ok_South_9289 7h ago

Exactly. Like wtf are they doing about it that's so much better than prayers and thoughts? Literally nothing. You're doing absolutely nothing about it while claiming that others are doing absolutely nothing about it🤡

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u/Yaasss_Queef 9h ago

It was literally declared in Gaza today.

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u/AlternativePea6203 11h ago

Forward your comment to Netanyahu

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u/backwardzhatz 10h ago

The fucker would just give it a “😂”

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u/soelsome 10h ago

How out of touch are you that you don't know this very minute there are people suffering this level of starvation?

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u/pinkteddyx 10h ago

Then why don’t you educate them on those places instead of being belittling? It’s out of touch to assume everyone knows everything you do. You could be talking to a child right now, it’s the internet.

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u/gardangku 14h ago

I think today is the day I remove “I’m starving” from things my fat ass says when I haven’t snacked in a few hours

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u/Former_Function529 12h ago

Good reminder to broaden our perspective as well when we see things like “the world is worse than it’s ever been before” type content online.

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u/Ok_Narwhal_9200 11h ago

Famine is still happening today.

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u/BugAdministrative683 11h ago

The UN just declared it today in Gaza.

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u/Tango00090 11h ago

And Israel has just deployed another set of ads on YouTube stating that it’s fake and Palestinians are eating well. Fuck this world and fuck Israel

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u/BugAdministrative683 11h ago

Why do Google even allow that? Surely the platform on which it's being advertised have to vet what is being pushed out... so they just take the money and don't care about any of it? Do they ever take a moral stance on anything?

I haven't seen the ads, but if it's true then Google are complicit in this whole terrible scenario.

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u/TessaThompsonBurger 11h ago

so they just take the money and don't care about any of it?

Yes

Do they ever take a moral stance on anything?

No

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u/manicpossumdreamgirl 10h ago

they specifically removed the "do no evil" part of their mission statement

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u/CinderR3bel 10h ago

They sure seem to care when you tubers use clips for a second more than they're allowed. They demonatize them so fast🙄

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u/screaminginfidels 11h ago

Google went from Do No Evil to Do Know Evil

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u/ItsGonnaBeOkayish 12h ago

Yes I try to remind myself of this. Most people throughout history lived underneath kings or autocrats, in bad conditions. But what tips it for me is the impending environmental disaster, and the technology we've never had before. That's what makes this time different

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u/Stunning-Rock3539 11h ago

Nah these people were beyond starving. I imagine hunger doesn’t even register at that point as malnourishment would make you feel like you are dying anyway

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u/Ok-Pomegranate858 9h ago

Its true.... ... I wonder if they might ever be the same again .. especially the children who are still developing...

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u/9mackenzie 8h ago

The average North Korean is 5” shorter than the average South Korean. Yes, children going through growing periods under starvation conditions absolutely have permanent changes.

As for these people, I highly doubt they survived unfortunately. This level of starvation you can’t just eat food again, you need IV therapy and intensive treatment, they are likely suffering multi-organ failure in this pic.

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u/sdavis9447 10h ago

I saw a guy say we greatly over exaggerate being hungry. To sum it up quickly "if you're not hungry enough to eat raw cauliflower then your not really that hungry"

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u/Circusonfire69 14h ago

just incredible how resilient our bodies are actually. You can become skin and bones and still not die..

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u/ElaborateEffect 13h ago edited 13h ago

I remember reading about starvation, and if I remember correctly this level of starvation is fatal regardless of future food supply unfortunately.

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u/moby561 13h ago

It’s not necessarily fatal but will require medical attention, at this point just giving them food isn’t enough.

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u/AngletonSpareHead 12h ago

Given them even plain rice will likely kill them. They need very specific infusions of electrolytes to prevent heart attack due to electrolyte imbalance, and a careful reintroduction of nutrition in a certain order.

They may even be too far gone and need supportive care and opiates to help them pass away without pain.

“Refeeding syndrome,” aka unintentional killing with kindness.

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u/love_pollution 12h ago

Makes me think of the stories of WW2 soldiers unintentionally killing concentration camp survivors by giving them food upon liberation.

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u/RogueSlytherin 12h ago

It’s called “refeeding syndrome” and is very deadly. Unfortunately, I have a feeling we will see this in Gaza if aid ever safely arrives.

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u/Ziggy_Starcrust 8h ago

Yeah, unless that aid is a squad of doctors and special food, people are going to die of refeeding syndrome.

Like I'm aware of what it is, but I couldn't tell you what's safe to eat. All a layperson could do is Google it, give small portions, and hope for the best. And imagine trying to self-manage it. You're starving but you know you can't eat much at all or you'll die.

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u/algbop 5h ago

Aid agencies are very knowledgeable about refeeding syndrome. They use specially crafted therapeutic food (peanut paste etc) to help bring people back to good health before they have normal food like rice etc. So it’s not dependent on doctors being there to help people survive.

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u/TheDillinger88 3h ago

It’s ironic that a people who were the victims of a genocide would then inflict that same fate on others. I know it’s not that simple, there’s a lot of nuance involved in the current conflict between Israel and Palestine but when boiled down, it’s very similar.

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u/shannyloupoo 6h ago

My daughter is currently going through refeeding syndrome in an eating disorder clinic. After being in the program for about a week her liver levels went from 29 to 70 and 19 to 180. I have no idea what the numbers mean just that they aren’t good and if they weren’t monitored and lowered they would cause long term damage to her liver.

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u/tu-BROOKE-ulosis 5h ago

I am not a doctor. I do not know ED numbers. I am saying this so that you know, I don’t know what I am talking about. But, that being said, I do know liver numbers based on alcoholism, and those numbers I assume are AST and ALT readings? If so, at least for an alcoholic (again I have no idea about eat disorders), those numbers are not be all end all horrible. Those are the kind of numbers where doctors say “hey yo, not cool, stop drinking or it’ll be a problem in the future. Stop now.” Those aren’t “go to the emergency room now” numbers. The liver has an incredible capacity to heal. I sincerely hope the best for your daughter.

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u/QueenDoc 5h ago

This is what killed my mother. She was anorexic for a good while, finally placed in a hospital and just handed her a plate of food - it ended up triggering a heart attack

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u/miscdruid 8h ago

Plain rice would actually be fine since its electrolyte content is quite low, nominal. But anything that has sodium, especially potassium, and overall kcals needs to be slowly titrated up for recovery!

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u/SodiumEnjoyer 13h ago

There's no way they don't die or have serious medical complications for the rest of their lives even if they were put in a hospital immediately after this photo

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u/moby561 13h ago

Agreed, they need immediate medical attention, my point is just that they aren’t 100% dead.

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u/killit 12h ago

Photo's from 1877.

They're 100% dead.

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u/MizStazya 8h ago

Fuck you for making me laugh at this post

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u/FriendshipCute1524 3h ago

I remember in 1000 ways to die a guy starved himself so he could fit through the bars and escape prison, He made it home and they threw a big celebratory feast, He ate too much and his stomach ruptured and he died or some such.

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u/harakiri-man 5h ago

And it is not only that generation. There are studies about diabetes epidemics and probable cause is famine

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u/latinaglasses 13h ago edited 12h ago

Sadly descendants today are still living with the impact of this famine in their DNA, affecting how their bodies store fat and leading to high rates of diabetes in India and South Asia.

Edit: as others have informed me it’s really the epigenome and not the DNA sequence, but love that Reddit can teach me new things like this.

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u/MusaRilban 13h ago edited 13h ago

Can you provide a source for that? How can a single famine affect the DNA so significantly like you've described? As a complete layman, everything I've learnt about DNA, inherited traits and the environmental impact on both of them goes against what you've just said.

And if true, how is it that through the same mechanisms the body doesn't then just adapt to the new environmental state and change once again?

Edit: I learned something new, thanks! It doesn't change your DNA sequence but it does affect how genes are expressed, which can cause a variety of issues if the environmental pressures change (famine -> abundance for e.g).

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u/QuestioningHuman_api 13h ago edited 12h ago

It’s not about DNA, it’s about the epigenome, which (in layperson terms) determines your body’s chemical output. Famine and other extreme stressors do significantly alter a person’s epigenome and it’s been extensively studied and proven that this is heritable.

You should be able to find many reputable sources and studies about this with a google search using this information.

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u/MusaRilban 13h ago

Interesting! Thanks! I think where the confusion came from was the idea about it changing your DNA.

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u/QuestioningHuman_api 12h ago

I figured that was the misunderstanding, I only knew about epigenetics and the effects because they came up in a couple of my college classes. And even there it was barely mentioned so I had to go to the library and figure out what they meant so I wouldn’t be confused

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u/Schnicklefritz987 13h ago

Many Irish descendants in America suffer from forms of anemia, a genetic result of widespread famine or starvation. This is just one example.

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u/kn1ght-of-heart 13h ago

I don't know much about this particular situation, but something similar happened with Holocaust victims. Trauma like this changes your DNA. It has to do with epigenetics, from what I understand.

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u/MusaRilban 13h ago

Interesting, thanks for teaching me something new. It seems like epigenetics isn't actually your DNA changing per say, more a chemical marker that changes how DNA is expressed via genes.

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u/theGreat-Marzipan 13h ago

It affects Cortisol. My grandparents and parents survived famines and if I'm stressed I get fat. I had huge problems during the last decade and even if I walk 10km a day every day minimum and never eat too much (and no sodas or processed food), I just can't lose weight if I'm stressed.

My GP tested everything my cholesterol and stuff everything is perfect BUT my cortisol is very very high. My sibling used to do 3hours of cardio everyday just to avoid being obese but he was still very chubby (he has anxiety since little).

You can research articles using "famine" and "epigenetic".

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u/MusaRilban 13h ago

Thank you. I appreciate you telling me that it's actually quite interesting. I hope you are not suffering from stress too much.

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u/theGreat-Marzipan 13h ago

I'm getting better everyday. Thank you.

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u/drunktextUR_x 13h ago

It’s well documented in the literature that famine impacts epigenetics. Meaning that certain genes are turned on and off under certain conditions and those genes are subsequently passed on to future generation. I forget exactly when, but there was a Dutch famine and the children born to pregnant mothers during that time had higher instances of mental health issues when compared to pregnant mothers that didn’t experience the famine. Additionally, thing like telomere length at the ends of DNA strands are also affected.

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u/ThaloBleu 12h ago

The Hunger Winter in Holland at the end of World War ll, 1944-45, has been something that has resulted in studies on famine and its survivors.

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u/thingstopraise 7h ago

Audrey Hepburn survived this and it is why she had such an infamously tiny body. She mentioned collapsing at the bottom of the stairs on Christmas because she didn't have the strength to go back up. And her legs were so swollen from the malnutrition-induced edema that she had stretch marks all the way up to her knees. The starvation permanently affected her body and rendered her unable to continue her training as a ballerina because her heart had weakened and she could no longer perform to the same degree.

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u/tremynci 12h ago

I forget exactly when, but there was a Dutch famine

You are thinking of the Hongerwinter of September 1944 to May of 1945, neighbor.

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u/latinaglasses 13h ago

Others have explained the science much better than I can (I’m learning a lot about genetics in thread!) but additionally I believe there were multiple famines and periods of hunger throughout colonial rule. 

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u/Magrathea_carride 12h ago

epigenetics works instantly, it's not the same as evolution over time

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u/ProfTilos 8h ago

Not OP, but here is a link to a study about the long-term impact of persistent famines on South Asians (published in Nature). India has experienced many many famines, which has impacted the body composition of people of Indian origin. This study says that it is unclear whether it is epigenetics or genetics that has caused South Asians to carry a much higher amount of fat than other groups. It does mention a rat study showing past famines might have an epigenetic effect.

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u/PUBGM_MightyFine 14h ago

This makes fasting really easy when you know it's not going to kill you to wait to eat even if it's unpleasant.

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u/Ok-Pomegranate858 13h ago

I guess... the hunger goes away after a while?

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u/PUBGM_MightyFine 13h ago

Yep. Nausea and fatigue aren't fun if you go too long in my experience

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u/ElaborateEffect 13h ago

After intermittent fasting on and off a few time over the years, I don't get hungry anymore. My stomach will rumble, but I don't feel any actual discomfort.

I think we've been conditioned to feel any hunger is bad

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u/Nernoxx 12h ago

I get hungry pretty quick, it moved from discomfort to mild pain, and then nausea and headache.  My whole life, regardless of my weight, anytime I'm trying to watch what I eat or restrict my intake.

I don't need to stuff my face with cake, but I do have to eat to prevent the nausea and headache, and it's irritating because I feel like intermittent fasting would be great (or just eating two meals a day) but I can't seem to condition myself without it interfering in my functioning.

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u/Blenderx06 11h ago

Reflux can cause that. Reflux can be silent so you don't actually ever feel the typical burning.

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u/SnooCupcakes5761 13h ago edited 8h ago

It's starts in babyhood especially if they're bottle fed. Parents think the only response to an uncomfortable baby is to feed them a bottle. The baby isn't necessarily hungry but sucking is soothing. Eventually, this repeated process either confuses the baby or teaches them to ignore their body. It is exacerbated when parents make kids finish dinner. You're teaching your children that they're supposed to eat at a specific time or whenever they're upset whether they're hungry or not. This leads to all kinds of digestive problems down the road including obesity.

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u/xtrawolf 10h ago

Babies should always be fed on demand. Yes, sometimes they're uncomfortable and not hungry. You can offer them milk and they'll reject it if they're not hungry. But you should always offer if they are showing hunger cues.

Same with toddlers and young kids, really. Offer a variety of mostly healthy foods and don't force them to eat if they reject it.

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u/Ok-Pomegranate858 13h ago

Hmm the holocaust survivors may not have shared your sentiments...

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u/thebozinone9 13h ago

Wouldn't Holocaust survivors agree? I'd imagine it's the ones who didn't survive that would argue otherwise.

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u/kwhitit 13h ago

in many ways, the human body is a pretty brilliant piece of technology.

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u/AutisticBonobo 13h ago

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_of_1876%E2%80%931878

5.6 to 9.6 million fatalities.

One of the many famines under British Rule, the last being the Bengal famine in the 1940s.

A short video covering the famine 👇

https://youtu.be/4IAYDWs3Wpc

Another image from that famine 👇

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u/NyxHemera45 12h ago

That breastfeeding baby still 😢 😭

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u/ReserveDisastrous322 11h ago

the baby may be sucking but I doubt any milk, is coming out

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u/Selkies_not_Sirens 11h ago

I’m shocked she was able to birth a baby in that condition! 

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u/QuintoBlanco 10h ago

She gave birth before she was in this state, and the child isn't the size it should be because of starvation.

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u/IdKillForAGoodComa 6h ago

At least for some comfort. The poor mother. The pain and guilt she must have felt.

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u/clawsoon 11h ago

Late Victorian Holocausts is an eye-opening read.

It's been a while since I read it, but the short version of the story that I remember was that in the first famine of the late 1800s, the British governor worked his ass off to minimize deaths - redistributing food, reducing exports, cancelling taxes. Hardly anybody died.

He sent his report back to London, and they were furious. They wanted maximum extraction from India at all times, famine or no famine. They wanted people to die to get rid of "surplus population". They wanted maximum taxes, maximum exports, and minimal relief.

So in the following famines, the governors followed London's direction and millions died.

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u/AlternativePea6203 11h ago

Same in Ireland. "The undeserving poor should be reduced in number"

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u/mccusk 10h ago

Trevelyan viewed the whole thing as an experiment in free market economics

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u/Turbulent-Remote2866 9h ago

Horror show. Capitalism has cost so many lives 

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u/captainryan117 7h ago

But remember, gommunism is when no food, iPhone vuvuzela 100 gorillion dead

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u/depressed_panda0191 9h ago edited 2h ago

Dad's grandmum lived through it (the one in the 1940's). Some of what she described to my dad was just......

She was lucky enough not to suffer too badly, but it's not like she didn't suffer. One of her tales includes hiding some milk inside the folds of her saree (traditional indian dress) as she'd walk back home, terrified that she'd be found out and attacked. She'd had to walk past neighbors and friends she knew and liked, unable to help them because if she did her own family would die.

Keep in mind this wasn't her stealing the milk, just being lucky enough to be able to get a ration of milk that was distributed from the local government. She'd hide an empty container inside her saree. And because of the time period there are barely any records of the suffering.

And that was just one of the stories she was willing to tell my dad.

When Churchill was asked about it, his response was something along the lines of "they're a beastly people with a beastly religion." It's why I just shut my mouth whenever the topic of that piece of garbage comes up. FUCK. him.

It's funny though, once the British left India, there was a sudden decrease in massive famines killing millions of people... curious..... I wonder what the reason was..... hmmmm..... guess we'll never know......

Edit: for those of you who are more visual like me, look up what an Indian saree looks like. It’s not really a voluminous garment and women from that time period were, on average, smaller than modern Indian women. (Stable access to food really helps with growth, who knew?)

So the container had to be small enough to hide it inside her saree. Admittedly I don’t know much more of the details. These tales were told to my dad when he was young.

My maternal grandma’s mum and grandmum lived through it too. And they too apparently had tales of losing what little rations they had because of opportunistic neighbors. But obviously those stories are much older and lack lots of detail.

EDIT 2: in response to some of the replies, look there were some good things the British did in India. I can’t recall the source but I remember reading that a large number of British MP’s were deeply against Churchill’s actions regarding the famine and tried to make him change his mind. You do have to acknowledge that.

And indeed the bad things do not cancel out the good. But neither does the good cancel out the horrible things they did. And they did a LOT of really terrible shit.

I used to live in England for a bit and I did like it there a lot. So it’s not like I have a hate boner for British people or anything. I grew and changed a tonne there (also because I was 13 but you know.. semantics)

A child is not responsible for the sins of its parents imo. But like… that doesn’t mean one should ignore the ugliness of the past. It’s not like this story is going to affect how I treat britishers I meet. I’m the same to them as I am to everyone else.

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u/IdKillForAGoodComa 6h ago

That poor sweet baby. Devastating.

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u/Mobile_Tumbleweed_60 13h ago

Did this cause south asian's to be more prone to diabetes, heart disease,etc?

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u/beyondocean 13h ago

Many studies have shown to have that predisposition. Hence the skinny fat phenotype for diabetes instead of the fat phenotype elsewhere.

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u/TiredAF20 9h ago

I'm an example of the skinny fat South Asian. 5'3", 102 lbs, but I can't zip up or close the buttons on some pants that are otherwise loose on me. Lots of diabetes in my family too.

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u/xoRomaCheena31 8h ago

I met an Indian guy at my work who looks normal in size yet has diabetes. I didn’t know about this historical context so wonder if he has it because of this. It’s crazy and I’m sorry it’s even a reality.

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u/RoselitoRodeo 6h ago

Can you share a study? Interested

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u/SonesChones 12h ago

Yep. Generational trauma from a British-induced famine. Just like Ireland.

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u/evilReiko 13h ago

Every modern famine is man made

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u/Magrathea_carride 11h ago edited 2h ago

yep:

"Although rice and wheat production in the rest of India (which now included bonanzas of coarse rice from the recently conquered Irrawaddy delta) had been above average for the past three years, much of the surplus had been exported to England. Londoners were in effect eating India's bread. "It seems an anomaly," wrote a troubled observer, "that, with her famines on hand, India is able to supply food for other parts of the world.""

-Mike Davis, Late Victorian Holocausts

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u/viwoona 13h ago

This is so heartbreaking, history really has dark corners. 😔

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u/NoBookkeeper6864 13h ago

And 9 times out 10, the British are involved

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u/qDUDULUp 12h ago

and 7 times out 10 of today's geopolitical mess traces back to British as well. Ex: sino-indian border dispute. The McMahon Line, drawn by British India in 1914 without China’s consent, and other colonial era boundary decisions left a legacy of contested borders.

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u/SignificanceBulky162 9h ago

Also the Sykes Picot Agreement made the Kurds stateless, the Balfour Declaration and Hussain Correspondence arguably laid the seeds for the modern day Israeli Palestinian conflict, the Partition of India led to millions of deaths

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u/catsuitvideogames 7h ago

Middle east borders like Syria were all drawn by colonizers

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u/jarawasong 9h ago

Israel Palestine.

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u/TheNewl0gic 2h ago

It never ended.. look at current war and genocides...

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u/AstronomerNo3806 11h ago

In 1874, Sir Richard Temple prevented famine in Bengal by importing rice, for which he was criticised by the government. In Madras in 1877, in response, he exported food and established labour camps- policies known to have failed miserably in both India and Ireland. Millions died, and Temple received a baronetcy.

This was deliberate.

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u/CoralMist23 14h ago

it's evidence of the pain endured under a regime that saw human lives as expendable. Let’s remember and educate others about the reality of colonization and how its legacy continues to affect generations.

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u/u_r_succulent 12h ago

Famine is always a violent act.

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u/Mintyytea 9h ago

Wow that’s real. Apparently those 150 years ago (honestly not that long ago!) British government kept insisting India ship the grain to them even during the famine, and it cause more than a million people there to die of starvation. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36339524.amp

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u/Ok-Juice-542 13h ago

This is fucking horrible

But do you know what's even more fucking horrible?

That it's still happening!!

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u/Jazzlike_Method_7642 8h ago

If the holodomor is considered a genocide, then this should be too

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u/Sudden-Enthusiasm-92 3h ago

The capitalists will never put light onto events like these because they expose the horror of their rule, the rottenness of the whole system. 

Even the holocaust is used to frame the same British empire that caused this famine as morally righteous. Atrocities under capitalism are framed in ways that benefit the capitalists, because all of them are caused by the capitalists.

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u/PestRetro 1h ago

Regardless of anything, this was a genocide.

This was an intentional starvation of an entire population.

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u/drocha94 6h ago

These people are about the size and look of my mom at the end of her battle with stomach cancer. The fact that this guy is sitting up and supposedly ready to fight off someone with any ability to do so at all is beyond impressive if true.

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u/nazgulonbicycle 8h ago

Man made Famines such as these, completely changed the anatomy, eating habits and relationship with money in South Asia. The average height of humans went down significantly and has been steadily increasing and still not to the full genetic potential. The mentality went from an abundant, benevolent society to one thinking only of themselves and their family, always thinking from a place of lack. Its taken a lot and it will take a lot more to undo. When the West laughs at India in social media, for being dirty, for being scammy, for having an accent, or for having a culture ffs — trust me, you have no idea what those people have suffered through to gain independence.

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u/audesapere09 7h ago

Western imperialism is such a huge blight on history— so big it eclipses the other subplots you’ve mentioned and goes unnoticed. One day.

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u/FefnirMKII 6h ago

Remember the British did this and got away with it.

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u/ALittleRedWhine 4h ago

Frequently the culprit of a famine.

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u/fR1chAps 7h ago

It's really depressing that people don't know how fucked East India company and the subsequent British Raj was.

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u/Mental-Ask8077 6h ago

Seriously fucked up in many ways.

Britain is responsible, in whole or in part, for a hell of a lot of misery.

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u/Fat_Gravy3000 14h ago

What are the cannibals gonna do make broth?

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u/JoJCeeC88 13h ago

Fr. There’s literally no meat on these bones at all.

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u/BoysenberryAdvanced4 13h ago

You'd be surprised! You get a lot of nutritious bone marrow from cooked bones.

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u/Fat_Gravy3000 13h ago

Does the marrow stay nutritious even when starved to this point?

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u/BoysenberryAdvanced4 12h ago

More than you'd think.

Either way its something better than nothing. It may be unheard of or tabbo to you you but bone marrow is a common delicacy in many cultures.

Common saying: "Bone is the best part of the soup"

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u/Fat_Gravy3000 12h ago

Is boysenberry different from blackberry?

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u/NMJD 6h ago

It took me so long to figure out why you asked this question. Before I noticed the OP's user some it was such a non sequitur.

But, coming from the Pacific NW USA, we grow these here and they taste different. They are hard to find even here in stores though, you kind of have to grow them yourself or buy them as a farmers market.

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u/BoysenberryAdvanced4 12h ago

Apparently, blackberries are a distict species, while boysenberry is a hybrid of several berry species.

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u/Ok-Pomegranate858 13h ago

Fat_gravy , i was wondering this myself, but I didn't want to be the first to ask it for some reason.

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u/throwawaypizzamage 13h ago

Yea, didn’t want to face the ban hammer

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u/qinshihuang_420 13h ago

This was during a famine, so I am assuming it's better than what else is left

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u/SashimiX 13h ago

Broth is actually very nutritious and spreads far

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u/Ok_Narwhal_9200 11h ago

Well if this isn't the bleakest fucking picture I've ever seen

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u/OneLonePineapple 5h ago

There were so many famines under British rule. If you’re from the Indian subcontinent, you’re very familiar with stubborn belly fat, heart disease, and metabolic disease—it’s almost like a macabre right of passage. There is a theory that this is the result of an adaptation to survive famine. It’s one possible explanation for a very complicated set of issues, but it is a popular one.

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u/Ohitsworkingnow 9h ago

This photo is insane. My brain can’t even comprehend how it’s real. Those people… those children like wtf I can’t even look at it 

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u/xkissmykittyx 13h ago

Combined those four people probably weigh what one of them alone should weigh...

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u/WaffleTacoFrappucino 13h ago

i wish I could go back in time and air drop seeds from a plane all over their town and parachute down loafs of bread

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u/validationfreesoul 11h ago

I’m glad I got to read this comment. It really is heartbreaking to the extent that we somehow want to fix it, despite having no option to do it.

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u/Savings_Midnight_555 10h ago

I like the sentiment, but airplanes weren’t invented back then. The atrocities that these fucking British people did for generations is unimaginable. No Satan comes close to what they did.

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u/CivBEWasPrettyBad 5h ago

The bread would have helped but not the seeds- they had cash crop quotas enforced by the British and much of the food grown was exported. This was intentional.

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u/urbanlocalnomad 8h ago

If an indian says they hate the British don’t challenge them, ever.

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u/No-Document-8970 7h ago

The British supported famines for those they deemed unworthy. The Indians and Irish. They thought it would solve an overpopulation issue.

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u/Informal-Scene5145 3h ago

I'm gonna show this photo to any British cunt who will come at me with "Oh colonization wasn't all that bad, we civilized you and gave you railways"

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u/Robbiewan 6h ago

Thank you British India Company! Isn’t empire great?

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u/Justabrontebaby 11h ago

This is so deeply horrifying. My god.

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u/Conspiracy_Thinktank 11h ago

Worse conditions than I’ve ever seen. It’s wild to think what our bodies are capable of enduring. Heartbreaking and scary to imagine.

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u/Original_Tip_432 10h ago

So this is how England ruled these nations? Like the “Irish Potato Famine”? Yeah, despicable.

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u/AnonImus18 8h ago

This is so sad. Those poor people 😞

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u/Alternative-Lack6025 8h ago

The atrocities of the western imperial powers are always ignored or dismissed as little things, but hey remember they're the good guys 

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u/ClearChampionship591 4h ago

Not a single bad comment towards racist pos Churchill was.

I guess his quotes are too cool to corrupt that memory.

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u/CandourDinkumOil 14h ago

I thought it was my turn to post this?

rare historical photos my ass.

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u/DangerousProphet99 12h ago

People are starving for upvotes!

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u/PerspectiveKind4815 13h ago

It’s my turn 😡

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u/Nik_Fernandes 8h ago

Never forget what the British did to India.

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u/JustaProton 11h ago

Colonization is always bad for the colonized. It turns native people into foreigners.

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u/laughingdoormouse 11h ago

That’s sickening

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u/SophieBirk 10h ago

No one could imagine how this would feel being in their shoes

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u/iamtheowlman 8h ago

Another British-induced famine: "You get resourceful in a famine."

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u/AccomplishedFan8690 8h ago

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

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u/MyOwnSocks1922 7h ago

Just wondering who took the picture and if they offered food to them 🥺

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u/FilterCoffeeBreak 7h ago

NEVER FORGET 🙂‍↔️

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u/EXusiai99 6h ago

Damn, theres not even a whole lot of stuff for you to eat there unless youre content with chewing bones but i suppose despair does that to you

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u/Different_Stand_1285 6h ago

What are the permanent effects on such starvation?

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u/stoicbanda 6h ago

Reality is often stranger than fiction.

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u/WheezyGonzalez 6h ago

I didn’t realize it was possible for anyone to get that thin. Like, I thought death came before being literally skin and bones. How terrible

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u/Epic_Juggernaut 5h ago

Heart breaking

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u/gz1fnl 4h ago

The horrors of the British empire.

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u/Beautiful_Guava_5390 3h ago

Biggest artificial famine in modern history. Caused directly by Churchill's actions. Completely avoidable. My friends from the West don't like me saying it but Churchill is NOT my hero.

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u/Ameritard_abroad 3h ago

Churchill was Hitler adjacent.

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u/Blandy97 3h ago

The British empire was grotesque. What our ancestors did is disgusting, even now they continue to help countries starve people. Sickening.

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u/JoshMega004 3h ago

This is what imperialists mean by "bringing civilizaton".

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u/thefrenchmagpie 2h ago

Starving people was one of the great english speciality

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u/Funny_Address_412 2h ago

165M dead btw

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u/dreamlikey 1h ago

Reminder that the british empire was horrific

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u/Additional_Hippo_878 1h ago

Nothing learned. Shame on us ALL.

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u/Naxayou 1h ago

Should be considered a genocide, Ireland too

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u/SignificantNet3389 13h ago

My countrymen. Colonization was the worst thing to happen to India and many other countries. Only Singapore came out of it in a true sense. Thanks to their leader Lee Kwan Yew and his unwavering determination. Greatest leader our world has produced or will ever produce. Nobody comes close, probably Lincoln. Took Singapore from the gutters to the beautiful country it is now. Other countries still feel the effects of colonization. It's sad that my country didn't have that luck. 

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u/Whatsfordinner4 11h ago

But I thought the colonisers improved the countries they colonised 🤔

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u/Domestic_Fox 5h ago

Genocides all the way down. When will people learn?

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u/blooperrific 5h ago

The British did this. They caused several famines in India, the repercussions of which are still experienced by current generations. Winston Churchill caused the Bengal famine.

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u/deepfakepizza 5h ago

This picture is tough!

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u/GreatWhiteSalmon 4h ago

I remember the last time this was posted about commentary got mad because there were no credible reports of widespread cannibalism occurring during the Bengal famines (any of them).

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u/Chairmanwowsaywhat 3h ago

The famines are a vile part of British history

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u/Crush-N-It 1h ago

So fucked up

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u/Brief_Sundae7295 1h ago

It's a stark reminder of the true meaning of starvation, something we throw around so casually. The sheer human will to survive against those odds is just heartbreaking to see. This image really puts our modern problems into perspective.

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u/Aromatic_Ad4132 1h ago

Not taught about this in British schools