Burmese Daze
The depth of Burma’s misery is difficult to fathom. The destruction wrought by Cyclone Nargis—with an unofficial death toll already exceeding 100,000 people—has been compounded by the ruling junta’s incompetence and paranoia. The tragedy comes just months after the brutal suppression of Burma’s “Saffron Revolution,” the latest in a long series of failed pro-democracy efforts. How did this gorgeous land, so rich in culture and natural resources, end up an impoverished, totalitarian nightmare?
George Orwell would place a good deal of blame on Britain, Burma’s colonial overlord from the mid-19th century until 1948. In his 20s, Orwell (né Eric Arthur Blair) served as a policeman in Burma for five years. The experience soured him on British imperialism and inspired both his classic novel Burmese Days and the haunting essay “Shooting an Elephant.” Both works reflect Orwell’s dismay at the callousness of British rule, which helped sow the anti-Western sentiment that Burma’s junta now exploits to such great effect.
