In Scandinavia, or rather among any liberals anywhere, a popular method of "refuting" criticism targeted at any number of third world cultures or shitholes (say, Turkey) in regards of how they stand comparison to the Western world, is to point out Western country X has in the past partaken in Y, in which Y is something possibly considered unethical by the standards of today.
Hence we have no "right" to say modern Turkey is a shithole, with little regard for human rights to boot, and that we have no moral justification for taking a long, good look before considering their EU membership.
A simpleton, or a child should see the problems of logic behind this type of argument. If your neighbor runs to you saying, "your roof is on fire, your roof is on fire!" by the logic employed, a valid answer, explanation and solution, to the issue of the flaming roof would be to smugly answer "nevermind, friend, so is the equipment shed. And it's not even my shed. And it burned last week". And leave it aflame basking in the knowledge everything is, again, proven equal.
And one wrong does not justify another in any case, especially if the wrong happened when nobody who walks the earth today is alive and of those who are everyone singularly condemns whatever did happen.
We are not engaged in a competition of who has the purest history or race lineage or heritage. We are trying to shove different cultures and worlds together in a globe that is getting smaller and smaller. Hence we must recognize them for what they are and leave the artificial pretence of their singular equality. And if history makes us understand what brings us to this day, it is not a simple reflection of how we ARE this day, now. Otherwise it would doom us to remain the same, locked in place and forced to repeat the same mistakes, live the same way forever. If all cultures were equal, and if we would not take steps ahead, not develop, we would still live in caves. What was done in the past makes those of us who go forward all the better now, instead of serving as justification for bashing women on the head with clubs and grunting in trees.
