How did British colonise hot countries? Netizens ask as Britain faces extreme heat
New Delhi, July 22: The UK has been reeling under sweltering heat as it recorded its hottest-ever day Tuesday, with temperatures hitting a high of 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in the east of England, according to provisional data from the Met Office.
The scorching weather has disrupted travel, healthcare and schools. The country is known for mild temperatures and it is not surprising to see many homes, offices, small businesses and buildings do not have air conditioning.
The country's infrastructure structured around cold temperatures has struggled to cope with the extreme heat and runways at Luton Airport and Royal Air Force (RAF) Brize Norton were also impacted by the heat recently, forcing aircraft to divert.
However, many have used the opportunity to have harmless jokes as netizens winder how the British colonised those countries with similar weather conditions.
The social media has been flooded with memes taking potshots at the British colonisation. "I don't understand how the British ever conquered all these hot places, [sic]" a user on Twitter said.
Another netizen posted, "UK has forecast a 40 degree C temperature for the first time in its history, and those British boys & girls have been complaining about the heat since yesterday saying "we can't live like this mate" The Question is, how did they colonized all the hottest places around the world?"
"This is a joke I wrote in three seconds...It does not hold the weight of moral responsibility for all current and past injustice, nor is it a comprehensive demographic and historical judgement... I'm only asking... how on Earth did those squirrely whites manage," another user commented.
India, Hong Kong, Kenya, Sudan, Lesotho, Botswana, Northern Somalia, Egypt, Eastern Ghana, Gambia, Niger, and Benin are some of the countries colonised by by the British.
Check out the tweets posted by netizens on this topic:
Which one of these is correct?
— Vikas Navratna (@vikasnavaratna) July 18, 2022
British colonized 115 countries, and now they're facing the heat.
British colonized 115 countries and now they're facing the heat.
I feel like there's a smug comment somewhere about record breaking heat in the UK that wasn't a problem when the British colonized a bunch of places which routinely reach 40+ and also exported destructive capitalist systems which contribute to modern climate change....
— Alexandra Birch (@sashaskripachka) July 19, 2022
Well, not in most places the British and other Europeans colonized. They introduced 8-5 working hours despite the hot weather, with no siesta and we have to work, stay in school and do other things through the heat, all with no air conditioning in most cases.
— olusanya oluwaseyi (@oluwaseyi_olu) July 19, 2022
It's still the norm.
british people struggling in this heat wave... stay strong... your ancestors colonized entire countries in this heat 💕💕💕
— Panic! At The Discourse (on Colonialism) (@kinjaldave7) July 17, 2022