Patsy, Sammy Davis Jr autobiography was titled "Yes, I Can" and is probably the best non-fiction book I ever read in my life! Thanks so much for reading it and remembering it like I do! Such a meaningful, moving story. I really miss that guy, so talented and gifted.
"Slavery was a sad thing, but it provided a much better future for the descendants of slaves down the road." There's no way this comment can slide by, Don. I can't begin to describe how I feel about it. You're speaking for others without the knowledge or feelings to do so. Slavery is much more than a sad event and it appears you condescend and make excuses. I'm sure you don't mean to do that. I can recommend The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. It is engrossing and fast moving. You won't be sorry for this read, I'm pretty sure.
As has already been pointed out by someone here, most of those who came here as slaves were already slaves in Africa. Would the lives of their descendants have been better or worse had they remained slaves in Africa or been sold into some other country? Would they have even had descendants?
Ken, if you wish to speculate on what is best for other people, be my guest. Many who were enslaved in Africa became so as there were buyers for them, at which point they were captured. Not all were enslaved prior to European interference. Where there is a buyer, there's a seller. Supply and demand.
Uh huh. Things were bad hundreds of years ago. The Vikings sacked villages. Witches were burned at the stake. Chinese immigrants were treated horribly, and so were the Irish. Not one person living today is the victim of black slavery in North America, yet the United States is held up as if this were the only place in the world where it ever existed. Far from it. Why don't you turn your hatred on the Africans, or on the Muslims, who continue to enslave people today? Rather than righting the wrongs of history, right the wrongs that are still going on today.
"Why don't you turn your hatred on the Africans, or on the Muslims, who continue to enslave people today?" My WHAT? I consider that an Ad Hominem and I think you should ban yourself for your outrageous and uncalled for weak attempt at an insult. "Rather than righting the wrong of history, right the wrongs that are still going on today." You've got this bad habit of telling people what to do, or how they should feel. Get over yourself, boss man.
This is an excellent point, and well-stated, in my opinion. None of us can change the past, for anyone; but we can change how we view other people right now, and try to help other people realize that we are all the same inside of the skin, human beings, with hearts and feelings, and a life to live. When you look back at history.....any history...... people were either actual slaves, or in such servitude that they might as well have been called slaves. There has always been oppression of people, usually by rich or powerful people; but that does not mean that this is how it should have been, and certainly NOT how it should be now. The example of the driver almost running over the black boy, @Lulu Moppet , is horrible, and totally displays a racist attitude, and probably one that this man had with any other people he disliked or looked down on. He probably went home and abused his wife and family and kicked the dog. This behavior was terribly and totally wrong, but probably had nothing to do with slavery, per se. I DO think that at this point, the situation has gotten to the point where racial hatred is being pushed from all sides, not just with black and white races, but between all races of people, and this is a deplorable thing. Some of it doesn’t even matter what color your skin is, like the religious and political hatred that is becoming more and more prevalent. We need to see each other as a human being, not unlike ourself; but this has never happened in all of our history of mankind, and I don’t think that it is going to happen now either.
@Lulu Moppet , I think you owe @Ken Anderson an apology. He is kind enough to give us this board to post on and there is no excuse for you to "Speak" to him that way. If I were him, I would ban you, effective immediately.
Really? Slavery does exist in Africa, and it does exist among the Muslims. Today, not hundreds of years ago. It's by denying truths that don't fit your agenda that you come to conclusions that don't fit with reality. It is happening. You are so upset that people were enslaved hundreds of years ago but you think it's wrong to call out the people who are continuing to enslave people today. You are okay with current slavery but offended by that which occurred centuries ago. That just doesn't make sense. Ad hominem? Really? You seem to believe that all white Americans living today should be hated because some white Americans living in the British colonies purchased black slaves from Africans and Muslims in Africa centuries ago, but we're supposed to excuse the Africans and Muslims who continue to enslave people on cultural grounds?
It’s kind of left handed but yeah, I see your point. Whilst both are indeed terrible, given the option of being a slave in Africa or a slave in America I am sure the later day slaves fared much better here. Just as an additional piece of thought: women in general weren’t treated as well in some cases as the slaves. Slaves were an investment much like thoroughbred horses or prize bulls and kept accordingly. Women throughout history have been treated as chattel and those who were married to a slave owner (or not) were a head of the household but still, they were also subservient to the husband. No money of their own, no bank account, no say in the business and no vote. Now, do women hate men for the way their gender has been treated throughout history? The possibilities are indeed endless on that particular note but, probably not.
"You seem to believe that all white Americans living today should be hated .............." I don't hate Ken. Speak for yourself. You don't have enough knowledge to make such a ludicrous statement. It's a reflection of yourself, Hating, that you're putting on me. I'm asking you not to make that assumption again. You'd be wrong, as wrong as you are now.
Thanks, but I will adhere to #2 of the rules. Try not to be overly offensive. Try not to be too easily offended. Play well with others.
May I remind @Lulu Moppet of the first rule. Hey, Shug, didn't your Mama ever tell you that you catch more flies with honey, etc?
I see nothing wrong with talking about history and making efforts to correct what went wrong and work on preventing it in the present time and in the future. There is not a soul on this planet who has not had some sort of injustice done to their ancestors. The point is that today it's being perpetuated by people using those things that their ancestors dealt with as an excuse for bad behavior. And the result from that is a continuation of "being picked on, singled out, profiled" etc. These people are creating that environment themselves by continuing with that bad behavior. Until they stop the nonsense it will continue, and it continues due to their actions. It keeps them in the spotlight and shows them as total jerks with no regard for themselves, their children or anyone else in this world. If they wanted to do something to improve their lives, they would get off of their dead butts .. go to work .. take care of things and themselves and stop being destructive. It's not going to be long before society says we have had enough of this destructive childish behavior and take matters into a direction nobody wants to see. I don't need to see things any differently than as they happen. I don't need to make a mountain out of a molehill. You don't know my race or religion .. all you know is that I believe people should be treated equally and also as they treat others.