How do you feel about slavery?

Question

If your ancestors were enslaved, how do you feel about slavery? When people talk about what happened in the world in the past, how do you feel? Especially when... Let's just say the whole class looks at specific people when the teacher talks about slaves? 

I'm not trying to offend anyone. No one needs to feel that way.

becca123 · Accepted Answer

What people need to remember is that slavery has always existed and still does. We immediately equate slavery with the stained modern past of the US but it has been around long long before the first slave set foot on US soil.

All across the globe, prisoners of war were kept as slaves. There is no sugar coating this sad fact of humanity. Slavery has been a lucrative trade for civilizations long before African chiefs sold their own people to the Dutch or Christians were forced to fight for their lives in arenas for sport. Many people have been enslaved for every reason from religion to just being born in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Revisionist history tends to forget the subtleties of modern slavery and gloss over the existence of ancient slavery. Incas, Mayans... geesh, a shorter answer would be what races or countries have NOT had slavery as a shameful part of their past. And again, it is still going on today.

Until we finally find a generation of people who truly want to unite all cultures, the stigma will exist and races/cultures will always be living in the past. The problem with living in the past is that people never realize their futures.

Neither I nor any of my ancestors owned slaves. To hold me accountable for those who did based on my own race is as evil as enslaving others based on their races. I feel slavery is evil but I cannot change the past or the decisions of others. All I can do is live my life to be tolerant of everyone and accepting of every race, creed and religion. I am raising a "color blind" daughter who sees the person under the skin. That is, at this point, all I can do to reverse generations of damage done in this country. I hope that by the time my daughter has children that race, religion, sexual preference and all other cultural divides will be eradicated in the name of humanity.

XNicholeMariex3 · Accepted Answer

Slavery was and still is extremely stupid and inhumane. It is disgusting and it should have never existed in the first place. This is coming from someone whose family and ancestors are not of slaves but of knights. It's just stupid.

mistixs · Accepted Answer

My ancestors weren't enslaved but the entire concept of slavery makes me mad.

Jrud10 · Accepted Answer

Slavery is bad. But don't be fooled. I don't have any American white guilt over it.

Did you know that some black people in the south had their own plantations and black slaves too? Did you know that the Africans had slaves before we turned them into slaves? Did you know the Americans weren't the first to have slaves? Did you know that slavery is still going on today in some parts of the world?

It's a horrible thing, but I have never personally enslaved anyone, so I don't believe I should suffer the guilt of the past, or anyone else's present.

Introvert94 · Accepted Answer

I hate how every race of people were enslaved, but school only talk about black slavery. School always skip over the African chapters and never talked about the great empires. Unfortunately, slavery still exist in modern times. Unfortunately they it's said to be new forms as well, like prison. I remember in middle school learning/ listening about slavery and all the white people in class were feeling ashamed and sad and stuff while the blacks were heated a bit. slavery should be out out of practice in modern times

RationalMale · Answer

Slavery has been widespread through human history. That's just life. From ancient times when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, to the infamous slave trade in the USA (ironically more slaves were sent to Central and South America than North America, but you don't hear them bitching about it) to the over 1.25 million whites who were enslaved in the Barbary Slave trade even during Thomas Jefferson's day, to the Moorish slave trade and conquering of Spain... you could also argue the feudal system was mass slavery.

It's life. People need to stop bitching about it. Go check out Africa if you think the USA is utterly horrible.

Anpu23 · Answer

My father's people are Scottish/Irish, and a huge number of Scotts Irish were enslaved and sold on American docks. But no one speaks about it, we remember it in our music and folklore but don't try and turn it into a big thing. We don't see the advantages of taking the victim stance, besides that was at least 2 generations ago.

muspelhem_5 · Answer

My ancestors weren't enslaved, but it is horrible. One of the most extreme forms of inequality.

But the creepy thing is that I buy stuff that was made in the Third World under terrible working conditions, and because of the distance, I kind of block it out. That is one of the gruesome sides to globalisation.

Noboddy · Answer

Every race and every culture has been enslaved and treated just as bad as one another. The real problem with slavery is the ignorance about its history.

abundantlyrich · Answer

History made the black people from Africa to be the only actual slaves to exist but its not true.

Anonymous · Answer

So basically the class looks at all the black kids. Be blunt. My ancestors were slaves and some of them were slave masters (they were white). Slavery is wrong. Any form of slavery is wrong.

DaddysGirl420 · Answer

shit happens... the past is the past.. people need ot get over it already and focus on whats happening now and tomorrow

Mypreciouslegolas · Answer

My ancestor was in the holocaust I think it show no humanity in people :/

Anonymous · Answer

I feel that it is cruel, yet possibly unavoidable.

apexalpha · Answer

wrong wrong

How do you feel about slavery?

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