Why does the right wing like to ignore the history of American Slavery?

Question

I’ve been having discussions on the new SCOTUS pick and affirmative action. And right wingers bring up literally everything in order to deviate from slavery and civil rights history.

“It was the Africans who sold the slaves…so there.”
“My ancestors came here with nothing!”

Yeah none of that is relevant.

Why does the right wing like to ignore the history of American Slavery?

Moose304 · Accepted Answer

I am going to break my self-imposed rule about political comments on this one. I'm not going to quote a lot of stuff we have all seen before. About 3 years ago I attended the funeral of a very good friend's Father. This man at the time of his death was almost 100 years old. One of his brothers was lynched in South Carolina for kissing a white girl back in the late 1920s. A cousin was one of the Tuskegee Airmen! This man was walking once down a street in a small town in North Georgia back in the early 50s. He was attacked and had a glass bottle broken over his head. What I heard was that he walked on the wrong side of the street that day. I developed a friendship with this son back in the 1960s. I have sat at his mother's table and still can taste her fried green tomatoes to this day. This was after my friend and I would go "pick a mess" of them for her. Anybody that was raised on a farm knows what happens in cold weather. I can't remember every time I would help them clean and butcher a pig. The man would always say (my first name) take this to your mom and give it to her and hand me several pounds of sausage or ham. There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about slavery in North America in the 18th and 19th centuries. Both sides are doing it. "While I understand it's important to look back because you can't see where you are headed unless you know where you came from. I just get tired of how everybody is using this dark period of US history for political gains and power." I put those words in quotes because it is a paraphrased quotation coming from many conversations with that man. One more point. Back in the 80s, I went through a period of time that almost drove me to suicide. One winter I walked over to his home and helped him and a grandson butcher another pig. Over coffee later that man gave me some advice I still think about to this day. "Sometimes you need to just pull down your pants and slide on the ice". As to that question? I am a 60 something white male. I don't ignore this scar upon our republic. To do so would be dangerous. I rather move forward let's join as people and make ALL lives better but at the same time stop ALL forms of extremism!

DaveJord · Accepted Answer

I agree with you on the rational used by these people to ignore the impact of slavery. Obviously there is no rational way to try to side step the issue by deflecting it off on other people or trying to escape the historical facts.

So more to my point, the issue with the discussion about race in American today is that it seems very one sided. There is no denying that the blame for slavery should be rightfully placed on the forefathers of the Constitution. Although they were very enlightened politically, their short sided views on race were disastrous. So unfortunately that is some thing no white guy can ever really get way from and its a uncomfortable truth that we all must learn to live with.

When I say uncomfortable truth that we ALL must learn to live with... well I mean no white guy living in the United States today has ever owned a slave or had anything to do with slavery. Slavery is dead and I must image that last living person to ever own slave must of died 70 to 80 years ago. The last known living Confederated Soldier died in 1951.

99.9% of all Americans living today never even knew someone that ever owned a slave. Sure there was thousands more slaves than slave owners, so last living Slave died in 1971. I was not even born until 1976. So in general when people want to sit down and talk about Race in America no white person wants to talk or rehash the history over slavery. It doesn't really advance the conversation about race in general, or change anything about were we are now, we all get it so lets move on.

hi_it_is_me123 · Accepted Answer

They also ignore the fact that america invaded many countries since the world war 2 and intereferes itself in many conflicts of other countries. russia get hated for invading ukraine while america dont get so much hate for invading many other countries aka doing worse. I am sorry for the Ukraine and i am also sorry for the black students in ukraine who get racial disriminated at Ukraine border.
Then there are rape cases about iragi women who got raped by American soldiers. The list can go on. Why do these right wingers dont talk about this?

Here an older quora reply by an user about the question how many countries amarica invaded

"...
This list doesn't include "undercover" operations of the CIA, financing of opposition groups, coups d'etat, that is, other forms of intervention and interference.

1961: Mercenary forces recruited, organized, financed and directed by the United States invade Cuba.
1965: Dominican Republic
1966: Guatemala
1980: Organizes a military intervention in the desert of Tabas (central Iran).
1981: The “contras” war begins to eliminate the Sandinista government in Nicaragua.
1986: Launches an air strike against Libya.
1989: Invades Panama to arrest whoever was his protégé, Manuel Noriega. The operation left no less than 3,000 civilian casualties.
1991: Attacks Iraq in what is called the Gulf War (Persian).
1998: Guided by incomplete or erroneous information, attack Sudan.
1999: The USA, at the head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), bombs Yugoslavia and causes its disintegration.
2001: Invades Afghanistan.
2003: Invades Iraq.
2011: Attack Libya.
2011: Support terrorists and armed groups to try to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Asad.
2018: Bombed Syria"

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

well the right probably ignore it because it was democrats who owned slaves. democrats also are the ones that fought hardest against civil rights laws in the 1960s. they also came up with Jim crow and segregation. if you look at cities and states where minorities do the worst financially educationally and pverty and crime rates they are democrat run strong holds. Did you know that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican? and that the Dixie-crats in the south were... you guessed it democrats? The left is now and always have been the party of slavery oppression and bigotry... they just depend on useful idiots to convince black and other minorities that they are not.

Wade12345 · Answer

Slavery was ended over 8 generations ago. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the world today, so I wish black people would stop whining about what happened to their 8th great grand-daddy.

If blacks stopped being irresponsible parents and stopped committing twice to six times as much violent crime as whites, then I might actually give a damn about them. As things stand now, it's hard to feel sorry for black people who don't take care of their own families. It's also hard to feel sorry for anyone who dies while committing a crime, and that goes for any race, but since that is mostly applicable to blacks, who commit most of the crime, well, you see my point. (Crime statistics compiled by black police officers in several major U. S. cities.)

Teresa435435454 · Answer

They don't "ignore the history of slavery". They are against public schools teaching kids that white people are bad and that white people have privledge and need to feel bad for their privledge. That is an enormous difference from what you are trying to accuse them of. Not only that; Democrats attribute EVERYTHING under the sun to racism; they are just undermining the definition of what racism actually is. No one believes a word they say anymore when it comes to racism. In fact; they have banned Dr. Suess books because apparently his books had "racist connotations". Its a laughable joke at this point. So your idiot assertion that Republicans dont like to talk about slavery is all a bunch of bullshit

Wester1967 · Answer

They're racist. Mostly closet racists embarrassed to come out and say it. I'm a pasty face MF from the south. Let me tell you. Behind closed doors, these people are the natiest most bigoted racist MFers you could imagine. Yeah. Racist sh*ts. Pieces of literal human sh*t. Miserable awful excuses for human beings. They're racists. They love the culture. See nothing wrong with it. Want to PROFIT off of it. Just like breathing air. They are crazy stupid jacked up jackass idiots. This is the truth. If it fks with you you probably need to be fked with.

RolandCuthbert · Answer

Well we have had this discussion before. They are not "right" wing.

They are "crazy" wing.

"You cannot begin to understand the American Experience until you understand the African-American Experience."

President George W. Bush.

HighlyVolatile · Answer

One problem I have personally is with "white". My American side of the family emigrated to the US long after the civil war from Ireland. I think "white" is too broad for a start. I also don't see how it helps to blame children for the deeds of their ancestors.

Sophxoxo · Answer

An awful lot of right wingers are racists. Simple as that. I’m not saying all of them are, but a lot are.

Snakeyes7 · Answer

Give me one "right winger" who has said that slavery in the US never happened and outright said it, not because you made an assumption that they were dogwhistling.

And no I'm not talking about some random schmuck on the internet. I'm talking about someone who has a massive following.

KostasKouvalis · Answer

Only 10% of African slaves went to the US. The majority went to the Caribbean and South America.

And yes, it is VERY relevant. Why do you think it's not relevant? All you did is post an opinion, but didn't bother to explain to us why you feel that way.

anylolone · Answer

They aren't ignoring, why are you ignoring the history of slavery, the daphomey empire as one hundreds of examples?

You know that a brazilian slave rebellion leader, zumbi, had slaves?

African selling slaves is very relevant, by the way. Our portuguese overlords helped funded coups over it.
They learned about slavery from buying natives from natives, though. Not through the usual dealings with Africans. They turned to African slavery because smallpox.

bamesjond0069 · Answer

I don't understand how its relevant? My family came to america after the civil war. My family also historically can trace its roots back to being slaves. So why would i have any responsibility and if people are owed for their past family held in slavery wouldn't i be entitled to the same? Why are you insanely obsessed with skin color?

Anonymous · Answer

I don't agree that they do. I think the left keep bringing it up as if it matters when it's irrelevant to today. No one alive was one of those slaves. No one alive was one of those slave owners. Everyone gets the same individual rights as everyone else and moves on. Not being able to stop talking about it is the problem. It belongs in history books and not in the modern political discourse which has nothing to do with it.

ragooo8 · Answer

Do they or do they want to illustrate maybe the global history of slavery as a whole and not pretend that the US is the only country that was involved in slavery. Scandinavia had a massive slave trade.

DarkWinterNights · Answer

Nobody is ignoring it, but beating a dead horse about a bad thing that happened centuries ago isn’t solving the very real and very current problems that are hurting people now.

Miristheiss · Answer

I am not aware of a history book anywhere that doesn't talk about slavery.  What exactly are you talking about? Since it is taught in history class... what is your beef?

Anonymous · Answer

Like you said none of it is relevant because they weren't even alive to know what it was hundreds of years ago. Just like how southern democrats making Jim Crow has nothing with left wing today. People should focus on present instead of choosing sides

jshm2 · Answer

It's just common deflection.  Don't waste time arguing with such idiots. There is no educating such imbeciles.

Recurrence · Answer

Um um the demorats wer da slav owners! I’m going to ignore that the south is all Republicans now and not wonder why that’s the case, cuz them DEMOCRATS were the evil slave owners

ManHater · Answer

Maybe we should put a nice black leather collar on you and turn your white gimmick into slavery and then you will understand. Until you have not experienced slavery I dont think you should be the one talking about it.

grega239 · Answer

Maybe they're sick of the left always bringing it up and making it the primary reason for everything. Like its been 200 years since it ended and you just keep beating that dead horse

purplepoppy · Answer

I thought the right wanted to bring back those days

Exterminatore · Answer

Slavery and racism are so 2020/2021. They’re no longer in fashion. Along with Covid. We’re on to WW 3 now. Try to keep up.

msc545 · Answer

Because somehow surprisingly they actually seem to know that slavery was wrong or more likely just disapproved of by most people. They're embarrassed to admit their overwhelming role in this crime.

Dargil · Answer

I disagree with your promise. Decent schools like Hillsdale do not fear the truth.

joeldalton · Answer

Lmao. It’s 100% relevant. For you to diminish the reality of slavery in this world is YOU ignoring history to push a false narrative.

boobliker · Answer

they think slavery is ok just look at the ones coming over the border

Anonymous · Answer

I don't think it's accurate to say that the right wing "ignores the history of American slavery." More accurately, they don't emphasize it as much as the American Left.

michael1469 · Answer

Cause like everything... they try to white wash history

lrina · Answer

how is that relevant to modern-day politics?

Anonymous · Answer

White guy with whip torturing the tied up black guy, ahhh the good old days.

Sevenpointfive · Answer

i don't think they do

GMANN56 · Answer

Not ignoring it. I just don't live in the 1800s

driven159 · Answer

because they don't want to deal with it

WhiteBoyChill · Answer

Because slavery hasn’t been around since 1865?

Anonymous · Answer

Waahhh Waaaaah

JesseJayNeak · Answer

You’re capping

Why does the right wing like to ignore the history of American Slavery?

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How can the right make the statement “slavery was so long ago, get over it”?

Why does the right wing like to ignore the history of American Slavery?

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How can the right make the statement “slavery was so long ago, get over it”?

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