Why on earth are we apologizing for it?
I mean it happened over 200 years ago, what is the point of issuing an apology now?
because it looks like we give a crepe!
Flip the question around: how does it hurt a society to officially admit regret over a crime against humanity, no matter how old? It costs nothing and offers closure.
Do any of you know people descended from slaves? I grew up around such folks, and even though most of us dont know our family tree back so far, just knowing that your ancestors were the slaves of the ancestors of the guy with lighter skin that lives next door, whos also benefited legally from such lack of melanin up until just a generation ago--its a bit of a downer, to say the least. For a lot of black folks, its a huge chip on the shoulder. Yes, it happened 200 years ago--but look at the US, as I said, it wasnt until 40 years ago that black folks could share drinking fountains in the south. Overt racism only became unacceptable quite recently.
Again, it costs nothing to show official regret of the actions of your ancestors. Having any sort of confusion over why this is a good thing, proves the necessity of the ceremonial act in the first place.
Quote from: DaveWhy on earth are we apologizing for it?
I mean it happened over 200 years ago, what is the point of issuing an apology now?
We arent, we are saying that it should had never happened and we are sorry it did. We are not admitting guilt
Only people who should be apologizing ate the politicians who allowed it and the slavers who did it. For some reason I think they are all dead.
Quote from: maximusotterFlip the question around: how does it hurt a society to officially admit regret over a crime against humanity, no matter how old?
it was a sh*tty part of history but there have been plenty of sh*tty occurrences in history amongst various group of people that to apologise for one particular occurrence is a completely pointless exercise not to mention slightly offensive to the people the apology is being issued on behalf of - we are about as responsible for the slave trade as modern day French people are for the invasion of 1066.
I mean just take the slave trade in itself - the Arabs were by far the biggest traffickers of slaves from Afica - perhaps they ought to be apologising too. How about the various african tribes who sold slaves to Europeans and Arabs shouldnt they be apologizing - of course that would involve Africans basically apologizing to themselves. Mixed race people would need to apologise to themselves too. Lastly the moors took slaves from the coasts of the UK and Ireland - surely we are entitled to an apology from north African nations for their slave trade in our ancestors.
QuoteDo any of you know people descended from slaves?
Probably - tbh.. plenty of our own ancestors may well have been enslaved by vikings, romans, moors etc.. over the course of history - if people still have issues about something that happened a few hundred years ago then that is their own problem.
QuoteI grew up around such folks, and even though most of us dont know our family tree back so far, just knowing that your ancestors were the slaves of the ancestors of the guy with lighter skin that lives next door, whos also benefited legally from such lack of melanin up until just a generation ago--its a bit of a downer, to say the least.
So some of them are a bit bitter- flip that around - what would things be like for them if slavery hadnt happened - well theyd most probably be stuck in a disease ridden sh*thole with a high chance of being at risk of death from AIDS, famine and war. Not to mention a lower life expectancy and none of the basic resources we take for granted in the west - if anything people of african descent living in the west ought to be thankful for the slave trade.
If you think that we ought to apologise for the slave trade then I demand that you, as a Swedish person, apologise on behalf of the vikings for the various counts of kidnapping, slavery, rape and pillage thats occurred many centuries ago by people you may or may not have been descended from.
heres the stickler, half of the slaves were sold by their own countrymen which is the horrible bit.
Well probably more than half tbh... slavery in Africa was largely the result of tribal wars and the kidnapping of enemy combatants - the practice of enslaving members of rival tribes and selling them on had been going on long before Europeans started buying them.
There are well recorded instances of tribal chiefs selling off their own people too in a macabre form of surplus stock sale. This sort of thing still happens in Asia and Eastern Europe for the sex trade, families sell their children. Dont think slavery is over and done with, it isnt by a long way, even in the UK and America.
/opens hooge can
Mmmmmm worms...
well yeah that is true - the real price of slaves today is cheaper than it has ever been in history and there are probably more people enslaved today than there ever have been.
Still occurs in Africa - there are currently thousands of black people enslaved by arabs in northern Sudan.
A large portion of the steel imported into the EU is likely to be a product of slaves working in Brazil.
Not to mention Chinese cockle pickers etc.. and Eastern European sex workers in this country.
If so called Black community leaders are going to campaign about something then surely it would be better to campaign about a relevant modern issue than a completely irrelevant historical one.
The Anglican church is also directly responsible for slavery, they kept slaves on their various plantations. They are now going to use it for the benefit of forced workers and sex slaves.
Overall it might have a good result.
I will not apologise to anyone even if my ancestors were involved in the slave trade. It is not my responsibility to say sorry for something that someone I never met did.
Happens in the world today...
Cheers
Tongy