Enslavement of Blacks. . .the worse? Options

[hotsoup]

The issue of why African Americans/Blacks seem to think that the enslavement of their ancestors was so much more horrible than the enslavement of other people has come up many a time in discussions centered on race and ethnicity. So, I figured I'd just go ahead and start a discussion on the subject. Hopefully, one doesn't already exist.

So, my opinion.

I actually wrote a paper on this very subject last year for a history class I was taking at college. While I argued from an economical stand point in my paper, I think I'll go with the skin color issue here.

Every time I gain some new knowledge, my opinion seems to change, but I believe that the main reason the enslavement of Blacks is considered to be such a heinous crime and held above similar crimes is because it was based almost solely on skin color and the complete domination of an entire race thought to be some how deviant or against God in nature. I'll try to elaborate more on my stance once a discussion picks up.

[*Sandraaa*]

There is no such thing as a better slavery or worse slavery. I'll elaborate later on.

[jesusisthebestth...]

i disagree with sandraa, because one can be enslaved, but be free to travel, earn their own money, marry, and be treated humanely. enslaved africans, however, weren't allowed to marry and were sold on auction blocks...the same auction blocks animals and pieces of furniture were sold on. i believe that the enslavement of africans and their descendants is considered one of the worst forms of slavery simply because african americans (the descendants of these enslaved africans) still suffer from the instition of slavery today, one can cite discrimination, racism, and prejudices.

[*Steven*]

There is no such thing as a better slavery or worse slavery. I'll elaborate later on.

Yes there is. Worse slavery has worse punishments, harsher living conditions, harder work to be done.

Look at the way Romans treated their slaves. The way Japanese treated people they felt weren't people. The way colonial Americans treated blacks. The way we treated the Japanese in internment camps during WWII. The way indentured servants are treated. They all differ in degrees of severity. I don't think that the enslavement of Blacks pre-civil war was more heinous than all of the others. It's simply received the most publicity (not saying that it's a publicity stunt or anything) and they've demanded the most compensation and reparation.

[ClaudelGFX]

I think they are making a big deal of it, because they don't know that during the time, there were slaves almost everywhere on the globe and for sure NOT all of em were Black and nor from Africa, we had slaves in our country too, they were called "Iobagi", meaning the lowest social class.
So when you say slavery/enslavement its not all about Africa and ofcourse its not all about black people.

Make sure you know everything about "slaves" or "slavery" before talking about these things.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serfdom
Translated: "Iogab" (my language) = Serfdom = Slave

[*Podomaht*]

it's cause black people complain about it all the time.

[*Sandraaa*]

@ Soeffinmajor and Steven: I honestly do not think that there's such thing as better slavery. You're still a slave, you have a master, you're controlled.

You're right.

it's cause black people complain about it all the time

So if other enslaved races should complain about it all the time, they'll recieve an equal amount of publicity?

[*Steven*]

The more a group complains about something, the more attention it gets. If a different group had been complaining about it for 5 decades I do think they would be getting quite a bit of attention.

[Ington]

Topic post = groundless, the first enslavement of Africans was by Africans. Also, they were the ones who sold them to the 'white man'. Africans have been having tribal warfare with each other and killing each other since it was possible. The prisoners of war were turned into slaves. Many wars were begun for the sole purpose of taking prisoners.

[*Steven*]

But the topic of the argument is the severity of the enslavement and treatment by the white americans as compared to other nations.

[hotsoup]

^Thank you Steven.

I do think the amount of attention that African Americans have received is one of the reasons why people think about it so much. But, in all honesty, the attention has been well deserved because of the struggle for various rights that African Americans have had to go through just to be considered equal human beings.

As far as complaining goes, as much as I hate to say this, a lot of it comes from the older generation with help from the current generation that has picked up on their beliefs. Yes, there still are struggles happening, but they make it seem like if a Black person walks down the wrong side of the street, they're going to get mobbed or lynched. You also have politicians who turn every single event involving a black person and a white person into an issue of race and class.

Addressing the "Blacks sold Blacks into slavery point". Yes, that is true, but it did not happen in America. This entire thread is about slavery and how people perceive it here, in America.

[ClaudelGFX]

I have to agree with Chris Rock, there are 2 types of African Americans, 1 Black and 2 Nigga'.

[hotsoup]

I have to agree with Chris Rock, there are 2 types of African Americans, 1 Black and 2 Nigga'.

So, what exactly are you trying to say?

[ClaudelGFX]

Lets just say Chris Rock is afraid to get out of his house at night cuz of the niggaz :)) got it now?

[brooklyneast05]

Lets just say Chris Rock is afraid to get out of his house at night cuz of the niggaz :)) got it now?

no
how is this relevant to the topic?

[1angel3]

Topic post = groundless, the first enslavement of Africans was by Africans. Also, they were the ones who sold them to the 'white man'. Africans have been having tribal warfare with each other and killing each other since it was possible. The prisoners of war were turned into slaves. Many wars were begun for the sole purpose of taking prisoners.

Yes there was slavery in Africa but America in my opinion had the worst slavery in the history of slavery. Slavery in other parts of the world slavery was taken in many different forms. In African slavery a slave had his own home and land and they wasn't slave all their live, slavery was a form of paying off a loan. African sold slave to the white man because he thought the white man slavery was the same as their slavery. The African was also trick too. And the tribal wars didn't start until the Europeans got involved.

[HoodNigga]

LOL well I think the treatment of African Americans or Blacks is far more worst than any other race here in North America. You take every race into consideration

White , Black , Asian, Hispanic and other, and you tell me who had it worst here in North America. White people even put their own kind to work if they had a drop of black blood in them.

Now as far as worldwide then no, the Jews were almost wiped out by the Nazis, on top of that forms of slavery has existed almost since the beginning of mankind. So in conclusion , in North America yes, and worldwide no.

But the part about black people complaining I LOL at that because the fact of the matter is every race of people complain about some form of unfair treatment. You got people complaining about affirmative action now, about how its not fair to their race. Then you have those who complain about "HOW COME I CAN'T USE THE WORD NIGGA, but you can call me this." I could just as easily start debate topics such as these , but I got better stuff to do then worry about such minuscule things such as these.

[1angel3]

LOL well I think the treatment of African Americans or Blacks is far more worst than any other race here in North America. You take every race into consideration

White , Black , Asian, Hispanic and other, and you tell me who had it worst here in North America. White people even put their own kind to work if they had a drop of black blood in them.

Now as far as worldwide then no, the Jews were almost wiped out by the Nazis, on top of that forms of slavery has existed almost since the beginning of mankind. So in conclusion , in North America yes, and worldwide no.

But the part about black people complaining I LOL at that because the fact of the matter is every race of people complain about some form of unfair treatment. You got people complaining about affirmative action now, about how its not fair to their race. Then you have those who complain about "HOW COME I CAN'T USE THE WORD NIGGA, but you can call me this." I could just as easily start debate topics such as these , but I got better stuff to do then worry about such minuscule things such as these.

Amen I agree. I hear people say black complain too much and yet I'm not the one who started this conversation/topic. I hate that people feels this way.

[*ersatz*]

Yes there was slavery in Africa but America in my opinion had the worst slavery in the history of slavery. Slavery in other parts of the world slavery was taken in many different forms. In African slavery a slave had his own home and land and they wasn't slave all their live, slavery was a form of paying off a loan. African sold slave to the white man because he thought the white man slavery was the same as their slavery. The African was also trick too. And the tribal wars didn't start until the Europeans got involved.

You can't be serious. Do you know about any of the other "slavery times" (not that I should say that, there is perpetually slavery somewhere) that have happened throughout history, throughout the world? Urm, the Holocaust wasn't the only bad thing that happened to Jews, and there was a reason the barbarians had a revolt against the Romans. I could seriously go on and on.

[ClaudelGFX]

Did you know that slavery still exists nowadays? i doubt, you are talking about history and what happen in the past but none of you did anything about it, that's why it started happening again, the history is repeating. You can see only one side and interest, but try to look around you too, and see what happen/s to others too.

''If your choice is to die of starvation in your home country, being a slave in Italy could sound like paradise,''
http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_48/b3709046.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/862942.stm

"04 september 2006"
They're at least five thousand people, maybe seven thousand. No one has ever carried out a census. They're all foreigners; all employed as so-called "black workers" the name used to describe illegal, untaxed and underpaid work scams. They are Romanians with or without work permits, Bulgarians, Poles. And Africans: from Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Senegal, Sudan, and Eritrea. Some have just entered the country illegally on small boats, only a few days ago. They came from Libya because they knew that in the summer they could find work here. It makes no sense to patrol the coasts if Italian businessmen decide to ignore the law.Down here they also ignore the Constitution: articles one, two and three. As well as the Universal Declaration of Rights.

This is just an incredible acticle...
http://espresso.repubblica.it/dettaglio/I%...0Puglia/1373950
http://journalistaward2006.stop-discrimina...sh/IT_Gatti.pdf


"Slavery Debate - 20 March 2007"
http://www.marycreagh.co.uk/index.php?id=494
=======
"China’s Disabled Children Are Sold Into Slavery As Beggars"
http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2007/07/23/...ery-as-beggars/
=======
"History Repeating"
Speech: Totalitarianism in Romania’s Past and China’s Present
http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2007/07/28/...chinas-present/
=======
"China Slavery Verdict Angers Families- ‘Bigger Fish Off the Hook’"
http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2007/07/19/...h-off-the-hook/
=======
"Slave Labors in China Exploitative Cotton Factory"
http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2007/07/15/...cotton-factory/
=======
"“Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves!” - China National Anthem Says"
http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2007/06/23/...al-anthem-says/
=======
"China Slavery and Organ Harvesting: Are you imaginative enough?"
http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2007/06/23/...inative-enough/
=======
"China Child Slavery Not Limited to Brickyards"
http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2007/06/20/...-to-brickyards/
=======
"I was born a slave" - Matalla tells his story"
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09899560.htm
=======
"Importing a Slave Class"
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=20855
=======

Another great article..
http://www.selvesandothers.org/article11694.html

Like you can see with your own eyes, slavery still exists nowadays, how about we pass talking about past and we concern more about the present?

[*Sandraaa*]

Seriously Suzzette! In my country, we RARELY talk about the Black enslavement except at school in History class. THAT'S IT! So no, not all Blacks feel this way.

The more a group complains about something, the more attention it gets. If a different group had been complaining about it for 5 decades I do think they would be getting quite a bit of attention.

It depends on where you complain. If you are going to complain about the Chinese slavery in Europe, goodluck with that. In Europe we talk more about the Holocaust than anything else. You hear more about the Black slavery because it happened in America. Simple as that.

[*Steven*]

Honestly...where is ANYONE getting this idea that blacks think their enslavement was worse than others?

Where?
Where?
Where?

Blacks as a whole don't. Individual people might. Individual people think different things, should we debate about every single one?

Black slavery happened in AMERICA (yeah, I know it happened in Africa too). Most of us live in AMERICA. The Holocaust was TERRIBLE. But since we live in America and learn about American History, of course we would be more exposed to the enslavement that happened in our own country.

Of course blacks as a whole don't. It's just those noisy individuals who cause all the ruckus and commotion and try to go public with things that get people stereotyping. A few individuals give people bad ideas for an entire race, but that's not saying much for the people who jump to conclusions.

[*Steven*]

Actually I've never heard them claim that black slavery was worse than any other. I meant to type my previous response as a broad generalization for complaining, not necessarily claiming that the noisy individuals claim that black slavery was worse than others.

[ClaudelGFX]

brownsugar and steven, you both have your points and i got em perfectly, but from what i've seen and heard, "Afro-Americans" always threated any kind of this matter to the highest level like they were the only ones whom have suffered and they are the only race that have been disavantaged(sp?) in every way possible. I still see people whom are making fun of Jews, but i doubt any of them knows even a small piece of Jews history, and all things that happen to em during the ages, i bet none of the "Afro-Americans" ever felt what the Jews felt, where slavery is just a piece of cake. And the thing about Jews was only an example, also they don't call Jews white, they call em JEWS, if you get my point.

[brooklyneast05]

i disagree sir

what u've "seen and heard" is wrong then. ive never acted like black people are the only ones who suffered. i don't know any black people who think that nobody else in history has suffered. black people in america talk about black slavery more yes...americans in general talk about black slavery more, because its in our countries history. if we were in a different country, we'd probably be more concerned with slavery in that country.

u still see people who are making fun of jews. i still people making fun of jews, mexicans, black people, asians, irish, EVERYONE STILL GETS MADE FUN OF. it's just how it is when u have ignorant people saying ignorant things. u should watch out, because u sound like one of them, the way u generalize a whole race and say that we are all complaining about how we've suffered more, when that's not the case. individuals complain and say things like that maybe, but the whole african american race doesn't.

i think jews and african americas felt a lot of similar things. both were treated awfully. i don't think any african american denies the fact that the jews suffered, or think that black slavery was "worse". i really have no clue where u get that idea

slavery is not a piece of cake, and i think that's a ridiculous thing to say. the only reason i think ur saying that is because ur thinking the slavery from ur country. u provided a link in an earlier post to information about serfdom saying thats the slavery from ur country. serfdom is NOT the same thing as slavery in america. if u read the link that YOU provided, it even says that serfs often chose to be serfs because they couldn't support themselves and their family. no african chose to be a slave, and they were separated from their children and wives, beaten, sold around like animals, considered less than human. i'm sure slaves in ur country suffered a lot, but going from the link that u urself provided, it's not the same as what happened here. if u disagree then provide a link that supports it better than what u did.

i bet none of the "Afro-Americans" ever felt what the Jews felt, where slavery is just a piece of cake.

how would u know what african american's felt? u don't, so quit assuming something of a whole race of people