Yes, there is a difference between us and UAE on slavery.

[smartvoter]

I noticed in a couple of the threads on slavery in the UAE that people like to point out that slavery exists here, suggesting we are no better on this front.

There is a big difference between hidden slavery rings that operate in secret and regenerate when arrests are made, and a system wherein slaves are used at public events at places such as race tracks.

To compare the two is to blur the lines of culpability to such an extent that there is no right and wrong -- or, more accurately, better and worse -- as long as there are lawbreakers.

We have much to answer for -- wars, prisoners, corruption and the like -- but when it comes to an issue like child slavery, we ARE better. Is it reprehensible that our political leaders are partners with people who do things like this? Absolutely. But I know as well as I do the sun will rise tomorrow that if sick bastards who want to use stolen kids for sport tried to create an event out of it, our law enforcement agencies would lock them up and throw away the key. And if the government did not, people like you and I would storm the place (or die trying).

[bloom]

1. Sex slaves

photos are posted on websites - some are underage.

The practice of enslaving people (for prostitution) continues because people (men basically) "patronize" them.

People going to racetracks - people going to prostitutes that are sex slaves - both things are supported by the "public".



..."I think that the men in Israel need to be educated that what they are doing is damaging," says Adelstein. Her concern is not simply that Israel chooses to ignore the crisis - it's that too many people don't think it's a problem at all. According to pollster Mina Tzemach, 65 percent of Israeli men do not see the trafficking of women as a human-rights violation."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=124&topic_id=112617


I don't see as big of a line as you do.

[Niccolo_Macchiavelli]

2. Utah underage "wives" come to my mind

but then there's the question, were does repeated abuse enter the range of slavery?

[Mythsaje]

3. For the most part I agree with you...

Slavery is a despicable practice that should be eradicated wherever it is. No so-called "civilized" nation should tolerate it.

And you're right. We don't tolerate anything nearly as open as what you describe in the UAE. On the other hand, we tolerate things that are almost as deplorable that lie just under the surface. Our Justice and Penal systems are terribly unjust, and most Americans aren't even consciously aware of it. So-called "Drug Crimes" make up a higher percentage of incarcerations than the very real crimes of murder, robbery, and rape, and often those convicted serve longer sentences than the dangerous criminals.

Our prisons are hellholes, and what's worse, we KNOW it. Jokes about prison rape are so common as to be part of our cultural lexicon of humor...though, in my mind, there's nothing funny about it. We send naive kids into these places, somehow assuming that it will help them to become productive members of society.

When people (particularly those of minorities) are systematically singled out by the government and confined in places of dubious safety for nothing more than possession of a unapproved substance with almost no one, particularly any of our leaders, declaiming the practice, we've got a big problem as well.

The Drug War set the stage for a lot of what we're seeing now...the slippery slope of people allowing fear to convince them to support the government in suborning civil liberties in order to protect them from a possible threat.

And that's not all.

If your community leaders (or a corporation) wants your land, it can be taken from you. It's not YOUR land, it's the government's, to dispose of in any way they see fit.

If the government decides you owe it money, the government owns at least a portion of your labor until you have paid it off, even though the government itself OWES each and every one of us a great deal of money in the first place. (Borrowing against the future as with the deficit).

Corporations these days are becoming more and more convinced of their 'ownership' of their employees...I remember during the Clinton era, when labor was still a seller's market. It's becoming increasingly obvious that American workers are ultimately disposable unless they bend to whatever demands their employers place on them.

Anyway...there's slavery, and then there's slavery. I think we've tolerated a great shift in our notions of freedom and individual liberty over the past several decades, and all too few of us have been paying attention.

Beware when government says it only wants an inch.

--end rant.