If you think slavery was a good deal for the slaves, think again.

[raccoon]

You were totally at the mercy of the master/mistress. They could do whatever they wanted to do to you. They could starve you, beat you with a bullwhip or other instrument, torture you, rape you, whatever the hell they wanted to do--and there was nothing you could do about it. They could KILL you and that was legal.

They could sell your spouse or children to someone far away, and you'd never see them again.

Even if you had a "good" master, what if he died and some asshole was his heir, or what if he got into debt and had to sell you or your family members?

I've heard some right-wingers talk like bringing the slaves here to the US and enslaving them was doing them a favor. Would any of these people want to be slaves themselves? I don't think so.

Think of the worst boss you ever had...would you want to be his/her slave? Also, as a slaveowner, he/she could do things to you they couldn't get away with now. Such as the aforementioned beatings.

If there is anyone out there in cyberspace reading this who believes the slaves benefited from slavery....you are seriously deluded.

[hobbit709]

1. Evidently Alan Keyes thinks so.

Of course, "seriously deluded" is his middle name.

[TheWraith]

11. It thought it was "Institutionalized." nt

[hobbit709]

12. That is "Should be Institutionaklized"

:rofl:

[Brewman_Jax]

2. The question I put to freepers

and other revisionist assholes is: If slavery was such a great thing, why didn't YOUR ancestors choose to participate in such a "great" experience?

I've never gotten an answer.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. As a slave, you could be whipped, sold, or killed if it was known that you could read.

There were LAWS written as statutes and upheld by courts that made you an object to be possessed. Stripped you of your humanity.

[LargeGreenSpider]

4. Maybe if Hollywood ...

showed us more depictions of the horror of slavery, bizarre "slavery was great" mems would never erupt. Since "Roots," nothing.

[Brewman_Jax]

7. They've done some

like "Amistad" and "Amazing Grace", but Hollywood isn't going to pass up making money for social commentary.

What is needed is for US history classes in grade school to tell the WHOLE truth about the bad parts of history, and not leave those parts to college history courses.

[pinboy3niner]

5. It's amazing that it even needs to be said

The RW has gone completely delusional and batty! History will not treat these idiots kindly...

[lunatica]

6. Exactly how is this an issue in need of debate?

Especially here on DU?

Does the Idiocracy have to dominate everything? If we even get caught up in their delusions that means we've allowed ourselves to be dumbed down to their level.

Thanks but no thanks.

[raccoon]

9. I put it there mainly for right-wingers who might be lurking here.

I thought my last paragraph would make that obvious.

[NoNothing]

10. Not just them

I've had people argue to me on this very board that slaves had it better than modern workers.

[political_Dem]

8. The ugliness about this is that some folks use the argument of slavery being

good to not only stop "those people of color from whining about race", but also to say that Black folks ought to thank our lucky stars we were brought here at all. Those that support this argument often forget that some of the kidnapped threw themselves or their babies overboard because they didn't want to be enslaved. Being in bondage was as good as death. Others participated in uprisings and mutinies.

Furthermore, such opinions gloss over that it was pretty much a patriarchal system which infantalized anyone who wasn't white. It was thought that Blacks were no better than animals. It was dehumanizing and humiliating to be constantly told that you weren't even considered as able to think on your own. Unfortunately such a tone of "belittling" still occurs when there is a person so clouded by their privilege that they perceive themselves to be entitled and act as such.

The only way to snap such myopic behavior--if such a person shows consciousness-raising--is to show them the pictures of slave life in which utter brutality was displayed. Even better, let them listen to the accounts of slaves which were done by the Library of Congress.

But for the most part, there are people so scared of talking about race that they don't want to hear the truth. They still want to be wrapped in the cloak of entitlement and racism. Therefore, they continue to be ignorant and fall on that old line of it "all being in the past". :(

[LWolf]

13. Did someone on DU suggest that slavery somehow benefitted slaves? nt

[raccoon]

14. See my response #9. Next time, I'll put that in the OP. nt