Quote:
Originally Posted by hip hop bunny hop
You are all simplifying the interplay of race and slavery in the context of the USA; some examples being -
So, let's be clear; black's owned black slaves; indian's owned black slaves; and whites owned black slaves. The issue of chattel slavery vs. traditional is of course important (and obvious); but, let's keep in mind we're speaking of this slavery occurring in the same time period, and all these groups had members who participated in brutal chattel slavery.
In this, we see such a system of slavery was not unique to the USA, but also existed in Latin America, notably in Brazil. I'm sure you're all familiar with las Casas and the role he played in substituting slavery of Indians with that of Africans.
If you're going to advocate the notion that multiculturalism & racial egalitarianism is a genuinely moral in the full meaning of the word, fine, but that notion is directly at odds with the concept that racism is acceptable at times. What you're trying to say is something to the effect of, "The ends don't justify the means, except when they do."
That is, unless I misread you and you're claiming that racism is positive some times.
You're presuming multiculturalism can work, you're ignoring that multiculturalism is a phenomenon exclusive to the west, and your fatalism is anything but convincing. |
The first point you've raised is all good and well about different races in the USA having slaves, but on closer anaylysis its actually an apologetic right-wing view stating that it just wasn't whites that had slaves. We all know though, that the largest slave holders were whites.
The reference to Casas in Latin America, is totally inadequate in this debate. Here we are talking about a 16th century historian that was in the service of Spain. Spain at that time was an absolute monarchy that ruled the seas, everybody was either a Catholic or a heathen and God reigned supreme and the Pope gave the King or Queen of Spain absolute power to carry out God's work, the word democracy would've had you chucked into the nearest dungeon before being sent to the gallows. The USA that we are talking about here, is in the 19th century and in a land that was built on demoocracy and equal rights for all men etc. Slavery by the 19th century in the USA had become an abomination of those beliefs.
For the record and its worth pointing out, that the reason why black slaves were brought to Latin America was just basically to replace the local indigenous slaves who had died in their millions due to common European ailments, the negro slaves were just brought from Africa to replace depeleted local slaves not because Casas or the Spanish felt sorry for the locals. Evidence of this is very common still today, in countries like Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela and much of the Caribbean which were decimated by the Spanish and Portuguese much of the local populations were wiped out, for that reason you will see very high negro populations in the places today. If you go to say Bolivia, Paraguay and Chile its doubtful you'll even see a negro, largely because these areas were relatively untouched by the Spanish and Portuguese.
Now I'm not sure what you're referring to in you final section, but NO racism is never acceptable under any circumstances and if it does exist in a society, that that said society is really not operating as a democracy should.