Virginia apologizes for slavery... why?

[ArtMonkRules]

[ QUOTE ]
my claim is that you can't argue counterfactuals.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can argue whatever the hell I want.

[HeavilyArmed]

[ QUOTE ]
And furthermore; I will submit to you that slavery, for all its evil, was a very good thing for America, and for black people in the long run.....

[/ QUOTE ]

The standard of living for blacks in America VS blacks in Africa is at least 2 orders of magnitude higher today. I have a feeling that in some respects and some cohorts blacks in America were better off than African blacks even during slavery.

[almostbusto]

[ QUOTE ]

If you'll read my article again, you'll see that I'm not speculating what WOULD HAVE happened had slavery never happened... I'm arguing what, and who, WOULD NOT have happened. You, and some other posters are attacking my speculation from the opinion that have no proof, and it amazes me how completely you miss the point... specualting how different the world might be, had certain events in history not happened, or happened differently (which they easily might have) is not a matter of proof, its a matter of imagination.... and some of you people obviously are lacking in that department.

[/ QUOTE ]

there is the suppressed argument that if MLK, Ali, the inventor of peanut butter, hadn't existed, the world would be worse off.

there may have been much much more successful civil rights activists and boxers had there been no slavery. you just don't know.

you are saying theses events wouldn't have happened, and therefore, we would be worse off.


i am just saying you are trying to compare to two universes. this universe. and the universe where slavery was abolished when the country was founded. you have no idea what that latter universe is like. so you can't make comparisons.

maybe you can conclude that the second universe has no MLK, but it could have a superior MLK substitute. or maybe there were no world wars in the second universe. maybe there was no great depression in the second universe. maybe cancer and AIDS has been cured in the second universe.

[theweatherman]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
And furthermore; I will submit to you that slavery, for all its evil, was a very good thing for America, and for black people in the long run.....

[/ QUOTE ]

The standard of living for blacks in America VS blacks in Africa is at least 2 orders of magnitude higher today. I have a feeling that in some respects and some cohorts blacks in America were better off than African blacks even during slavery.

[/ QUOTE ]

But the situation in Africa is in large part created by the slave trade, and then exacerbated by colonialism - justified in large part by the sub-human view of Africans. Perpetuated by, of course, slavery.

[ligastar]

Virginia played a big part in the slave trade in this country. They manned up and apologized for their indiscretions. Let's hope other states follow suit.

[bobman0330]

[ QUOTE ]
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070225/...O7Sg8jOnqs0NUE

Why has it become so politically correct and almost expected for people in public office to try to act as if slavery is something that we, in the 21st century somehow need to apologize for, as if we had anything to do with it?

And furthermore; I will submit to you that slavery, for all its evil, was a very good thing for America, and for black people in the long run..... and before you jump on me for making such an "ignorant, racist" statement, hear me out, because my point is hardly a racist one...

There's one fact that people who live by the dogma of political correctness seem to be ignoring here; without slavery there are NO black people in America.... and who wouldn't agree (besides a true racist) that such a thing would be to the detriment of our country?

Had slavery never happened there would be no Martin Luther King Jr. No Mohhammed Ali, no Hariet Tubman, no Jazz, no Rock n, roll... the NFL and NBA would be really lame, and there would be no peanut butter (and I really like peanut butter) America has allowed people of African dissent the opportunity to thrive, and they have changed the very fabric of our society and culture in so many ways that it's hard to imagine what our country would be like if it was lilly white

So Why then, are we apologizing for slavery? Shouldn't we be appreciating it for all the wonderful things its done for our country, and for the Africans that were brought here?

[/ QUOTE ]

You're one sick bastard. You do realize that millions and millions of people were brutally held in servitude, killed, beaten, raped, humiliated, etc., for two hundred years, right? If you just decided that, overall, slavery had had a positive impact, that would be pretty sick. But you're actually claiming there's nothing to express regret for? That's disgusting.

[natedogg]

[ QUOTE ]
if there were no slavery you have almost no idea what would have happened. ie there is no way you can claim that peanut butter would NEVER be invented for obvious reasons. it may well have been invented earlier if there were no slavery. there is absolutely no way to know.


[/ QUOTE ]

Not to hijack this thread, but your reasoning is spot-on and perfectly contradicts those who argue that without govt funding we'd never have the benefit of technology X that was funded by govt.

natedogg

[ShakeZula06]

[ QUOTE ]
without slavery there are NO black people in America

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, because history has shown that America isn't a place that has taken in millions of immigrants. I can't imagine a way that Africans could have gotten into America without first forcibly bringing them over and enslaving them for generations.

[HeavilyArmed]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
And furthermore; I will submit to you that slavery, for all its evil, was a very good thing for America, and for black people in the long run.....

[/ QUOTE ]

The standard of living for blacks in America VS blacks in Africa is at least 2 orders of magnitude higher today. I have a feeling that in some respects and some cohorts blacks in America were better off than African blacks even during slavery.

[/ QUOTE ]

But the situation in Africa is in large part created by the slave trade, and then exacerbated by colonialism - justified in large part by the sub-human view of Africans. Perpetuated by, of course, slavery.

[/ QUOTE ]

No. This is the guilty white apologist view and it is feel good fantasy.

Africa lacks economic freedom and the means to implement same. And it likely always will.

[Angeleyes]

To express regret of slavery this many years later is rediculous. It would be more appropriate to express regret of more recent racist policies that some of them may actually have contributed to.