As the transported Englishmen felt insecure about their position among the Indians, they found new ways of exploitation. Outnumbered and on foreign territory, they searched for those they thought were inferior to them.
"Black slaves were the answer."
"Their helplessness made enslavement easier."
The article states that by the 19th century Africa had lost 50 million human beings to death and slavery. I knew there was slavery on a massive scale during this civilization development but I never imagined, or really took in what happened when I first learned about it. Here are some words and phrases I want to highlight from the article:
- "chained by the neck"
- "different stages of suffocation"
- "abusing himself for laying with a negroe body"
- "killing each other to breathe"
- "cage until sold"
The Oxford English Dictionary: "Deeply stained with dirt; soiled, foul, dirty."
When I was reading the article, just like the the article on the internment camp, I was speechless. I think the main thing going through my head was, how and where did so much hatred and animosity come from? Was the driving force of economy and free labor so much so that human beings were being tousled and tossed like nothing? At a time like that I'm sure social work was nonexistent, and for someone to speak up would have sure cause great upheaval.
When I was reading the article, just like the the article on the internment camp, I was speechless. I think the main thing going through my head was, how and where did so much hatred and animosity come from? Was the driving force of economy and free labor so much so that human beings were being tousled and tossed like nothing? At a time like that I'm sure social work was nonexistent, and for someone to speak up would have sure cause great upheaval.
In evolutionary psychology it is said that often the "selfish gene" exploits and kills the weaker one, a human nature, if you will. In the case of tribal warfare homicide avoidance, an adaptation that we developed to protect from other rivals, slaves at the time stood no chance. Conflicts of interest unfortunately got the best of that "selfish gene" and as result we are faced with social issues mirroring ones we still see today.
Here is an interesting campaign from the Netherlands that I would like to share with you all. Its very compelling and the ad is quite controversial. It was meant to be offensive and contentious, but the reason being is to capture, confront, and gain the attention of the younger generations to an often neglected subject. I must warn anyone who is going to watch this that it is quite displeasing, so I am sorry if anyone is offended and I would be happy to remove it if you feel uncomfortable. Please keep in mind, this is not a real game, it was an advertisement for a campaign.
What did you think of this? Pretty ballsy, yes? Well here is an interview with one of the researchers behind this campaign. The video is pretty long, but its very interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=iv&src_vid=WCgsXRyYXW0&v=mUW3AJjTp1Q&annotation_id=annotation_495488
What do you guys think of this? Point taken? Why do you think it is that schools suppress the dark ages of history and highlight the more glorious moments? Is it shame? Embarrassment? Guilt? I think that it is important to raise these kinds of issues and moments. Its something we can learn from and try not to repeat. (That's certainly ambitious of me to say.)
Slavery is still very much alive today, especially in the sex industry as the host mentions in the video. Modern slavery, as most refer to it. LOVE 146 is an organization that I have avidly been supporting ever since I found out about it in high school. They are very near and dear to my heart. P.S. - They also have some really informative videos on their website. Their mission statement and their goals for their organization definitely plays into the humanistic perspective of giving individuals the chance of having a better life.
"Abolition and Restoration! We combat child sex slavery & exploitation with the unexpected and restore survivors with excellence."
They advocate for those in Asian countries who have been sold in to the sex trade through families, abductions, and so many other heinous acts. They focus mainly in Thailand, where the concentration of the problem is. Check them out if you have time.
How did they get the name "LOVE146"? (as copied from their website)
In 2002 co-founders Rob Morris, Desirea Rodgers, Lamont Hiebert and Caroline Hahm traveled to South East Asia to witness first hand the atrocity of child sex slavery and the hope of abolition and restoration. While there, Rob and Lamont went undercover with professional investigators into a brothel. In that brothel, they witnessed little girls standing behind a wall of glass, each wore a matching red dress with a number pinned to her chest; they were watching children’s cartoons on small television sets. Men were purchasing these girls by the number pinned to her dress. As Rob and Lamont looked at these children watching cartoons they were struck by the eyes of each child. Their eyes seemed empty, without spark of life, like robots. And then there was #146. The only one not watching cartoons, she was staring back through the glass with fire and fight left in her eyes, there was still life there. In her eyes we found our calling. In her number came our name.
Here are the links to their website and blog:
Wow, what an interesting campaign. It is interesting that people are finding other mediums than textbooks to teach topics such as slavery.I didn't hear the researcher say anything about the effectiveness of the game, such as whether or not this will convey information effectively to children. But I do think it makes for a provocative social experiment. It is certainly something to be addressed though- the people who are writing our textbooks are leaving things out of our history, or, re-writing it, and this leaves a lot of room for skewed information. I think that strategizing a way to share information with children, or others, who may not otherwise be exposed to this topic is worth trying...even if it's not totally kosher.
ReplyDeleteThank you for providing such thought-provoking and interesting links! The video was unnerving, but I agree that it could possibly be a good approach, with age appropriate material. The readings for tomorrow mentioned racism towards Native Americans in America, and focused on the dearth of information taught in schools as well. I can testify to that, because I don't think there was one time that I was taught the cruelties that our country inflicted. If I did, then I obviously don't remember, so perhaps unconventional methods are needed.
ReplyDeleteOur country still supports slavery today. I mentioned in other posts about our larger companies farming out the manufacturing of thier products.In this way they support slavery of a type in other countries where people work for 2 or 3 dollars a day. I am sure that the working conditions or standards are low along with lethal enviromental emmissions. If we allow this are we too supporting this action. Are we buying these produts that are being imported. If we move the problem out of sight can we really deny its exsistance and dismiss any responsibility, also are there age limits in these countries so is the exploitation of children increasing or lowering. So much to address, to few concerened, where do we start.
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