America Founded in 1619

[AM64]

I can play that game too. The guy who shot his home invader looks like a murderer, if you ignore John Gacy.

Neither is an honest conversation unless you have both. It's not like we have to make up the history on other countries, it's out there just as much as ours is. Unless you literally believe Americans should only learn about American history.

In fact that's one of the most compelling reasons to label Americans so bad in the slave business as we kept it going longer than our European cousins.

Not by much. The Brits and French were still at it in the Caribbean until the 1840s. Since they still needed slaves, they switched to "indentured servants" throughout the 1800s.

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

I'm not overly bothered by the concept, nor do I think it's fundamentally incorrect to say that American was built upon the backs of slaves.

However, I'd argue that a similar statement would be true for pretty much every developed nation on Earth. Some were built on the backs of the same African slaves that built America, but all were built on the subjugation of one or more oppressed peoples who had no realistic opportunity to improve their plight.

I don't know if the point of this concept is to reach the conclusion that America is awful because America as we know it came about because of the horrors of slavery. If that is the point, then every nation sucks. The greater point, in my mind, is that mankind is awful to mankind and always has been. It's not an American thing more than it is any other nation, group, race, or people.

Americans seem to be the only ones that take it personally. In fact, you can't say anything bad about America in most people's mind.

 

[Rasputin_Vol]

At what point do we, as a nation, forgive ourselves of our past? Legalized slavery ended a long time ago. No one alive today was around when it was legal. So when do we finally let it rest as something that happened in the past that we cannot change? Why should anyone alive today feel guilt over something they didn't participate in. It's ridiculous how much emphasis we still put on it after all this time.

That would be fine and dandy, except that when the slaves were freed, they were given nothing. So 200 years of wealth that they had generated was essentially removed from them. Then in the 100 years between Reconstruction and The Civil Rights era of the 1960's you had blacks that were being prosperous, but that were still limited in how far they could go with their wealth building or outright had their property taken from them through such things as eminent domain (my great grandmother's home taken down when I-24 was constructed) or in hospitable living conditions/attacks on their homes.

I'm not saying black people don't have our own issues, because we do. There is more than enough blame to go around for how we have handled ourselves in the last 50 years since the Civil Rights era. But lets not downplay the importance of property ownership and how that plays a role in generational wealth creation.

 

[Weezer]

That would be fine and dandy, except that when the slaves were freed, they were given nothing. So 200 years of wealth that they had generated was essentially removed from them. Then in the 100 years between Reconstruction and The Civil Rights era of the 1960's you had blacks that were being prosperous, but that were still limited in how far they could go with their wealth building or outright had their property taken from them through such things as eminent domain (my great grandmother's home taken down when I-24 was constructed) or in hospitable living conditions/attacks on their homes.

I'm not saying black people don't have our own issues, because we do. There is more than enough blame to go around for how we have handled ourselves in the last 50 years since the Civil Rights era. But lets not downplay the importance of property ownership and how that plays a role in generational wealth creation.

And that sucks. It really does. But it's still the past. We can't undo what has already happened. All we can do is move forward. That means moving on, and it's impossible to move on if all we continue to do is harp on the past. No one benefits from that.

 

[bamawriter]

Americans seem to be the only ones that take it personally. In fact, you can't say anything bad about America in most people's mind.

I think you'd find similar sentiments in many nations. We don't have a market on jingoism.

 

[FLVOL_79]

So the city planners are idjits?

Yep

 

[Weezer]

Americans seem to be the only ones that take it personally. In fact, you can't say anything bad about America in most people's mind.

But in America, you can in fact say bad things about America. That's not true in every country.


Russia, for example, does not take kindly to their citizens bad-mouthing the state.

 

[RavinDave]

I grew up in South Dakota..they never taught civil war. Trail of tears? Yep.

South Dakota eh? That one is still on my Bucket List. That one and Idaho. I been in all the other 48 states (or is it 55?) at least onc'd...

 

[Orangeburst]

Yep

They rewarded you with a nice new meandering one way 2 laner toll. I unwittingly hit that mother several months ago with no pass. Never did get a ticket though.

 

[RavinDave]

That's gonna be hard to fix. We could go all concrete, but then we'd have to do something about the black expansion joints. Several SEC states would probably object to orange and white on their roadways. And then there's the tire problem - black tires rubbing off on the concrete - and worse, running on the backs of black tires.

This is exactly why I switched out the black tires for non-marking tires on my forklift. White guilt and don't want to be called Racist... by my catalysts.

 

[NurseGoodVol]

And that sucks. It really does. But it's still the past. We can't undo what has already happened. All we can do is move forward. That means moving on, and it's impossible to move on if all we continue to do is harp on the past. No one benefits from that.

Well said guru.

 

[RavinDave]

And that sucks. It really does. But it's still the past. We can't undo what has already happened. All we can do is move forward. That means moving on, and it's impossible to move on if all we continue to do is harp on the past. No one benefits from that.

It's one of the ways the Progressive movement has of self-flagellating and I see no end to it.

 

[tennvols77]

I disagree. We do ignore the contributions of slaves. Who was responsible for filling northern textile mills with cotton? Banks across the country received tremendous amounts of cash from wealthy southern land owners and northern manufacturing owners. In fact, up until the civil war a rather large percentage of the world's cotton was owed to slavery. Around the time of the civil war, more than 80% of the US exports were agrarian in nature. To say that slavery is a footnote is greatly underestimating its importance.

I understand, don't know what education other's got, but, slavery was taught, and not just in history, but, literature and civics and geography.

This is the problem, it is nothing more than a footnote now, this is not downplaying anything, it is simply the fact. All of history, no matter the significance or lack there of, is all just footnotes in history. Learn and read about it, talk about it, just as any other thing in history. Stop focusing on it as the end all be all of history.

It happened, it continued for a millennia, all over the world. All types of people, not just African's and not just in America. Hell, it is still a part of today's world, where is all of the outrage and why is it not focused on the places where it still exists?

It is used as political fodder and that it is never discussed as disingenuous and agenda driven is the real tragedy today.

 

[FLVOL_79]

That would be fine and dandy, except that when the slaves were freed, they were given nothing. So 200 years of wealth that they had generated was essentially removed from them. Then in the 100 years between Reconstruction and The Civil Rights era of the 1960's you had blacks that were being prosperous, but that were still limited in how far they could go with their wealth building or outright had their property taken from them through such things as eminent domain (my great grandmother's home taken down when I-24 was constructed) or in hospitable living conditions/attacks on their homes.

I'm not saying black people don't have our own issues, because we do. There is more than enough blame to go around for how we have handled ourselves in the last 50 years since the Civil Rights era. But lets not downplay the importance of property ownership and how that plays a role in generational wealth creation.

Slaves got free housing, health care, and food...




Blue font

 

[FLVOL_79]

They rewarded you with a nice new meandering one way 2 laner toll. I unwittingly hit that mother several months ago with no pass. Never did get a ticket though.

The first time I used that tollway I was psyched..gonna skip all the traffic weight through Atlanta....and then it dumped me out 10 miles before the airport...

 

[LouderVol]

Wrong. The guy shooting the invader did nothing wrong. Unless you're arguing that the US was innocent in slavery, of course.

Depends. Did he shoot him in the back as he was leaving, or after he surrendered? Unless you know the full story it's difficult to know the truth of the matter. Which is why you cant love out important factors which should weigh on the matter

 

[LouderVol]

They rewarded you with a nice new meandering one way 2 laner toll. I unwittingly hit that mother several months ago with no pass. Never did get a ticket though.

If you are talking about the new one in Atlanta there is no way to unwittingly hit it. There are signs for miles and right at the entrances. And you have to merge off of 75 to get on to it. And the exit is on the left not the right like any real exit.

 

[Orangeburst]

If you are talking about the new one in Atlanta there is no way to unwittingly hit it. There are signs for miles and right at the entrances. And you have to merge off of 75 to get on to it. And the exit is on the left not the right like any real exit.

Not sure why you are questioning me. You made incorrect assumptions.
I was never on 75. I got on unwittingly down near Marietta on Hwy 41 coming back north at night and yes I did make the left turn with southbound 75 traffic on right and did not realize it until I was in middle of turn and cars behind me.

 

[Orangeburst]

nm

 

[Zues1]

America Founded in 1619. Sure it was. And I was born ten years earlier than my birth records indicate because my mother and father married ten years before my birth.

 

[evillawyer]

But racism is dead

 

[DancingOutlaw]

But racism is dead

Wasn’t Kamala Harris dishing out a big heaping helping of this racist system as a prosecutor?

 

[C-south]

But racism is dead

Or maybe there’s a lot of black criminals with longer rap sheets.

 

[Weezer]

But racism is dead

Who said racism is dead? It's just not as prevalent as the left makes it out to be with their fear-mongering. People find stupid reasons to hate, and I doubt that will ever end completely.

Also, given her years claiming to be someone she's not, Native American, Liz would be better off leaving the race argument alone.

 

[AM64]

But racism is dead

Wow. Pocahontas insanely rides again. That one is way out on the fringes ... even for her. I guess we can just admit affirmative action is a farce and scrap it and other social engineering ... the die was cast, and the bell apparently can't be un-rung. And your clan thinks Trump is a lunatic.