Slavery

Slavery is by far one of the most shameful institutions in human history. The fact that there was a time (and in some places still is today) when the idea that someone can own another human being was something that society didn't seem to have a problem with is incredibly disappointing and disheartening. What's even more shocking, is hearing someone say that we should go back to those times, such as is heard from a few people on the fringe of society. Slavery was one of the worst moral abominations in human history, and the fact that there were so many people that viciously defended it makes me sick to my stomach to think about. I'm not going to lie and say that I don't understand the reasoning behind slavery. Free labor is free labor, and I know that many people got filthy rich off of the institution. That, in a way, is even more sickening. To think that someone would convince themselves that such a morally abhorrent practice was simply fine, makes me lose a lot of faith in humanity. When you really think about it, the days of chattel slavery weren't that long ago on the larger timeline of history. Less than a couple hundred years ago, it was a bustling business that millions around the world participated in. I don't understand how so many people could justify this institution for so long. People would often use bible verses to justify the practice of slavery, and that perversion of scripture is a fantastical moral tragedy. Yes there were many people who fought tooth and nail to bring an end to slavery is the silver lining, but it's just that, a lining. Even to this day we see the horrible results of slavery. When the slaves were freed, the vast majority of them were given nothing that would allow them to bring themselves out of poverty. The chains of slavery were taken off, but the chains of societal oppression were fastened even tighter and remained so for generations. It's because of those injustices that many African Americans today remain in poverty, along with the horrifying racism that they still endure every day. It's disgusting to hear people say that black people should just "get over it". Their ancestors were exploited, dehumanized, and bought and sold as property. How are they supposed to just get over that? It's so damn easy to say things like that when you aren't the one whose been wronged. It's easy to say that other people should pull themselves up by the boot straps when you've had the resources necessary to do so. It's easy to avert your eyes from the injustices done to others and act like nothing wrong has ever occurred. What's not easy is to actually take apart the past, analyze it, and do what is necessary to make things right. What does that mean? Honestly I'm not sure. I've heard many people say that monetary reparations for slavery is the way to go, but money wouldn't undo the pain and suffering that the African American ethnic group went through as a whole. I think the very least we can do is go out of our way to teach our children about the injustices and wrongs of the past, so that they can learn from them how to build a better future. Again, that's the VERY least we can do.