"Do you agree (without endorsing any particular plan of abolition - which is a whole nuther question) that slavery as practiced in the south was intrinsically evil?"
What you run up against with me, and most likely anyone else with a dog in this hunt, is that your question is, in and of itself, biased. Chattel slavery was not practiced exclusively in the south; to reduce the question to such may be politically expedient, but such reductionism has produced going on two generations who honestly believe that chattel slavery was ONLY practiced in the American south, and that southerners in particular and the US in general is intrinsically evil for having participated, with all other history thrown completely out the window. There is no one on this thread saying anything in defense of the practice. But, it did happen, it happened in all of the colonies, and much of the world. You're pinning an intrinsic evil on one geographic locale and the people who resided in that locale, which creates a false impression. And, this false impression is being used, and used, and used again to tear down anything that southerners stand for and have ever stood for... individual rights, freedom of association, private property and on and on. Things that you stand for as well.
So, does this shed any further light on the lengthy, and sometimes strenuous, discussion on the subject?
"Chattel slavery was not practiced exclusively in the south"
My question assumes nothing of the sort. I was merely trying to distinguish from antiquity. Feel free to add whatever other venues where a comparable institution exists. I don't give a shit..
"who honestly believe that chattel slavery was ONLY practiced in the American south"
I don't believe that. Nor is that relevant to the question.
"and that southerners in particular and the US in general is intrinsically evil for having participated, with all other history thrown completely out the window."
I DAMN sure don't believe that. I think your inability to criticize this particular point of US history is the more relevant shortcoming.
"There is no one on this thread saying anything in defense of the practice."
This is flatly wrong. Read a bit more closely.
"You're pinning an intrinsic evil on one geographic locale" No I'm not.
"And, this false impression is being used, and used, and used again to tear down anything that southerners stand for and have ever stood for... individual rights, freedom of association, private property and on and on. Things that you stand for as well."
See my posts about liberalism and the Soviet Union. That is all true.
But you still have to chime in on the fundamental question.
Just as you do on the question of life. Is abortion intrinsically evil or not? If you say, "it depends" then you are, like it or not, a defender of the institution. If you say it is evil, then the next much more difficult and perhaps a question which can't be satisfied in our lifetime is...what are you gonna do about it? Part two is always harder. But unless you are willing to take the first step morally, then you never even get there.
Oh, well, it's been fun...but if I don't stop posting here, I'm going to have to sell myself into chattelslavery because I have to work.
Later all.