Thing is, just as living on the government dole is not the same lifestyle in every case, being a slave meant different things to different slaves and slave owners.
Some slave owners took a biblical aspect and treated their slaves “almost” like part of the family. They saw them as “employees” for whom they were responsible.
Seriously.
Now, you and I value freedom greatly, but we have also exploited it greatly. There are no small number of people who would give it up for comfort. And there are a LOT of them in our nation.
And what of all the black men in prison?
i.e. this issue is not as black and white as it appears, no pun intended.
“...There are no small number of people who would give it up for comfort...”
True that... sadly.
Slaves were actually rather expensive, and well taken care of--->in most cases<---, so one can say that in those circumstances, "they" were better off than the current situation described by Bundy regards those sitting at the porch with nothing to do.
However,
That is not the image portrayed, and driven into the public domain, of what slavery was like.
When one refers to slavery in a public forum, one must be aware of the distinction, and the general meaning of the word as it is currently accepted, regardless of what the actual conditions were 200 years ago.
One thing that may come out of this, if played right, is more dialogue on federal slavery, as it exists today.