Where is the apology for slavery? (Derrick Z. Wants an Apology From the Crackers)

Boston Globe ^ | 7-11-03 | Derrick Z. Jackson

[Lance Romance]

HERE IS a simple reason American presidents will not apologize for slavery. An apology for the past means asking white Americans to take responsibility for the present. One hundred and forty years after the Emancipation Proclamation, that remains a task too heavy for presidents to perform. The truth remains too terrible for Americans to bear.

[AppyPappy]

Then those who want to, may leave.

Except they are all dead now.

[chance33_98]

[BOOTSTICK]

Blacks in America today should fall on their knees and thank God their anceastors came here in chains, for this is the land of milk and honey. By the way my anceastors ran a slave trading company in barbados circa 1650's..don't like it? TOUGH.

[A_perfect_lady]

I actually sat in an American Lit class and listened to a white male professor try to make the case that slavery in Africa was "different" and "not as bad" and really just more of a kind indentured but really part of the family sort of socially secure position that we as white people have no right to criticize or comment upon. I doubt it's much of a surprise to any Freeper to know that this is the official line of the white liberal establishment.

[Gothmog]

Here's an even better reply, posted by Valin. Excellent read and just the thing to answer nonsense like Jackson's. I will email him the original link and article. Thanks Valin, and thanks to Washington Post reporter Keith Richburg who wrote this excellent essay.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/942943/posts

[VOA]

An apology for the past means asking white Americans to take responsibility for the present.

So, does he want an apology from the white residents of Milwaukee, WI
for making their city the most racially-segregated city in the USA?
(as reported a few months ago in The Los Angeles Times)

Or from rich developers of gated communities (some of them Democratic contributors)
for building housing developments that (let's face it) are built to keep
"undesirable elements" out?

I doubt he'd ask for that sort of apology.
It would reveal that maybe more Democrats are real, unrepentent racists
than Republicans.
No matter their "value diversity" rhetoric.

[floriduh voter]

My great grandfather on my mom's side came from Sweden, was a sailor in the Pacific Northwest starting at age 13, left the high seas at about twenty years of age and then became a farmhand by the Sacramento River. He went back to Sweden where he met my future GGM. They moved to the Dakotas where he homesteaded and raised his own children to be his farmhands.

My grandmother went to Swedish school along with her brothers. Her brothers inherited all the property which was the entire eastern half of South Dakota. Grandmother married a democrat from eastern South Dakota whose family was robbed of their plow horses by Jesse James's gang. To be honest, my grandpa's great grandmother WAS PLOWING THE FIELDS herself when Jesse James rode up and left her standing there with the rig and no horses.

On my dad's side of the family, they came from Germany. My grandfather was a chef on ocean liners as a young apprentice chef, worked his way up to head chef and later opened a mom & pop store in NYC wherein the family lived above it. If people who know their family history object to reparations and have proof they had nothing to do with slavery, I can see litigation as far as the eye can see involving trial lawyers, the IRS and it would deeply divide the country.

My Swedish ancestors were robbed by Jesse James. Let not their memory be robbed by Jesse Jackson too.

[PatrioticAmerican]

Jeez, not another liberal crying in his beer.

[PatrioticAmerican]

If the Civil War was about slavery, then there obviously was someone fighing to end it: White guys. So, this idiot should be thanking the white guys who fought and died to create his freedom.

[elchilo]

interesting

[pupdog]

We Won't Pay!

And yes, I'm behind on my duties, and need to add Bush's speech to the "Latest News" section.

[honeygrl]

"It would officially recognize that European-Americans, whether they come from a long line of American citizens or whether their parents came over dirt poor from Europe in the 20th century, continue to benefit from a white privilege that allowed them to move up the ladder into the suburbs."

I hate to tell the guy this but I'm a very very white girl and no further up the ladder than any of my black neighbors. Of course, I'm just across the street from ghettoland and our apartments are borderline ghetto. According to the sign out front, we live in the cripts(sp?) territory. (for those who don't know much about gangs, the cripts are always fighting with the bloods, which is a rival gang, and it occationally involves shootings.) So where are my white priviledges? I need them. Most of the black guys in my neighborhood even have nicer cars than ours. BTW, Why are we called crackers? Weren't the people that were called crackers back in slave days the ones who were too poor to own slaves?

[honeygrl]

"I wonder how he feels about slavery in Africa today?Africans enslaving Africans?"

I think if he truly cared, he'd go on over to Africa to fight for their rights. Maybe someone that is a little more well spoken than I am can email that to him as a suggestion.

[honeygrl]

"When are they going to apologise for RAP music??? "

ROFL my hubby is waiting on that apology as well.

[honeygrl]

"The reason whe chose Africans for slaves was because they were used to it."

My history class (yeah it was a government school but my U.S. History teacher was decent and a conservative) taught that the main reason African's were used as slaves was because they were better at doing the work in the heat we have down south.

[AppyPappy]

South Americans have heat as did islanders. But they didn't understand slavery. Africans, however, knew slavery as an institution. Greedy men sought to exploit that.

[honeygrl]

"But first I want an apology from EVE for the apple gig. "

Well, this guy would probably want all women today to apologize for what Eve did. I think we've suffered enough for the sins of Eve though with the whole childbearing being painful deal.

[PallMal]

I sure agree with you on this one. You never hear them (people like him and African-Americans) acknowledge that it was THEIR own ancestors who sold them into slavery.

And it was the slave selling AFRICANS who raised bloody hell when the British outlawed the exportation of slaves in the early 19th century. You never hear that part of history taught, but it's true.

Does anyone think that the Africans who were not slaves were "outraged" that other Africans were sold to Arabs and Europeans? HELL NO! These Africans, for the most part, didn't give a damn about slavery or the slaves themselves. So one has to wonder why these African countries have not apologized for slavery, and have not apologized for advocating the continuation of slavery, even after the slave trade was abolished.

[honeygrl]

"I think you ought to email him! "

I emailed him. I pointed out this thread to him and told him he should read the responses and think about them. I also said that if he was brave enough he could sign up for an account and defend his views. That would be entertaining. He would probably get ZOTted for racist comments but the show would be fun to watch.

[MEG33]

Oh my gosh!That's a great idea!