Exactly...and again...even if they did...no big whup.

Thanks. And, as someone who does not live it everyday, I appreciate your perspective.

Originally Posted by PM_Mama00
What does it matter if these ancestors are probably dead anyways? Seriously? I may have had family in the mafia way way back. Does that affect me today? No. So why does it matter if McCain acknowledges or if it was confirmed that Obama's mother's family owned slaves?

Sen. McCain's silence on this and his lack of participation in the McCain family reunion, if correct, is quizzical, since his brother and many of his cousins have joined in the essentially reconciliatory event. The question is this:why would Sen. McCain want to distance himself from this positive event? What political calculus is behind this? Would he offend a part of his "base"--a base that would look negatively on Black/ White reconciliation and the acknowledgement of the sordid history of our nation? This is not about what happened in the the past but about what he is doing now!

I don't know. Ask CrackerBarrel.

I get why...certain people in this country...believe that slavery is a matter of history. It's difficult to understand the issue when one has no concept of reality. Slavery was (and is) a symptom of a systemic oppressing and denigrating social structure that continues today. Slavery in and of itself is not the core problem.

What were some of the other symptoms circa 1665?

I truly believe this is one area where causation and correlation are basically completely irrelevant, with the one caveat that the term "slavery" causes some measure of irrationality in discussion, clouding the core issue.

In that way, I can see the desire to focus on systemic oppression, but there's really no reason to do anything to minimize the effects of slavery, since many of the tangible bases of oppression (wealth distribution; access to education; role in higher-order decision making) can basically be tied directly to slavery and its after-effects.

I guess, in short: I can see what you're trying to do, but I don't think it's the right way to direct the conversation if you're truly trying to "get through" to people who don't understand.

The demonization of Native Americans. These issues were borrowed from Europe and spread with the "civilization" of the planet by whites. The racialization of Jews rose in the late 1500s due to European colonization. White supremacy is concomitant with the rise of the European nation-state. That ideology is a justification for colonialism and dehumanization. Religion played a large part as well.

ETA: You and I probably differ on our interpretation of historical events. My personal experiences impact the way I view history as, I'm sure, yours do as well. This post might be the beginning of a nasty GC argument, so I'm going to tread carefully.

**sitting back watching**

Somebody pass the popcorn

You're a trouble maker. :D

So I have been told...but hey....I was trying to leave this line of convo alone....the most I can do now is sit back and watch!

heh!

:)

Uh Oh. I don't have a good feeling about this. I hope I'm wrong.

Here's the popcorn.

Pass the hot wings and celery.