Slavery no big deal.?

Question

From the Book “Encyclopedia of World Slavery” by Macmillan
While the customs of slavery in the Americas usually put “black” Africans and their descendants at the beck and call of European or
European-descended “whites”, at most places and times race has not been central among the distinctions observed between masters and
slaves. Most slaves in the ancient Mediterranean came from other cultures, culture that the Greeks and Romans viewed as “barbarian”.
But there were Greek slaves in Greece and Italian slaves in Rome. Africans regarded themselves as members of many distinct groups,
and those who were Muslims regarded those who were not as kaffirs-unbelievers-and thus enslavable.
The Aztec in Mexico enslaved the neighboring meso-American populations they conquered in the fifteenth century. In Slavery and
Social Death Orlando Patterson the leading sociologist of slavery, wrote, “There is nothing notably peculiar about the institution of
slavery.

Answer 1

Slavery continues to exist in Africa to this very day...
Slavery has been around for a VERY long time..
My British ancestors were probably slaves of the Romans..
I want reparations from Italy...

Answer 2

Its true I'm a black and some of my ancestors were sold into slavery in America. Thats what brought about Black Americans. They are Africans. I wish this would never happen again.
Stephanie from Ghana, my email is [e-mail].

Answer 3

I think you are misunderstanding the meaning of "peculiar"

Merriam Webster Dictionary's first definition
-------------------------------------------
Main Entry: 1pe·cu·liar
Pronunciation: pi-'kyül-y&r
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English peculier, from Latin peculiaris of private property, special, from peculium private property, from pecu cattle; akin to Latin pecus cattle -- more at FEE
1 : characteristic of only one person, group, or thing : DISTINCTIVE
----------------------------------------------
the first definition of peculiar is distinctive, unique, unusual

the paragraph above relates that throughout the history of the earth slavery of various kinds has been common, not peculiar

the paragraph does not claim that slavery is "no big deal"

it doesn't claim it is anything less than horrible

just that it has been common

like war
commonplace, yet horrible