Instead of an apology, what about a thank you?

Question

Yep. Its about this 200 year thing of freeing the slaves.

But, as far as I can see, slavery was around since the Egyptians, 7 millennia ago. It was still around during every empire the world has ever seen.

Then the Brits made an empire, profited – like every other empire and nearly all countries – through slavery.

The only difference was that the British middle class became wealthy and politically vocal and chose to abolish slavery throughout the empire and to pressure its trading partners to do the same.

They were the first people to do it…..ever!

Is this celebration more of a thank you to the British middle class rather than a sorry for 10,000 years of a legal and legitimate trade?

Dear Bulb
No need to thank me, thank your ancestral kinsmen.
You could be living in a mud hut in Rwanda right now.
But I’d like to add that the British Government didn’t buy or sell you ancestors. That was left up to privet companies and businessmen.

Aid?
What aid?
We give them the same amount of money in aid as we receive in selling arms!

Answer 1

You have made an interesting point of view and it gives food for thought it certainly throws a different light on things

Answer 2

All the nations that profited from slavery SHOULD apologise. 20 million or more slaves were taken forcibly from there homelands and were tortured and raped and persecuted, millions died it was a crime against humanity in which many countries made a profit.

Slavery shouldn't be forgotten it was a dreadful chapter in our worlds history yet people want to trivialise it and sweep under the carpet like nothing happened.

Western countries would not have to be giving aid to African nations if they hadn't colonised and enslaved their people and stole treasures and natural resources. We will never know what the world would have been like if slavery hadn't occurred, no apology can make up for the suffering of slaves and their descendants. Yet even though slavery ended 200 years ago, black people have still been treated as second class citizens due to racism but an apology would show that times have changed and crimes against humanity like this will never be condoned, and will never be forgotten and then maybe we can all move forward...

Answer 3

I agree in part. The british were the first major power to abolish slavery, and actually employed the army and navy in stopping arabs, other black africans, The USA and Europeans practicing the trade. If we ask Britain to apologise for slavery, we may as well make Italy apologise for Roman enslavement of Britons 2000 years ago. History should be judged by the standards of its time "The past is like a different country, they do things differently there". The Sumerians were the first civilisation, inventing writing about 3400BC, slavery and subjugation have existed ever since.

Answer 4

I guess, like all bad ideas, slavery must've been a brilliant idea back then. Business as usual and the everyday norm.
But we realised it was wrong (200 years ago!) and I think we should all move on, I feel sorry for all the people effected by it, but there's nothing I can do about it now and my ancestors are all dead.

Answer 5

Let not also forget that an entire English village was captured by African slavers and taken away prior to any English slave trade, are African Governments going to apologise for that? African Nations already practised slavery before the English or before them the Arabs started slaving. Finally, I have never enslaved anyone, nothing for me to apologise for and therefore nothing for the government, since they just the representatives of myself and other UK citizens, including UK citizens of African descent. The argument that because by some chance of birth I am guilty for the sins of previous generations is false

Answer 6

You must remember some people take pride in being a victim, surely they have other things to be proud of?
I really don't know how someone, anyone can carry around a grudge for something that did not happen to them or their parents- how a person can become a victim of something 200 years after the fact?
There is great logic in your words- thanks for sharing them.

Answer 7

Interesting take on the whole thing.
I think the thank you should go to the slaves' original nations too though; it wouldn't make things any more right than an apology, but would have the grace of acknowledging that a lot of the UK's wealth and success was based on the blood, sweat and tears of those enslaved.

Thanks for the thought-provoker...

Answer 8

A good question, but nonetheless I can't agree.

Are you seriously saying that the British have abolished slavery everywhere? Look around you, it's still happening? People are still being enslaved, tortured, raped, abused, mistreated all over the world.

why should we thank you, what have you done?

If I was hitting someone and stopped, should I expect thanks for stopping?

Answer 9

i think everyone should just drop it. give me a break slavery was in the past i had nothing to do with it as well as nobody that is anbody now adays had anything to do about it.
you dont see the japanese cussing us out for dropping a bomb on em. they took it with a grain of salt and moved on like everyone else should do about slavery.

Answer 10

Yes, thank you for providing my family with a Scottish name, when they originated in Africa and had a perfectly good name of their own, it was so nice of the British government to make it virtually impossible for me to research my family tree due to that constant resale of slave stock which resulted in my ancestors being taken from their families and relocated time and time again. THANK YOU SO MUCH, It was so rude of me to not have thanked you earlier (Yees Massah!)