Why are people who had nothing to do with slavery apologizing for it?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070225/ap_on_re_us/slavery_apology

http://www.therealamericantruth.com

Answer 1

Here's an even better question for you... why are people who were never slaves asking for an apology from people who were never slave owners?

I think that something that is being lost here is that it was not only blacks who were slaves in the southern states, and not only whites who were slave owners. Truth is there were slaves of all races. White, black, "native american", oriental races... every race. There were a great many black slave owners here in the south, as well. Let's face it, revisionist historians have made things out like all whites were slave owners, and all blacks were slaves. Not so. I am a white guy, and have ancestors that were on both sides of that coin, both slave and slave owner. My grandmother's family owned a huge plantation that is now a listed town in South Carolina just miles from Charleston. They owned slaves and indentured servants of all races. Their slaves weren't mistreated, either. Slaves were expensive property. They cost a bundle. Think about it... would you play football with a ming vase? Of course not. If you broke it, the value would be lost completely. There was also the value of the lost work that would have been missed if the slave was battered like you saw in the miniseries "Roots". Now there was a crock if ever there was one. Like I said, revisionist history. Some of my grandfathers direct ancestry were slaves in another area of South Carolina. Some of them kept logs and records of their lives and never mentioned being beaten or starved. You can find some of these things on display at the civil war museum in Charleston.

Point is... Many are asking for forgiveness for something they have no direct knowledge of, are misinformed about, with a modern view that has been skewed by media and other sources, from people that had nothing to do with the whole process. Why they do it, noone can say, but it is high time it ended. You are born into this life with what you have and with who you are. You have only what is inside yourself when all the titles and trappings of this society we live in are stripped away. Life is not meant to be easy. It never was. People should get over themselves and just focus on living their lives for what those lives are. Anything else is waste.

Hope this helps...

Answer 2

I wonder that myself. I love black people, but I don't like it when they make color a big issue, especially since it isn't to me.
But I do wonder sometimes if some of them don't realize that they may actually be beneficiaries of their ancestor's suffering. After all, when I think of the Africans in Africa today, I think of the starving children, the political unrest, and all that is going on over there. Those who are here don't have to worry about starvation or being gunned down by a coup or any of the above (most don't at any rate---those in really bad neighborhoods might, but they still have walls between them and the gunners). Frankly, those who live here today have much better lives than if they lived there. But that never seems to come up in conversations because there's so much focus on the wrongs of the past.

Answer 3

Well honestly i think its because there are allot of black people who feel the are owed something for what happened 200 years ago. I could see if they themselves were slaves, but they weren't. I think we apology enough don't you? I mean who else gets a whole month to celebrate? I think its funny when they puts themselves in the same area as the Jews in WW2. Yeah i see the difference a couple thousand slaved compared to 5 million killed?? I think if we hold on to the past too long, then they will never be able to progress. For those who still blame "THE MAN" for everything, well get over it. The only person you have to blame for not doing anything good with your life is you! I myself wont apologize for something i and my ancestors had nothing to do with. If you really want to blame someone for slavery, well look in your history books.. The one whom should say they are sorry are SPAIN and the tribal chiefs in Africa.. If you don't believe me then look for yourself

Answer 4

it really is a sad question and it really is time to get over this slavery subject. i'm an African American that has been deployed in help of Operation Iraqi Freedom. To imagine that individuals at present ought to ask for forgiveness for slavery that became 2 hundred years in the past is almost insane. i'm positive that our white opposite numbers get it and comprehend that slavery became definitaly a criminal offense and became unfair to the African American community. As an African American male I do trust that slavery nevertheless has a means on the African American communtiy at present. notwithstanding, if i became white i'd say an similar element. i'd not ask for forgiveness for some thing I had no longer some thing to do with. you're American have you ever apologized to the Indians who land we took. you're American have you ever apologized to the Japanesse individuals that we as individuals compelled into concentration camps throughout WWII, African individuals were no longer even slaves then. The bottomline america apologized as a carry to the African American community. america regulations and ideas allowed slavery, no longer one individual and absolutely no longer one individual alive at present. So, america ought to and they have apologized for it and as African individuals we favor to pass on. As a member of the US military I see human beings whose lives are alot worse than mine and that i'm grateful that america have given me possibilities that i don't have if i turned right into a citizen of different countries. so a recommendations as your remark with regard to the progressive warfare that makes little or no experience to me. until eventually, you pass and stay overseas and observe how different actually everyone looks residing you likely will not at all savour your luxuries interior the US. The citizen's interior the US that are on welfare stay extra appropriate that many human beings in different parts of the international.

Answer 5

When is this endless African-American foot-licking going to stop? Don't lawmakers have anything more pressing to do than to pass legislation about what happened 400 years ago? Is this kind of make-work foolishness that they were elected to do? Man! What a waste of time!

Hey blacks! You were slaves way back when. Deal with it. Not all slaves were tied to the whipping post every night and beaten to a bloody pulp by duh massa. Look where you are now. Driving Escalades around while firing Glocks out the window, collecting welfare checks and food stamps, living large dealing drugs and living in modern houses with air conditioning while your brothers in Mother Africa are starving in mud huts. Tell me again how bad slavery was you damn ingrates!

Answer 6

Sometimes all it takes is a simple "were sorry for the mistakes of our ancestors." Believe it are not black folks do discuss with their children about what happened to our ancestors and even though it may not have happened to us, that's still family. Whites would rather act like their slaves were part of the family and were never beaten, raped or breed like cattle.

One of my ancestors, he just happened to be 6'10", so master thought it would be a good idea to have him randomly impregnate several female slave in the hopes of having more male slaves his size. Master even allowed his buddies from other plantations to borrow him for such purposes, but for a small fee of course. But were suppose to get over, knowing that I have other relatives in this country that I know nothing about.

And they never even apologized. All we ask is for whites to acknowledge it not deny it and come up with excuses for it and apologize on their behalf, because you guys are clearly benefiting from slavery.

Answer 7

"The resolution does not carry the weight of law but sends an important symbolic message"

"This session will be remembered for a lot of things, but 20 years hence I suspect one of those things will be the fact that we came together and passed this resolution"

pretty much explains itself

Answer 8

BECAUSE I MEAN NO ONE CAN LET IT GO AND I MEAN NO ONE I DON'T EVEN BRING IT UP BECAUSE I WASN'T THERE I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE BRING IT UP IN THIS GENERATION EVEN THOUGH IT WAS HORRIBLE WHAT WHITES DID TO BLACKS I DON'T LIVE IN THE PAST AND YOU ASKING THE QUESTION BRINGS THE ISSUE UP AGAIN FOR NO REASON WHAT SO EVER IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT WHY DO YOU CARE....

Answer 9

They feel that in some way, they had to do with it. Of course they didn't. They're ANCESTORS are the ones that killed MYancestors.

Answer 10

Yes, I think it's purely political.