Does anyone think that its silly and pointless to be asked to "apologise" for the slave trade?

Question

There has been a lot of press recently about being asked to apologise for the slave trade. I feel that its ridiculous that compensation is sought by African nations. We (Britain) were the first major nation to put a stop to what was a hideous practice. The British navy broke the back of the slave trade by direct military intervention. What really galls is that the slave trade in Africa had existed for thousands of years before Europeans got involved and in fact, African chiefs were the ones responsible for rounding up their fellow Africans and selling them to the slavers.
Maybe I (as a white English man) should sue the Danish for the Viking raids - or take the Italians to the European court for the shocking behaivour of the Romans?

Answer 1

Yes, it is silly and pointless. African nations profited from selling their people into slavery and now they want reparations on top of the money they were paid for them as well as having their debts written off by the World Bank!!! They have a nerve. No wonder most Internet scams come from that part of the world, they know how to screw every last cent out of something.

And what will they do with the money? Feed their people? Nope, they'll start another war (there are currently 24 wars going on in Africa).

Answer 2

I think it's pointless and to be honest quite funny that the African nations should be asking for anything. Didn't they profit enough by selling their own people to the Europeans? If anyone were to get an apology it should be the African Americans and the West Indians. And if anyone should apologise I personally feel it should be the church. If they had
condemned Slavery to begin with instead of profiting from it maybe society would have thought twice hundreds of years before the abolishonists started the anti slavery movement.
An apology would make no difference to anyone's life and not one person alive today deserves compensation for the pain and suffering of long dead ancestors.

I will say though that comparing slavery to viking raids or Roman times is ridiculous. The effects of slavery of africans by europeans are still tangible today, it should not be used as an excuse for people not to try and succeed but it still exists.

Answer 3

Have the Egyptians apologised for the use of slaves to build the Pyramids? All the great ancient monuments were built by forced labour. Have the different religions apologised for burning each other? Have the Americans apologised to the Indians? Have the Mongolians apologised for razing and murdering everything and everyone in their path up to Turkey? Have the English Lords apologised for making a law giving them the right to rape all the brides on the lands they presided over on her wedding night?

History has many horrors. It is pointless apologising centuries later. What really matters is that we learn from them, and improve the way we treat people.

We could I suppose, bring out a book of apologies. It would be a pretty hefty book, and we could use it as a weapon to thump each other for what each other ancestors had done!

Answer 4

I think it's totally ridiculous and pointless. Who exactly is everyone supposed to appologise TO??? And what is the real benefit of an apology? Reparations or compensation are completely inane because there is no possible way to measure the impacts of slavery on anyone alive today. And reparations sure as hell aren't going to fix anything that is happening now. Yes, it sucks that slavery happened, and Americans need to accept that this was a part of the country's history. But otherwise, everyone needs to just let it go and deal with problems that are happening right now.

Answer 5

It's true that African tribes captured, kept and sold slaves from other tribes, and it's true that Arabs, Romans and others were buying or capturing black slaves long before the British.

It's also true that Britain was primarily responsible for ending the slave trade.

However I don't think it's out of place to make an apology. We would not be aplogising for our own actions, but for those of our ancestors who profited from this trade. I'm from Bristol, which like Liverpool was built on the slave trade.

As a Christian I took part in a prayer meeting some years ago where we prayed for the city of Bristol to be freed from its guilt before God concerning this history, and I think that was appropriate.

Answer 6

We do not need to apologise for slavary. Slavary still exists today, and it is alive and well in some parts of Africa (Sudan etc.). Slavary was practiced by most cultures and races throughout human history. The thing to do is to look at the world right now and make it a better place. There is nothing to be gained from banging on about the past and trying to extort money out of the US or the UK.

Answer 7

I totally agree, perhaps the British navy should send the Africans a bill for the cost of military intervention and the Welsh and Scottish should sue for Edward long shank's invasions etc

Answer 8

Yes I think it is pretty ridiculous, and i'll say the same thing to a similar question that was asked before -- our generation is not responsible! Doesn't anyone understand that today's people had nothing to do with what happened to the African Americans such a LONG TIME AGO!!!

Answer 9

If every nation,every society, every people who've done terrible injustices were to apologize it would stretch into infinity.

My Irish ancestors were poor dirt farmers who fought for the Confederacy. My paternal maternal great great grandmother singlehandedly integrated The First Baptist Church of San Saba Texas--about the meanest, and most dangerous town of its time.

I have no guilt about the former, and no pride in the latter. I must judge myself by my own deeds.

Answer 10

No we should not apologise for all the reason you have mentioned... but i watch the news everyday, listen to the radio etc and i have seen nothing about this slave trade... did you make it up just to ask a question?