“Have we ever stopped to consider where we black people, especially those of us in the West, would be right now if it weren’t for the Atlantic Slave Trade?… While it is true that black Africa has, for the most part, squandered the opportunities that slavery offered in the past, the positive influence of European civilisation cannot be denied.” – Writer Michael Dingwall in an essay entitled “Slavery was good for the black man.” [Jamaica Observer via SH]
(Bad) Words…
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Darth Paul
I’m sure Churchill-y will wet her panties reading this.
tallskin
My god this writer is fucking brave!
Now stand back and wait for the flack, sorry shit, to hit the fan !!!
REBELComx
The only comment i could possibly make on this would be one long quote from Monty Python’s The Life of Brian…so here it is –
Reg: They’ve bled us white, the bastards. They’ve taken everything we had, and not just from us, from our fathers, and from our fathers’ fathers.
Loretta: And from our fathers’ fathers’ fathers.
Reg: Yeah.
Loretta: And from our fathers’ fathers’ fathers’ fathers.
Reg: Yeah. All right, Stan. Don’t labour the point. And what have they ever given us in return?!
Xerxes: The aqueduct?
Reg: What?
Xerxes: The aqueduct.
Reg: Oh. Yeah, yeah. They did give us that. Uh, that’s true. Yeah.
Commando 3: And sanitation.
Loretta: Oh, yeah, the sanitation, Reg. Remember what the city used to be like.
Reg: Yeah. All right. I’ll grant you the aqueduct and the sanitation are two things that the Romans have done.
Matthias: And the roads!
Reg: Well, yeah. Obviously the roads. I mean, the roads go without saying, don’t they? But apart from the sanitation, the aqueduct, and the roads–
Commando: Irrigation.
Xerxes: Medicine.
Commandos: Huh? Heh? Huh…
Commando 2: Education.
Commandos: Ohh…
Reg: Yeah, yeah. All right. Fair enough.
Commando 1: And the wine.
Commandos: Oh, yes. Yeah…
Francis: Yeah. Yeah, that’s something we’d really miss, Reg, if the Romans left. Huh.
Commando: Public baths.
Loretta: And it’s safe to walk in the streets at night now, Reg.
Francis: Yeah, they certainly know how to keep order. Let’s face it. They’re the only ones who could in a place like this!
Commandos: Hehh, heh. Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh.
Reg: But apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh-water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?
Xerxes: Brought peace?
Reg: Oh, pea– Shut up!
Sean S.
The hilarious thing about this, of course, is that the supposed “enlightened” Europeans not only enslaved other people, but also enslaved their own kind. Its no surprise that as countries became more democratic (what the writer proclaims to be the supposed “legacy” of European culture), they continually abandoned slavery and their empires. As France swung between emperors and the republic in the 1800’s, so too did its imperial ambitions.
The problem with most people when they use overly broad categories such as “European civilization” and “African culture” is that these statements do not accurately surmise the contradictory forces at play inside many of these countries. and the absolute ignorance of history that isn’t derived from Cleopatra’s nose. England, for instance, abandoned the slave trade due to overwhelming pressure from working class elements, who feared the erection of a similar industrial scheme in their own country. The most vehement people against France’s wars in Indochina were labor and Communist groups, even before the character of the Viet Nam nationalists became communist. Etc, etc.
So the author is essentially giving credit where no credit is due. The slavers and the imperialists, for the most part, were the reactionary right wing elements of their countries, and did little to nothing to impart the liberal, and freedom loving ideals of their domestic opponents. In fact, its no surprise that even in India in the early 1900’s, the British expat aristocracy lived in a time warp; their manner of dress, customs, and how they viewed themselves hadn’t been seen in England proper since the 1700’s. Their last mini-fiefdoms of unchecked power were to be finally ceded when the Empire collapsed. France’s holdings in Indo-china were equally bizarre, with a French aristocracy that fled its own hostile country and lived abroad in a manner that would have gotten them hanged in the streets back home.
So lets not give credit where its certainly isn’t warranted, and definitely not deserved. The reactionary elements of a given society have always been hostile to anything that imperils their stranglehold, be it majority black rule, the end of colonialism, or even the supposed “Godless” homosexuals. Is it any wonder the BNP and Le Pen hate fags in Europe? It shouldn’t be.
Rob
It kinda sucks but the Author is right….
This is going to get interesting isnt it…haha
Djam
By this logic I should grateful for the slave owner my female ancestors. If they hadn’t I wouldn’t exist. Apparently I’m one ungrateful person.
ChristopherM
Sure Rob, he’s right…hundreds of years of forced labor totally pales in comparison to the rewards of air conditioning and Christianity.
BobP
A black friend made a similar comment years ago. He said that as he was climbing the stairs to board his plane after visiting the African country where his people were from (the country escapes me), he thought to himself “Thank God for Slavery”.
I was shocked at first, but I understand what he meant.
chris
I don’t know, seems like everybody, besides Sean S. is being way to simplistic. I mean, if I were conceived because my mother was raped, should I say that “thank god my mom got raped”? However, without that act I wouldn’t have been born. It’s not so cut and dry.
eethry
In my opinion, I think America won’t be where it’s at without slavery, though it’s tooken black people a while to recover from the event till now. Though we are passed over for jobs, the cycle of poverty which creates the statistic of prison being fifty percent black though blacks are only thirteen percent of the population, more likely to be passed over for a job, and the problems of self-image and perception of black men/women due to media and the white-washing of history. All I’ve just mentioned came from slavery and sadly still effects us today, though it has lessened thanx to the fight of good people. So no, I’m not going to say thank you and I think the author needs to understand his people’s contribution to America though it’s not spoken of like George Washington and Ben Franklin.
America would not have the money to become industrialized if it did not obtain the money from it’s only source of trade which was agriculture. If it wasn’t for the free labor America got America would be a third world country bowing to England right now. Can you imagine if we had five to twenty four trillion dollars today given to us what we would do, that’s the worth of the free labor America had from the slaves. Which brings to mind, I think that’s how China is rising up so quickly economically, slave labor. Huh.
michael
This like a Jew living in Israel saying “wow, I am so grateful for Hitler, cause if he had not of killed so many of us we may have never restarted our nation.” This is stupid logic because if slavery had of never been, the world might have taken many different paths, some or all of them better than the ones we took because of slavery. And BobP, your friend sounds like an arrogant, self-centered asshole. There is something fucked up about being grateful that your ancestors endured rape, forced labor, kid-napping and other abuses so that you could end up rich and ride in your own plane. The level of selfishness and disregard for others that some people possess is mind boggling.
mark
Michael Dingwall,
Have someone capture you, leave you in the hold of a ship for 2 months,(where 9 out of 10 die), and then sell YOUR children…I’m sure that will make you a better man too.
afrolito
The author of this piece is an an idiot, trying to justify his own self loathing. The fact that a bunch of white racist fags on queerty agree with him, is not surprising in the least.
Btw, what exactly was the point of queerty posting this ridiculous article on this site in the first place???
Mr C
Afrolito, I don’t need to comment,Thanks!
To Rob.@ No.5 Rob he says:
It kinda sucks but the Author is right….
This is going to get interesting isnt it…haha
Haha HELL ,
Well how does feel to be a Gay male being treated like a second class citizen by a majority White congress and most state houses as well?
That cut both ways. He isn’t right.
He’s DEAD WRONG!
Kid A
I think people are confusing whether it was beneficial with whether it was right or not. One is objective, the other is not.
I would say that even if blacks have benefited, it would not make the enslavement right. It would be especially preposterous to act as if Europeans did blacks any favors.
Giovanni
Perhaps Queerty can bring this foolishness up with Mr. Obama at the convention since it seems to be of interest.
kevin
Interesting. I don’t think the writer is giving Europeans credit for “helping” the black race. He is simply noting that the impartial forces of evolution often yield unexpected results. One could just as easily say the black race has made some tasty lemonade from a basket of rotten lemons.
PJ
I think the idea is radical and interesting but I would prefer to read the entire essay before making any judgments. It is very difficult to judge the the guy’s ideas from a tidbit on a blog.
Afroguapo
Sounds like the author seriously needs to read some Frantz Fanon, Walter Rodney and Ivan Van Sertima (They Came Before Columbus, African Presence in Early Europe). The current state of black Africa did not occur in a vacuum and much of the dire straits it currently finds itself in are attributable to not only rogue greedy self-serving despots and lack of transparency in administering funds (Mobutu) but the pernicious long-term effects of colonialism, imperialism, Europe’s rapacious appetite for the continent’s resources, the devestating effects of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, IMF/World Bank initatives and policies giving the illusion of humanitarian aid while miring the people down in further intractable debt. It’s unfortunate that people like Bob’s friend (worse in a way that he is black) can’t be nuanced thinkers and resort to the simple yet fallacious idea that because life is albeit materially better in the U.S. that slavery was a positive thing for blacks without looking into substantive issues. Besides, I have friends in Ghana and Nigeria and their lives seem to be just fine and comfortable so the broad blanket assertions about Africa are inapt in instances. Cheers, Afro.
I question too why Queerty is posting this (perhaps to generate the usual suspects posting and concomitant hits in reading rather than real civil debate). Jezebel did something similar but the readership there is different and more diverse and fewer whack jobs.
CondeNasty
I really didn’t like the author knocking African culture. The Benin kingdom was creating complex cast bronze sculptures since the 13th century. The Nok culture of Nigeria created exquisite terracotta sculptures between 500 BCE and 200 AD. So good in fact they were intially believed to be Roman, but that was due to prejudice. African masks and festival costumes deeply influenced the Cubist and Surrealist movements in Europe early in the last century. Yes Africa may have been on a different timetable for industrialization, but so are many other regions of the world.