Can We Talk About This? Slavery

Ok Al and all of you who are still hung up on slavery. Is it meaningful and productive to spend your days worrying about if "If I hadda's". Because the discussion and crying about slavery today, is just that. Number one: there are no legal slaves in the United States today. Two: If you are blaming the "White man for your troubles, YOU ARE THE ONE THAT IS WRONG. YOUR TROUBLES CAN BE BEST CHANGED BY CHANGING YOUR ATTITUDE. Three: I'm not WHITE AND I EARN WHAT I GET. If I don't earn it, I DON'T DESERVE IT. And four: Al Sharpton and those like him, make money and gain power by playing the race card. We should all grow up and stop asking someone else to take care of us. If you have a working brain, you have a chance to accomplish something in life, that is if you don't spend to much of your time complaining. Thank you for letting me say my piece. Larone

I love it when black people say "we were slaves". I never met a slave or a slave owner in my entire life. But apparently enabling people to feel sorry for themselves if it advances a political ideology is OK since the mainstream media doesn't expose what a fraud the race industry is.

I don't see how this matters in the least. Everyone is dead but Sharpton as this story should be. There is no possible way that this should have any impact on Sharpton's life.

Great post. Stories about Al Sharpton "the great race baiter" can be entertaining.

However, I think we should focus on the millions of people who are still in slavery vs what happen over a 100 years ago.

http://www.antislavery.org/breakingthesilence/main/09/index.shtml

just WHY are, (most of), these people "experts"?

this certainly isn't an expert article.

who
what
when
where
how
WHY????

i think this is a "non story". majority of today's african americans have ancestors who were slaves, why just focus on Sharpeton? what makes him more special than the others..?? j

This is hilarious! Who gives a crap? Even if my great great great grandfather owned a slave..does that make me in some way responsible? No one alive today had anything to do with slavery...so stop talking about it...nobody owes any restitutions! The ironic thing is that many African Americans owe their American heritage and citizenship to their ancestors being slaves. Al Sharpton could have been a starving child and died in Africa long ago if his ancestors were not brought over as slaves. I'm not promoting slavery...my ancestors came here long after it occured, but the irony is an interesting fact. If I was an African American who has a slave ancestral background, I would not be angry, I would be praising my ancestors for surviving, and being so brave.

I see a sickness when I read such a bevy of negatives about how people of African descent feel about being the ancestral offspring of slaves. The article by Marty Salo asked "Can We Talk About This, Slavery?" Apparently not in that most seem to have already made their minds and have no need to hear from anyone else. Marty's comment that its sad if one dwells on it (slavery), but the fact that Sharpton was able to do what he does speaks well for the society America has become. How so incredibly disingenuous. By the normal comments I see about the Al Sharptons, the Jessie Jacksons and others who fall into the category you (plural) so readily accuse of playing the race card I would think you secretly would prefer they simply disappear yet, you had the audacity to lift up America on the back of this man who is so disgusting in your eyes. Could there be another way of looking at the outcome of the story about his being a distant relative of Strum Thrumond? Might it be ironic that one of the most prejudiced of elected officials in the history of America is a distant kin to one of the most well known of today's complainers of racist attitudes? Could that be something one carries away from the article? The overwhelming ironicalness of it?

Now let me address how in these proposed talks about slavery and how so many of us poor souls dwell on it to our detriment. Apparently few ever see beyond their own noses when addressing issues of slavery and the history from whence we came since so many other than those directly descendant from slaves are the experts. I keep hearing how it is so simple to just change my attitude and go out there and do what others do and everything will be aright. Sounds just like Nancy Reagan and her sick "just say no to drugs" or today's drive in some over zealous communities for sex education to be limited to abstinence. Have you ever wondered if there was an election at some point to make Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton leaders in the black community? Could you possibly think that they are "made" leaders by you and the press? Any issue remotely slimy in regard to race when one of them speaks is covered by the media. Do blacks control the media? NO! Yet, you create a huge negative towards what blacks are thinking when you rarely if ever hear what we think except through the eyes and ears of what the media parades out to you as our leaders. The common man gets no air time. You know that but are willing to form opinions about me and what I think without ever considering what I feel or have to say.

Now, I must get to the often bitter commentary you so easily spew about you or your ancestors never having owned a slave, met one or anyone who owned one being alive today. I couldn't agree with you more. Absolute truth. So, as far as many are concerned the fact of our slave ancestors "should" have no affect on us today. I also agree but that is where the agreement stops. What too many of you fail to admit is that you benefit greatly from the history of slavery here in the US. Not only do you have your own affirmative action which allows you jobs I can't get with decades of experience, schooling or training you also get jobs which you are not qualified for the way those who are against affirmative action complain about its use to abate the often unfair treatment backs generally receive. But it is overlooked. You and your ancestors have owned property for as long as you've been in the states and the wealth of it has been passed on for centuries. As a rule blacks have only been able to own property for barely a generation and that had to be brought on by law and court rulings. Your empty promises of equality never allows the ink to dry while you take advantage of the fact of our former slave status. Some keep a disgusting prejudice against any one of African descent while the great majority keep a closed eye and silent voice which radiates loudly through anyplace where blacks reside.

You want to talk about this, slavery? Please let's do but can you toss aside some of your ill gotten preconceived answers and hear from those whose ancestors were slaves. And Larry O. I am in agreement with you but the one factor you skipped entirely as many often do is that America refuses to recognize my efforts by not allowing anything resembling a level playing field. While I am still fighting these apparent invisible blockades with many of our youngsters seeing right through the basis of the struggle where should part of the blame be placed? On native Americans?
BTW, I gave this a 10 for its honesty.