patrick.net

They just need to put lipsticks and wigs on the Rushmore figures, and everything will be OK.

I get the 30,000' view of slavery. The look of it on paper. Trading humans obviously is morally and ethically awful. And it happened.

Playing devils advocate here, and not in the way slavery should come back. But has Hollywood tainted the way we view slavery? Think of any recent movie with slaves in it over the last 30 or so years. The way it depicts slavery. None of us were alive in that time and some maybe had a great grand parent they could've talked to about it if they're like 70 now. Individual written memories don't translate to reality though.

As we tear down statues, does anyone wonder if the slavery story was rewritten so to speak as time went on? Were slave owners these ruthless plantation owners whipping other humans? Did it happen? Sure. Were there other atrocities? Sure. Are we just hearing and seeing the worst of the worst through a left leaning Hollywood lens? Did 80% of slave owners actually treat them well and we simply just don't know, seeing as how we're rewriting history in front of our own eyes in a digital age? Basically, was slavery "good" for most African (Americans) outside of not having autonomy to go do something.

When I say good above, I don't mean right or ethical as a reminder before someone gets upset.

TL:DR - Was slavery actually as awful as it's portrayed today through Hollywood movies, and writers trying to sensationalize it to sell books?

Was slavery actually as awful as it's portrayed today through Hollywood movies, and writers trying to sensationalize it to sell books?

No way of knowing in detail, but we do know that when slaves had the opportunities to leave, they readily left. The city of Hampton, VA had large settlements of ex slaves who gathered there after leaving plantations in areas where the Union army had taken control.

But I sure, had there been a statue of Benjamin Butler, the abolitionist Union general who refused to return liberated and escaped slaves to the masters, that statue would have been torn down with the others.

It's also worth noting that life was pretty rough for everyone 150 years ago. Even a fairly well off white USA citizen would have no plumbing, no electricity, no central heating, and transportation by horse. Medicine was ruthless ... talk about being scared to visit the dentist! Something like 80% of the population lived in rural areas; i.e.: they worked physically demanding jobs such as farming, timber, or mining.

SunnyvaleCA says

It's also worth noting that life was pretty rough for everyone 150 years ago. Even a fairly well off white USA citizen would have no plumbing, no electricity, no central heating, and transportation by horse. Medicine was ruthless ... talk about being scared to visit the dentist! Something like 80% of the population lived in rural areas; i.e.: they worked physically demanding jobs such as farming, timber, or mining.

The good news is that tincture of opium was legal, available at any general store!

WookieMan says

Was slavery actually as awful as it's portrayed today through Hollywood movies, and writers trying to sensationalize it to sell books?

Slavery was awful, but on a scale of 1 to 10 of human atrocities it’s like a 5. Slaves were very expensive, think like a car by todays standards. You don’t go drive your car into a tree for fun, similarly you didn’t beat the crap out of your slaves for giggles or starve them. But if you could beat the crap out of one and get more net work out of the rest then it’s a simple decision.

Given the state of projection technology, it would be pretty funny if they added or changed a Mount Rushmore head as part of the festivities.
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