Originally Posted by remoat

WHO WERE THE FIRST SLAVES?

blacks (is it o.k. to use the term?) assert they were enslaved by white americans more than 400 years ago.. is this really true? i heard that blacks were sold into slavery long before they were shipped out of africa.. tribal chiefs in africa accepted money, or other items of value, for selecting the young, strong men of their village or tribe and sold them to contractors who put them onto ships bound for the americas.. in other words, black men were slaves long before they stepped of the boat in north america, and they were sold out by their own tribal or village leadership whom they entrusted to watch over them and their villages.. yes or no?

blacks place great importance on the bible.. they quote it frequently in their services and in daily life.. they quote passages from the bible that reference the isrealites in bondage under the egyptians.. blacks sing of the israelites' bonds being broken and leaving to search for the promised land.. martin luther king references these events in his "i have a dream" speech..

so, do the israelites pre-date blacks as a group who were held as slaves by egyptians and other conquering forces? have the israelites (jews) been held in bondage longer, according to the bible, than blacks have? what about persecutions against blacks? do blacks assert that other nations or cultures have enslaved them aside from america? i haven't heard anything about blacks being enslaved by any country other than america..

what about jews? what enslavement or disparagement have they suffered since biblical times? jews have traditionally been assigned the lowest social position in many cultures, especially in europe.. they were marked as money-lenders at usurious rates; they were stigmatized as jewelers, merchants and close frineds of those with power and political influence.. they were castigated as always looking out for their own..

now, we are in the 1930s.. hitler is in power and his primary mission is to eliminate jews from germany, as well as other ethnic groups (gypsies and most east europeans).. bottom line, hitler's reich exterminated more than 6 million jews.. with all that jews have endured since biblical times (approx. 4,000 years, or ten times longer than blacks claim in slavery), jews have assimilated into every society in which they found themselves.. they are successful, hold high positions and have contributed much to civilization.. certainly, blacks have contributed much to every culture where they found themselves, but what about the other side?

in america, what about blacks in jail and on drugs? what about blacks abandoning their families, who, if the children are lucky, have a relative to care for them? what about black neighborhoods, the streets, the apartments, the playgrounds? many of these places are congregating points for drug sellers and prostitutes.. what about the continuous allegations of oppression by blacks in the voting process and workplace?

bottom line, it seems jews have endured much more than blacks by any criteria used to determine cruelty or injustice, yet jews do few things blacks are accused of.. jews dont have playgrounds which are frequented by whores and junkies; jews dont abandon their families; mostly, they dont riot and complain about their lot in life.. they dont whine and cry about oppression, slavery, injustice, whatever.. they get together and work to improve their situation.. jews dont appear on television and demand reparations because they were held in bondage-- they form organizations to improve their lives and to move up in the world so they will hold positions of wealth, power and authority, to improve conditions for themselves and everyone else..

what about oppression? are blacks oppressed? are they denied access to those things enjoyed by others? many large cities in america have, or had, black mayors; colin powell was chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, the highest military position in the u.s. military, then was secy of state.. condoleezza was a member of the natl. security agency, now she is secy of state.. oprah winfrey is the richest, most influential woman in television.. bill cosby was the richest, most influential man on tv in the 80s.. today, barack obama is a serious contender for the u.s. presidency..

america is not a perfect place.. we have ideals and we have aspirations to be better than we are.. if the right people work to improve the current situation, things will improve.. but one thing for sure, crying and whining will get you nowhere.. loud voices are no match for hard work, whether physical or mental.. every town in america could name a street for martin luther king and it wouldnt make a bit of difference to the status of blacks in america.. every town in america could celebrate kwanzaa and it wouldnt advance the cause of blacks in america one inch.. if blacks want to be taken seriously as an ethnic force, they need to see some things clear.. one of the first things blacks need to do is to take responsibility for their own problems.. no living person has ever seen a slave in the u.s., so why dont you get over it? if you want wealth and comfort, work for it instead of demanding reparations.. everyone has a sad story to tell.. the irish, the italians, the germans, the russians, etc.. is your story of enslavement sadder than anyone else's? are you outraged over the slavery of blacks? jews were slaves for thousands of years in dozens of cultures.. they were murdered by the millions and everyone looked down their nose at them.. the nazis called them "rats and vermin" and made movies about it.. look at them now.. do they cry about oppression? do they scream about injustice? do they demand money for something that happened before they were born? if you want to know about slavery, injustice and other inhumane treatment against a group of people just for what they were, read books about jews.. they wrote the book about slavery and horrific treatment.. by comparison, blacks are newcomers and have a lot to learn about dealing with adversity and patience while they work for their opportunity to shine.. many blacks have done this, and they are with us today.. why dont you ask condoleezza, colin, oprah or bill cosby what they think about blacks wailing over their sad situation? will all the wailing and tears move you one inch away from your dilemma? i dont think so,

but, i could be wrong!



"Everyone has the right to be heard; noone has the right to be taken seriously."