Kevin T. Keith made excellent points, which I’ll try not to repeat.
Anoldfriend:”The holocaust on the other hand was nothing more than pure hatred.”
I’m sorry if you don’t agree, but torturing people every day and treating them worse than dogs seems pretty hateful to me. I think both are a combination of evil, ignorance and propaganda. There is undeniably some evil at the core. Spewed in the right way, the ignorant begin to accept it as what is right, and perpetuate the propaganda. Let’s say 75% of Nazi Germany wasn’t evil – just ignorant and misled. The 25% is enough to become a cancer for the rest of the society. Let’s say 75% of colonialists weren’t evil – just ignorant and misled. The 25% who marched Native Americans down the trail of tears, enslaved Africans and after “giving” them freedom legislated where they could live, how many freedoms they were allowed, etc. are enough of a cancer to the rest of society.
My information on slavery, and the holocaust, come from reading accounts of the time which go beyond text books. Further information on the holocaust comes from lasting monuments such as the museum in Washington, DC, friends, family members and a trip to Poland to see some of the remnants firsthand.
Unfortunately, most slaves were not given the ability to read or write, so the accounts I read are generally from the perspective of slave trafickers, proud of their efficiency and inhumane accomplishments.
Where do you get your information? Wikipedia?
Futureman:”You left out one crucial part: when the Jews left the cargo trains they were marched directly into gas chambers, killed and cremated. The slaves went from the ships to work on plantations. “Neither sounds too peachy,” as you’ve pointed out, but I would prefer the latter.
And say, for arguments sake, that the slaves and the Jews did suffer equally. How does that help any argument that suffering and oppression are the sole cause of permanent arrested development among certain groups of people?”
It was at least equal. The remnants of slavery in the US persisted legally into the last century – as Kevin noted, longer than Nazi behavior. In general, I’m sure both racism and anti-semetic attitudes persist.
I’d like to take on your last assertion of “permanent arrested development”. I don’t assert that suffering and oppression are the direct cause of anything, but I can certainly understand ow they could cause bitterness, resentment and anger.
Please explain to me why blacks, as a sole group, have permanent arrested development. I see plenty of black people in various industries who’ve gotten education through school or experience, worked hard and are achieving at an equal or higher level than their white peers. I also see some who are an embarrassment by any standard, but no better or worse than their white peers.
Statistically, there are at least as many slovenly, uneducated, ignorant, unambitious white people as there are black and hispanic – I’m referring to welfare statistics since that’s the popular fallback. While you’re explaining black people and arrested development, please explain white people with permanent arrested development as well.
You can even leave out people like Obama, Rice or Powell since their achievements are obviously due to the affirmative action of benevolent white people who push them ahead despite their permanent arrested development and deep bitterness and resentment.
