randomselective:

So the question is “why do black people get so touchy about slavery?”, almost palatable since the person is admitting ignorance by asking the question, right? That obviously means any opinions they have on the subject is based on assumptions.

What gets me, is that the person answering, using references and cites from some book, basically sums up The White Man’s Burden. They speak on how Europe made major technological advancements, the Native Americans were killed by diseases spread by animals brought along by European colonists, farming first began in Eurasia (it first happened in southern Asia at the very northeastern tip of Africa, but by saying Eurasia it excludes Africa and makes it seem like Europe was somehow involved).

However, they fail to mention that civilization started in Africa. They seem to imply that Native Americans died from disease by animals, when Native peoples were intentionally exposed to these diseases by colonists, not to mention, you know, the massacring of the ones that weren’t killed by European disease. This person implies that African civilizations was mostly nomadic, yet farming has existed on the continent as early as 5000 BC, if not earlier. Same with the Americas, Native Americans have had farming and irrigation systems (pre-colonial American farming systems blew that of European farms out of the water) as early as 4000 BC. Hell, irrigation systems have been around in Africa for thousands of years, some tribes live in the desert, how you telling me Africa is “less developed”?

Even with regards to disease, many European diseases found cures through African herbalists (yeah, a long time ago, but you’ll still hear news reports saying “Dr. oz discovers ‘new’ ancient African cure for ___”, when they’ve been around and in use for millenia). Most of the diseases plaguing Africa then and even now, were foreign in origin (even HIV/AIDS have to been said to have been introduced in Africa as an experimental polio vaccine by European/American scientists).

And then there’s the whole why did Europe conquer Africa instead of vice versa. Put aside the Moors conquering parts of Europe, put aside Ethiopia fighting off Italian colonialism, put aside all the situations of Africa beating Europe that you will never hear of; one of the main causes of imperialism is the country colonizing doesn’t have enough resources to leave everyone else alone. Europe, lacking natural resources, as the commentator states, needed to improve itself techonologically speaking, and developed a “take everyone else’s toy” mentality socially speaking, while covering it with a “but I’m helping you” mindset. We’re not colonizing the Americas, Africa, Philippines because we’re trying to steal their resources, we have to “civilize” them, we’re doing this for their own good, not ours.

Africa wasn’t “underdeveloped” until Europeans showed up. There was no famine, disease, war, rape, crime, any more than any other civilization, some could even argue that there were far less than that of Europe. Once the European colonists came along, they introduced all these new things (not much European technology, gun powder originated in China) that corrupted African civilization, try to rob it of all it’s cultures, stole all the resources, instill systems of European controlled governments that put foreign countries financial interests first, and then people turn around and ask “why is Africa so bad? Why aren’t they trying to improve their situation and choosing to live like animals? Why do they sit around all day and rape and kill each other?” or think they know why Africa is the way it is by reading books from benefactors of this systematic rape of a continent.

It’s stuff like this that I can’t help but shake my head at. Damn, son.

# learn # awake # pay attention