race is a *social* construct (was OT libertarian demographics)

[Guest guest]

> >>>>but I do believe there are genetic differences in men and women and

> between races.

>

> ---->thomas, the notion that there are different *races*, is a *social*

> construct, not a biological one. biologically, there is only one race -

the

> human race. this is widely accepted in scientific circles. the social

> construct that divided humans into different racial groups was created to

> justify slavery, and unfortunately, is still perpetuated by some folks

> today.

>>>>I'm not sure I can go with you on the justification for slavery

argument.

I mean that has been a justification by some people at some point in

time but slavery has been with us for a long long time, and nearly every

people group at some point in their history has practiced slavery.

----->yes, i know. i mentioned something to that effect in another post :-)

sorry, i guess should've clearly stated that i was specifically referring to

european/euro-american justification for enslaving africans and the *modern*

concept of slavery in the US. as far as slaveholding in other

nations/cultures goes throughout history, i have no idea if they developed a

similar social construct to justify their practices.

>>>>It is not a popular notion but slavery was rife on the African continent

at the time of the American slave trade and many slaves were *bought*

from other Africans.

---->right. you must've missed my post where i mentioned that.

>>>>It is also not a popular notion that in early colonial times there were

black slaveholders, but there were.

---->that vaguely rings a bell, but i don't know much about it.

>>>And while slavery is to be deplored everywhere, some of the most horrifc

slave trading practices were the enslavement of blacks by Arabs, but no

one ever mentions that.

---->that is my understanding as well. as i mentioned in my other post,

slavery in other times and places and the fact that africans sold other

africans into slavery doesn't in any way diminish american slavery, nor

justify it. to be clear, i'm not in any way referring to anything

*you*wrote. but it seems common that whenever american slavery is discussed,

someone inevitably pipes in about slavery throughout history in other parts

of the world and the fact that africans sold africans during american

slavery seeming to suggest that this fact somehow lessens the atrocity of

american slavery. that's why i made a pre-emptive strike in my other post

and mentioned it first. LOL

>>>>And historically speaking the 400 year enslavement of the Hebrews

matches any other groups slave experience. In other words, the claim

of many black americans of a unique experience simply isn't true, and in

fact such a mentality is quite detrimental.

------>right. however, africans' experience being forced to immigrate to the

US at the end of a gun is unique among *americans*. all others are

*voluntary* immigrants, with a few exceptions...stories that crop up now and

then of people being brought here *currently* as slaves, and some indentured

servants from europe coinciding with slavery.

>>>The conception of race we have today is definitely a *modern* construct.

---->right! that was my whole point! LOL ;-)

Suze Fisher

Lapdog Design, Inc.

Web Design & Development

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg

Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine

http://www.westonaprice.org

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