More on that slave trade thing...

[annwfyn]

This was on the BBC news website this morning, and I thought it offered an interesting and slightly different perspective on the issue - it's the BBC trying to get the views of black Britons on the anniversary of the slave trade. As one of the issues which was raised in various livejournal discussions of this issue was that we, as largely white English kids, may be missing something somewhere, I thought folk might find this interesting.

Edit: Some more on how the slave trade has actively affected the lives of people in the modern day - specifically how it messed up Africa to such an extent that the continent is still suffering.

Comments

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

Hypothetical: how would you feel if you discovered one of your great grandparents was afro-caribbean? Aside from the initial surprise, in the light of this discovery, how would this affect your opinions on the whole slave trade bicentenary subject?

[wildrogue.livejournal.com]

An interesting question. I like to think my view wouldn't change all that much, though I would probably empathise a lot more with the black (excuse the word, I've lost track of what is PC these days) point of view.

annwfyn?

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

I don't know.

Honestly, I don't think I'd necessarily feel as if I had the right to adopt that as a significant part of my identity - I look white, I've always been treated as white (except for a few odd places in the US where I've been told I look Mexican), I've certainly not suffered from any of the historical ramifications of slavery - I was raised in a nice middle class family - and so I think it would be ridiculous for me to start identifying too strongly with a race and culture which isn't really my own.

*ponders*

I think it would depend heavily on how far back the link was. Realistically, I don't think I can be affected much by a great-great-great-great-grandparent. On the other hand, knowing that one of my grandparents, who I did know and did affect my upbringing and worldview, had been raised within that kind of cultural context would possibly affect my view of myself and my own identity.

God knows what that would do to my opinion on this matter.

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

I don't think it would.

I might look into the history a bit more, but the past is still the past. And if they hadn't been enslaved and brought to England, then I wouldn't exist :)

[crocodilewings.livejournal.com]

That's the bit that always weirds me out when trying to put myself in the position of the descendants of those on the receiving end of the dodgier forced-relocation-esque bits of history. On the one hand, your ancestors were horribly mistreated and you're probably still experiencing the social repercussions of that mistreatment. On the other hand, if it never took place you almost certainly wouldn't exist.

How do you reconcile something like that?

[wildrogue.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, interesting. I still don't agree with the point of view Toyin is expressing but it's good to hear his side of things.

I do agree with Baroness Amos - we should educate people about slavery and admit Britain's part in it, in the same way we do with the Industrial Revolution, Imperialism and the Irish Problem. Put our hands up and say 'It was wrong, we will never do it again.'

[blueberrycowboy.livejournal.com]

I was interested to read that the owners of slaves were heavily compensated for "loss of earnings" when slavery was abolished. Before that I thought I'd learned quite a lot about it in school - I can't recall whether it was covered in regular secondary school History or whether it was part of my GCSE.