An issue discussed in the reading that i decided to blog about was one that captured my attention from the beginning. i discussed this briefly in class in response to reading the chapter but Ive decided to elaborate upon it more. For starters the chapter clearly explains that slavery was established well before we were all made to believe so, and the story in great depth explained and elaborated and clarified s much for me. the thing that bothered me the most is that the black slaves were treated like the scum of the earth. Not only were they belittled from the start but it fascinated me that there ere also white slaves and even while slaves they were still treated differently from black slaves. the black slaves cost less, and had to work the most. In the book when blacks and whites attempted to escape but were captured it was the black slave who was actually penalized. the blacks were treated as if they were animals, i in fact believe that in the minds of their masters and the other white people they were animals. "A colonist in Massachusetts attempted to breed his two African slaves" pg 58 I guess what I'm trying to say is that blacks were never thought to have their freedom or be treated equal no matter what the circumstances were! I also discovered not only were the Africans treated without dignity or respect but so were the Indians. In chapter 4 "Toward the Stony Mountains" the Indians were forced to leave the land that was meant more than the world to them. " To do what they (whites) called civilizing us, getting rid of our old ways and language and names would make us like white men. But why should we want to be like them, cheaters and greedy?...." pg 104 I find it very disturbing that the whites pretty much tried to take over everything while not realizing or considering the lives and generations they are punishing, and not even giving credit to the Indians or the Africans at all! My question to you is What made them so much better than everybody else?
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ReplyDeleteThank you Dynasty for commenting on my blog. After reading yours I couldn’t help but to think of this quote, "It is not true that people are naturally equal for no two people can be together for even a half an hour without one acquiring an evident superiority over the other". I believe it is human nature that many humans posses in which they feel that they are superior over another. Alfred Adler described the notion of striving for superiority as the fundamental fact of life. He feels that everyone has a driven force to succeed and overcome imperfections. Yet, the underlying question is why injustices occur because of this “superior attitude”. The only answer I could possibly fathom is that people react to their emotions; when one feels hungry they eat when one feel sad they cry. I guess what I am trying to say is when someone feels as if they are better than others they almost always act on those feelings. Some are a little more extreme than others; history in America has proven that many “white” people feel superior. So they act on those feelings by controlling others. I don’t really understand how this has come to be but it is reality and has manifested in so many ways. No one person is better than another yet many people have attitudes that differ!
ReplyDeleteThanks Girl.!
ReplyDeleteThe devastation that was caused in the name of colonialism was massive. The men who did this were so close minded on what was right and wrong that they destroyed cultures without batting an eye. They felt they had to change these people and that is sad. Was it not because of religious persecution that they left their land only to do upon the north and south american Indians much worst things than just religious persecution? The hypocrisies of their actions are astounding. I believe that they really felt that they knew everything there was to know and they some how had the intellectual advantage over others and in many cases they really only had greater technology. They were such zealots for their cause and greatening their people that they turned to violence, corruption and stealing. They in fact were not better than anyone, only better at destroying others.
ReplyDeleteDynasty, You created the context for an excellent discussion! Each entry adds a little more to our understanding of "the psychology of superiority."
ReplyDeletethanks!!
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