I am not a student of Afrocentrism, nor am I expert in the mainstream history of the slave trade on this planet. That said, however, there are several red flags that go up for me in reading the piece "Moral Stains: Slavery and Reality."
1. The two paragraphs preceding the last one blatantly ignore white complicity in Africa's plight. 2. It may seem like a small thing, but one does expect a scholar to know the difference between the words "sighted" and "cited." This author uses "sighted" when he means "cited." 3. The documentation is a bit shoddy throughout. 4. It is fact, not fiction, that the African point of view has been given short shrift in main stream historical studies. There are more issues one could raise, but these are sufficient to alert an alert reader that the point of view in this piece is far balanced. This is not to say, of course, that Afrocentrism is not without serious problems and flaws. --- Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On May 2, 2008, at 7:59 AM, off_world_beings wrote: > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, > "shempmcgurk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > wrote: > >> > >> Am I the only one on this forum that is offended > when the n-word is > >> used?>> > > > > Are you offended because it stems from a French > word for 'black' that > > your forefathers used. Your forefathers, who chose > to fight, at all > > costs, to be able to keep their slaves, at a time > when they were > > completely aware that Britain was having > successful court cases > > outlawing slavery on British soil? > > > > That is not "offense" you have sir, that is guilt. > > Shemp is from Canada. > > From the post earlier this week on Obama's > Afrocentric roots. > > > MORAL STAINS: SLAVERY AND REALITY > > If there is one subject which vexes the > Afrocentrists, it is slavery. > Since it provides the fuel for their wrathful > approach to history, > they understandably have tunnel-vision on the > subject. What they see > at the other end of their tunnel is Western culture, > which they blame > for the institution of slavery and the subsequent > degradation it > brought to blacks. Afrocentrists never acknowledge > the fact that > slavery was a universal institution in ancient times > since such > acknowledgment would lessen the victim status of > blacks in America. > (The virtual slavery of serfs in places such as > Russia and England is > quietly ignored, even though the term slave came > from the word Slavic.) > > Having adopted a position of selective amnesia, > Afrocentrists > conclude that a culture responsible for an > institution as heinous as > slavery is morally corrupt, and that all political > systems which > sprang from it are irredeemable. Blacks, they > conclude, should turn > elsewhere for political inspiration and moral > nurturing. Often they > turn to the third world and to Islam, as the former > is free from > contamination by Western ways and the latter is > associated with > Africa, and thus perceived as free from the moral > stain of slavery. > The fact that throwing away Western principles > undermines the > political platform they speak from doesnât seem to > register with > them. The methods of protest blacks have occasioned > to use in seeking > redress are not African principles â they are > solidly Western in > origin. But this matters not to the > multiculturalists and the > Afrocentrists, whose critical faculties seem to be > in suspension > regarding all subjects related to slavery. Arthur > Schlesinger points > out: âIt is a sad fact that both European and > African political > traditions approved slavery, as did almost all the > traditions we know > about. It was the European political culture, > however, that first > called for the abolition of slavery. Neither racism > nor the > subjection of women is an Occidental invention, but > political > antiracism and feminism are.â Though the West was > not responsible > for the origin of slavery, it was responsible for > its decline. > > Bernard Lewis, Professor of Near Eastern Studies at > Princeton > University, agrees with Schlesinger that the West is > not responsible > for the creation of the institution of slavery; > further, he believes > that if Western culture is abolished the institution > of chattel > slavery would certainly return. It is a singular and > indisputable > fact that, before the development of European > civilization, most > ancient cultures operated largely on a slave-driven > economy, > including Greece, where Democratic ideals were born. > But it was > Western principles and the resulting consciousness > they generated > that led to the dissolution of slavery not only in > Europe and in the > New World, but in Asia and Africa. America poet > Ralph Waldo Emerson > noted that the dissolution of slavery in the New > World was the first > instance where a revolution was not the result of > insurrection of the > oppressed, but due to the repentance of the tyrants. > The significance > of this seems lost to the Afro-centric community. > > Since one of the primary goals of Afrocentrism is to > vilify European > culture, the Afrocentric movement, with little > regard for truth, > magnifies the shortcomings of European culture and > overlooks those of > non-European cultures. Arthur Schlesinger calls this > âEurophobiaâ > and says that it makes for very bad history. This is > evident in > Afrocentric writings on slavery, which portray it as > the result of a > white conspiracy. To do this they disregard the fact > that African > slaves were captured by other Africans and delivered > to Arab slave > traders. There are exceptions to this in the black > community. An > official publication of The Nation of Islam, > entitled The Secret > Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, asserts that > Jewish merchants > played a major role in the foundation and running of > the black > African slave trade. Refutations of such propaganda > by historians > make no dent in the black community. The leader of > the Nation of > Islam, Minister Louis Farrakhan, has publicly made > disparaging > remarks against Jews that have been termed > anti-Semitic by even the > liberal press. > > Though traditional scholars admit that Afrocentric > writings contain > corruptions of the truth, many tacitly let them pass > unhindered. This > is because the motive, building self-esteem among > black youths, is > perceived as justification for the mendacity. To > Arthur Schlesinger > the ends do not justify the means. Lies, curricula > composed of myth > and fantasy, cannot help anyone. If they are lying > to build self- > esteem among black kids, they may pump up their egos > for a while, but > in the long run, in the real world, believing in > fantasies can only > hurt them. âIf you believe AIDS was concocted by > whites in a > government laboratory in order to wipe out the black > race â as > Professor Jeffries is reported to believe â you > will be disabled > from coming up with a rational strategy to control > the disease. If > Afrocentric nonsense is intended as medicine for > bruised egos, itâs > not good medicine. He adds that even trivial > falsehoods can work > against a person. âBelieving that Beethoven and > Browning were black > is going to make you sound odd to anyone who hears > you insist on that > as a fact. And when you discover that you have > fallen for a series > of âtherapeuticâ absurdities, your self-esteem, > which this > exercise is supposed to improve, is bound to suffer. > The plight of > inner-city Americans is indeed appalling, and to > fight for themselves > === message truncated === Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
