We’ve talked a great deal about slavery in the past few weeks. When the south closed ranks it began to justify slavery with a whole new fervor using especially the Biblical story of Noah and Ham. I’d like you to look at the story and contemplate why it was interpreted in this way.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2194/whats-up-with-the-biblical-story-of-drunken-noah-part-2
I’d also like you to look at two modern web sites on slavery today. What has changed and what remains the same?
http://www.freetheslaves.net/Page.aspx?pid=348 (please spend at least twenty or so minutes watching some of the videos here and looking at the graphs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZTN0TbsRYA (please view this video).
What are your overall reactions? Thoughts? What can our own history teach us? Why does it seem we have not come very far? This Blog is due Friday December 18th.
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“There are 27 million slaves in the world today.”
ReplyDeleteThese first words from the Free the Slaves video reveal a shocking statistic of our current history, a statistic unknown to many. Even I’ll admit it- I had some idea that this was going on in the world, but I had NO idea it was this bad. You have to think, something must be different for this to be allowed. Something has to be different from slavery post-Civil War. So, what HAS changed?
Not much.
Yes, it is true that slavery is outlawed across the globe. However, it is still a humanitarian crisis ever present in today’s society. In Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, and Northwest Africa, people continue to be enslaved. Even here, in the United States, people are forced into working on farms or becoming sex slaves. Today, people are tricked into it- for example, the two women in the Free the Slaves video. Both were lured from their homes in hopes of coming to the States for great job opportunities. They seemed to find them, too. But soon they realized the sad, horrific truth. Both girls were forced into slavery.
Rose and Maria’s stories are just two examples of the shocking enslavement of human beings that still exists today.
The Youtube video really affected me. Half of the one million each year trafficked in the United States are children. Children! That fact is particularly shocking. Even more shocking is that the Department of State reported that statistic. They report it to us, but they don’t do a thing. It is unbelievable to think that our government is an innocent bystander, doing nothing to put an end to this abomination.
Being religious, I do follow the Bible. However, after being translated thousands of times into 1,168 different languages, none of what it says can be translated literally. It is like a giant game of telephone- you may start out with “Kh,” but when you end up with “H,” its safe to assume that it may be a close translation, but it cannot be taken literally. It was this initially mix-up and led Ham to be translated as “dark,” thus creating a religious justification for the horrors of slavery that still exist, even today.
Noah and Ham
ReplyDeleteThis story doesn't really make sense to me. I don't really understand how anyone could possibly take the Bible to those specifics and that literally to justify enslaving black people. The thing about the Bible is that so many people believe in it and it is important to so many religions and familiese. So when theories are created about the meaining of a passage, like this story, people tend to listen. If the theory could benefit them, then they take it seriously without considering the sense of the theory. This is a complete, stupid, distortion of the Bible.
Modern Slavery
In all honesty, I had no idea that slavery still really existed. Yes, I knew that some groups were persecuted, but the thought of slavery still as a "buisness" blew my mind, especially that it occurs here in the united staes. i found it really interesting that the slave industry was so popular and prosperous. I had no idea that children were worth more than cattle.
For some reason, in our culture today, most people think slavery no longer exists. Current political issues include health care, education, Iraq, etc, but I NEVER hear anything mentioned about slavery. The only time slavery is ever mentioned is when someone is talking about Abe Lincoln. I'd have to say that is the root of our problem. When not enough people discuss the issue, not enough people can do something about it. Even if the government proposed a plan of action to gradually help those enslaved, I think that public would react differently. Without an understanding of what is happening, they won't support an issue that hasn't been significantly mentioned since the Civil Rights movement.
Unfortunately, I never really knew slavery still existed until this blog.. And it blows my mind how people can "own" another person. I mean, after so many years of movements to eradicate it, shouldn't it be over?! Its so dumb how people can go to the point and alter the story of Ham in the Bible just so it can support them. Like Christine said, after one person tells something from the Bible, everyone else conforms and believes it too.
ReplyDeleteWhat surprises me is how slavery is "illegal" everywhere, yet its worse than ever. 27 million slaves still exist. And who knows, it'll probably double any time. But if its "illegal" then how come governments don't step up to the plate and get rid of slavery? Even in the United States, where everyone should be free, why is there still prostitution? And poor house maids who are tricked into cruel situations? (like Maria and Rose). People come to the United States in hopes to start a new life or to support their families, not to become a slave. And our government, and all other governments should really try and end this. But first they should publicize the issue of slavery first. I see nothing regarded slavery on tv, billboards, etc. One of the reasons why slavery still exists is because of world wide corrupted governments. Their ignorance has caused so much cruelty and pain for innocent lives.
The video was so shocking, and really awakened me to the issue. Little kids saying their "yum, yum" is good? It disgusts me, how people are capable to force children to do such things. Unfortunately children are the base of slavery and it amazes me how children are brainwashed into killing other innocent people. What has this world come too?
I hate how I strongly disagree with slavery yet its everywhere. Even some of the chocolate I eat or the clothing I wear somewhat reveals that slavery still exists.
I have learned so much from this blog.
-Skylar
Story of Ham
ReplyDeleteLike Christine said, I also don't understand how a person with a functional brain could possibly interpret this story as justification of slavery. I can assume people just take the bible too literally and live by it at a point where it becomes strange and unorthodox. I am not trying to make the point that the bible is always wrong but I think the point should be made that the bible shouldn't always be taken literally. For example: to this day people believe the world is less than 10,000 years old when scientifically we can point out that the world seems to be 4 billion or so years old. I think the link between the story of Ham and the Genesis is because people just take things TOO LITERALLY.
Slavery in the Modern World
I'm not going to say I had no idea that slavery existed because I've been made aware of stories of sex slaves and laborers that come from Asia and get tricked into slavery; that said I had NO IDEA there were over 20,000 slaves (I'm not sure its completely accurate as a stat but I'm sure its close)! What is the United Nations doing to stop this? I can see why slavery continues on to this day: human labor without pay gives the business owner no means of paying a staff. I'm in no way justifying it but I can see why this continues to be a terrible trend in human history. I don't think the government can stop this issue in America for the sole reason that slavery doesn't happen in front of others; slavery happens behind closed doors or in the bottom level of some creep's house. I have seen countless news programs in regards to women being taken as sex slaves and I think it is the worst possible crime one can commit. I really wish the government was able to find those sick people who take young girls from Asia or from the US. In regards to African slavery: I think the continent of Africa has never truly been completely peaceful since the scramble for Africa (1880's-WWI).
The specific details of the southerner's interpretation of the story of Noah and Ham are astonishing. The economies of many southern states during the 18th century were founded by, and dependent on, slave labor. Wealthy planters and vote-seeking politicians would do whatever they could to justify slavery as an acceptable institution to the rest of the nation. Basically, the 18th century cultural rendetion of this story is based on the fact that any description or inference about Ham that is not explicit was interpreted to represent a biblical justification of slavery. Whites in the south believed that all other races were subordinate due to this farfetched interpretation of the bible. Honestly this distortion of the bible is ignorant and has no merit. As for modern slavery, I knew that it existed, but not this much. The fact that there are more slaves in the world today then at any other time shows that there is still something very wrong with people's opinions of slavery. Although developing, or governmentally unstable countries may have trouble enforcing a prohibition of slavery, and thrive off of the profit from slave-produced goods, slavery is wrong and immoral. The horror that is the life of a slave should be enough to disgust anybody. Unfortunately, many people don't know enough about modern day slavery, and the impact that it has on adults and children all over the world, even in secrecy in developed nations. The information from these websites and videos should be shown to the public, through ads, commercials, radio announcements, documentaries etc. Its terrible that many imports and products are slave-produced, and the majority of people don't even know it. This blog really opened my eyes to the conditions of suffering people all over the world who are helpless and opressed, and for the most part unknown.
ReplyDeleteThe people in the south were very religious so if they could find a justification of slavery in the bible it would be the strongest argument they could make. To apply the story of Noah and Ham to slavery 1000's of years later makes no real sense, but when people have already come up with an answer, they can convolute things to justify whatever they want to justify.
ReplyDeleteI feel shocked and horrible that all these horrible things were happening in the world. I was unaware that slavery was at the extremes that it is today. I had absolutely no idea that slavery is at its peak now of 27 million slaves. I can't accept that people are sick as they are. To think that someone could get enjoyment in beating, raping, or killing people is just unbelievable. It also makes me wonder what about people allows them to do these things. We as a country know how slavery is a horrible thing, and it is frustrating and surprising that throughout the world people don't understand slavery to be so bad when we understand it so clearly. It interests me greatly how the human mind is capable of such horror. When you look at any species in the wild, no animal kills another for no reason at all. Killing is solely for survival of the fittest and food, unlike humans.
Our history teaches us that people are capable of doing horrible things to other people, and the fact that we continue to do the same things, mean we haven't come very far. Maybe the culture of our country has came to recognize that slavery is bad, but at an individual level, people do things contrary to common belief. Maybe we should elect a government that makes solving these problems a bigger priority.
-sam
Story of Ham
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the story of Ham, I contemplated what Southerners must have been thinking when they closed ranks and began to justify for slavery. I think the Southerners interpreted this story to justify slavery because the curse was actually towards Ham and consequently turned him dark-skinned. This must have given Southerners the idea that blacks are cursed people and therefore, should be slaves. Also, since Ham represented Africa, which portrayed people who worked, the Southerners must have believed that blacks are meant to work and destined to be slaves. With all these false ideas circulating around, Jews and Muslims began to believe that descendants with dark skin must be from Ham and therefore, they're all cursed and destined to be slaves. Southerners began linking slavery with blackness and believed that that was a good enough justification for slavery. The fact that these people actually justified slavery as being a "positive good" and twisted the Bible and this story of Ham around in order to prove their point is absolutely ridiculous to me.
Modern Slavery
After watching the Slavery 101 video, I was so shocked and most of all, speechless. The fact that there are 27 million slaves in the world today is out right crazy! And to be honest, I had no idea. Hearing the stories of these kids and women being put into this institution just shocked and saddened me. I was clueless to the fact that each year about 14,500 people are forced to become slaves in the United States. The story of Rose, who was 14 years old when she was tricked into leaving home with promises of education and a good job, was terrible and terrifying. Another fact that I was clueless about was the fact that slaves are cheaper today than ever before. Just the thought that some people in this world are like styrofoam cups leaves me speechless. I am very grateful that we have organizations like FreetheSlaves that are helping to get rid of slavery, but I still feel like education about slavery today is definitely needed. I think its safe to say that a majority of our class had no idea that there is still slavery going on today, which makes me believe that a majority of people in the world have no idea either. Therefore, I think everyone needs to become more educated with this topic because I know that now being aware of what is really going on the world has truly opened my eyes.
I couldn't agree more with Gaby. Hearing that most of the people being enslaved today are children was absolutely shocking. And when Gaby brought up the point of how our government has done nothing to put an end to this abomination, I was thinking the exact same thing. We keep paying attention to these poor countries and put all our effort into helping them, but what about our own country? The fact that so many people have no idea that slavery is occurring today is a huge problem that needs to be fixed. We need to educate more people about this topic and keep better look outs for slave owners or anything to do with the institution. Although I believe that helping out poor countries and aiding them to soon become a developed countries is all well and good, I truly believe that we need to begin to pay more attention to our country and fix our own problems first.
ReplyDeleteThe first step to making a change is gaining awareness. I agree with Sam- we should elect people to positions in government who have prioritized fighting the institution of slavery. Every single comment on this blog post touches on everybody's initial reaction- shock and disbelief. I guess what we can take from this homework assignment is that this issue DOES exist, and that being informed is the start of change.
ReplyDeleteI think I can speak for everyone when I say that this blog post has completely changed my perspective on this unit in our history book.
I am shocked to hear that slavery is worse now than it has ever been before when we are living in a time where freedom is a right that is taken for granted and not something that is desired by large masses of people. I had a basic knowledge of slavery; mostly human trafficking and other unfortunate kidnappings such as that, but I had no idea that slavery was such a huge deal. How could we live in a world that has banned slavery internationally, but does little or nothing to enforce their laws. Someplace as influential as the United States shouldn't just sit back and overlook the cruelty and danger that is so close and is screaming out for help. The fact that it is little known that slavery is still way too present in our lives, and that governments are quieting the seriousness of it is so disturbing to me. It also really disturbs me that a story like the story of Ham could be taken so literally by people within these places. It makes me wonder if these people who are twisted enough to view slavery as something that is directly coming out of the bible, would still believe this story if they knew how pressing of an issue it actually is. The idea that CHILDREN were half the numbers that were sold into slavery was nauseating. How could we live in a world that sells children for less than the price of cattle, or even sells them at all?? Do people not realize how morally unjust it is to kidnap people, and put them in situations that people should NEVER have to face?? How can one over look the fact that placing stolen children into a completely new life of human trafficking or as a soldier just is not okay? The type of torture they have to endure is astonishing. After watching these videos and reading about Noah and Ham, knowing that there are people out there who don't believe that this is ridiculously unjust makes me so angry. How could anyone possibly believe that the bible said for blacks to be slaves? I agree with Cory, and I don't understand how ANYONE can possibly believe that the story of Ham rights slavery. The bible should not be taken so literally, because sometimes what you read is too outrageous to be taken so literally.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the story of Noah and Ham is an awful excuse for the people of the late 18th and early 19th centuries to justify slavery. I never knew much about the story of Noah and Ham apart from what we had talked about in class, so reading about it really opened my eyes to how stubborn and inhumane OUR OWN ancestors were. I know people like to believe in their own religions and that is fine, but I think it is ridiculous when people interpret the bible that literally and somehow stretch a simple story into one that justifies such a disgusting business. As for WHY it was interpreted this way, I think that when humans get a chance to be superior to anyone or anything, they generally jump at that opportunity. That is not to say everyone would love to own slaves because that's obviously not true, but I think 18th and 9th century southerners loved the power they were given over slaves, and it doesn't help that equality was rarely preached at that time.
ReplyDeleteAs for the websites on modern slavery, I have to say I was pretty shocked. The fact that 27 million people are being enslaved in our world right now is ridiculous. Can you even imagine what it might possibly be like to be a modern slave? Here you are in an extremely advanced and modern time in which slavery is "illegal", yet you cannot do a thing once you are enslaved, or your life will be in jeopardy. What horrified me even more was the story of the Rose. All over the world the United States is preached as a country where the impossible is possible, and where no matter who you are, you are free to live out your own version of the "American Dream". I can't imagine someone like Rose, who probably thought all of these things, getting sucked into the most dirty and inhumane business known to man the second she steps foot in our country. While I completely agree with those of you who say we need to be more aware, you also have to understand that this is an extremely difficult business to get rid of. Just the fact that none of us were aware of how extreme modern slavery is is evidence that it is being hidden very well. I think that we can stop a large chunk of it, but there will always be those few insane people who invite unsuspecting people to be housemaids or whatever the job happens to be, and end up treating them as if they were an object. This is obviously horrible, but it is the sad reality.
I think Cory makes a really good point. While it is obviously wrong and completely immoral, I can see how some of these people that own and keep slaves would see slavery as a path to success. It does, after all, yield results that can only make them a profit, because they obviously don't pay their slaves. How people that own slaves can be so nasty, cruel, and brutal is beyond me, but I would be really interested to see how these people come to be the people they are, just to see what the source of this kind of inhumanity is. That way, I think we would be able to find a real solution.
ReplyDeleteKatrina makes a great point about how we are always thinking about the other countries, but we usually don't think of slavery being something that we have a lot of at home in America. With America being one of the more privileged places in the world, for the most part, it's not often that the idea of slavery is thought about. What we don't realize is that slavery is closer than we think. In Slavery 101, it says that slave trades happen in all 50 states. The fact that basically the entire class had little or no idea about slavery being a present issue shows how little is known about this. It's crucial to get word out about this, and to tell people that slavery is still around, and is in fact much more of a threat than it ever has been before.
ReplyDeleteReligion can be a scary thing when put in the wrong hands. The fact that something so blatantly ridiculous as the story of Ham spread into so many lives just proves how powerful religion is. I believed that people used the bible as a source of inspiration spiritually, but linking slavery to the bible is going too far. The story insn't even logical. How can people of long ago completely pass over the reverence the bible attached to the black people? And to even discriminate against a race is going against the bible itself. Slavery has become a convoluted topic when really, it's all very simple-it should not exist. I find it remarkable that people would not even find shame in themselves to own another human being; that there are even slaves today! I had no idea that slavery existed today in such a high degree. A kid like me could be tricked into a guaranteed education or paying job but actually only promised abuse and neglect. The people of the slave industry enslave others because the slaves are misinformed and unaware. I love how the program Free the Slaves is trying to fix the illiteracy of children and families. Being illiterate was a big issue of slavery before; because they could not read, their owners took advantage of themselves. I am saddened to know that its so easy to find slavery. As the second video stated, you can encounter slavery everywhere just by looking for it. The woman who was enslaved in Washington, Rose, wanted an education. I believe that such a wish should be promised in her own country. The only slaves today that I had heard about were the ones who worked for Nike, but to know that they are in all products...is terrible. No one should be controled by another. Everyone has a right to lead a life by being guaranteed freedom.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Connor when he says that no matter how sad and terrible this slavery is, it will always exist. Not to say that we shouldn't stop it, but I believe that it is harder today than before. What we are learning now in class is that there was a division in the union between the North and the South. They couldn't agree on ending slavery in future states like Texas and California. And of course, when the U.S. is divided on the topic of slavery, its very hard to end it. But this isn't just the U.S. now. Its the entire globe. There are more slaves now, and the number is increasing. More people are being scarred by the abuse of such inhumane people. Slavery shouldn't even exist in a world today. Like Connor said, its sad to know that people want to come to the U.S. as a way of refuge from their own country. But in reality, the second they step into our country, they are being sucked into the same oredeal. They are trapped and don't know what to do. Also, its so heartbreaking to know that kids are constantly being separated from their families for this disgusting industry. Children need their families to grow up.
ReplyDeleteAlso, another comment I want to add is that slavery should have been rooted into the minds of the people today as horrible and inhumane already. Ramphal and his family are JUST starting to realize that its okay to carry on with your own life without someone's permission. That freedome is actually something that can be guaranteed most importantly-that it exists. We are not all free until the slaves are.
ReplyDeleteThe interpretation of the story of Ham is an example of how people can use text for personal gain, and represents the ignorance and selfishness of mankind. The southerners needed a reason to justify slavery, and in a time where religion reigned, evidence from the Bible was the purest form of reason. The idea that the African race was cursed was accepted in the US because they relied on slavery to keep up their industry. They couldn't uphold the policy of slavery without proper justification. In the modern age, one would expect that people would discard these ideas and realize their immorality, unfortunately that is not the case. Not only is the idea of slavery still alive, but it has become even more prominent throughout the world. The numbers of slaves has increased, they are being sold for less money, and the conditions are just as bad (if not worse). The videos we watched were shocking and horrific. It amazes me that people are so primitive. It was mentioned in one of the videos that humans have traveled to the moon, and protected the rights of animals, yet we continue to neglect the simplest of human rights. Everybody has the right to freedom and equality, and the fact that this idea has not been accepted by all of mankind is terrifying. If people cannot learn from history, there is no end of slavery in sight. The ignorance and greed of so many accounts for the world's inability to abolish such the unjust, inhumane policy of slavery. Although it is impossible to create a utopian society with no evil or crime, the abolition of slavery could be within our reach.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Katrina. It is extremely important for the world to be educated and informed about modern slavery. It is true that the majority of people do not know that slavery is still in existence. If the world could become educated, it would increase the possibility for reform. Gaby also brings up an important point that our government is acting as a bystander. Earlier in the year we discussed the idea of America being the worlds policemen, and the majority of the class agreed that it was justified for the US to intervene if it was to protect human rights. Modern slavery would definitely fall into the category of human rights, and aid from the US could be extremely beneficial.
ReplyDeleteThe story of Noah and Ham is such a far stretch from what its true meaning is. All it has to do with slavery is… nothing… People need to find an excuse to justify their cruelty and find an unexplainable scapegoat. This scapegoat happens to be people of color. After watching the video on children being sold into sex slavery horrifies and petrifies me. The fact their parents would abandon them, or beat them because they won’t have sex with an elderly man, shows how we have come nowhere to becoming a great union nor humane humans. The statistic showing that the sex industry has made more money than Nike, Google, and Starbucks combined is beyond appalling and scary. Selfishly minded people do not realize what is going on this world, and we just use these innocent girls and boys for our own personal gain. We need to really ask ourselves, what is going on in this world. We need to demand change and know that one bad action can have such a great domino effect on someone. This is clearly supported by the girls in the video saying, they give good oral by calling it “yum yum” which is extremely depressing. These girls lose their virginity to a random person, become corrupted at ages such as 10, and do not understand why such horrific things are happening to them. The fact that they can’t live a normal life to how we do makes me realize how thankful I am, yet make me really contemplate about what I can do to help this world out. WE haven’t come very far in this world because we stick to our old ways, forcing people into slavery, forcing kids into war, beating them. I feel we have gotten worse now that I’ve seen these articles and videos because I believed that we became more cohesive as a nation with no segregation or anything but we have become the total opposite. While little girls losing their virginity at ages almost as early as 7, while we get our checks and big dollar bills is just saddening and proves we really need a reality check.
ReplyDeleteEsther Lee
I also agree with Christine because of the fact that such a serious subject cannot be supported by such a sacred thing as the bible. Whoever started the belief, was wrong and self minded and did not know what he/she was talking about. Slavery is not supported by God. End of story. I was also agree with her about the fact that I was also shocked at how intense the slavery business was in the world and did not expect to find out such great numbers of kids sold into the sex business. I did not realize the extremity and severity of the situations but now I know. We need to address this issue and bring it up so that more people are aware of what is going on and we vote or do something to get rid of this situation because this is just morally wrong!
ReplyDeleteI so appreciated the depth of feeling you all shared here. thank you for taking it in, for thinking about it, for letting it impact you. that matters to me.
ReplyDeleteRockenbach
Time and time again in history, people have manipulated information such as text from the bible and molded it to an ideal so fittingly that it causes the general public to feel the same way. Once this idea that seems to fit like a glove as to repel the arguments that cite the lack of credible context, as in the story of Ham, catch on, their influence grows exponentially, as few individuals actually look into the text of the story, rather they think a tale in the bible that supposedly proves that God supports slavery sounds dandy. In the history of the U.S. Many men in powerful positions also used their resources to endorse an interpretation such as this, as slavery was a driving force of the economy and someone such as a plantation owner might want to keep this horrendous and morally devoid institution around a little longer so that he may live a little more comfortably. This lopsided moral justification baffles me. Although, at first glance it seems as though bounding leaps have been made towards the abolition of slavery, as it was mentioned that it is illegal everywhere in the world, as one looks deeper, it is realized that it is more prevalent than ever before. The difference in how expendable the slaves were in the past and how expendable they are now is astonishing. This was horribly portrayed through the video as the young girls were competing for potential clients knowing that if they aren't productive assets for their owner, they are deemed worthless and subsequently discarded like trash. How an individual of the same species as me can have the capacity of participating in the enslavement of others and treat them in ways highlighted by the video exceeds all boundaries of the concepts I can possibly fathom. The figure that compared the average price of slaves of $40,000 vs $90 really put it to perspective, how little of the fight vs slavery humankind as actually won. The Ghana images from the video put a horrifying and menacing face to this awful reality that plagues us All this information along with that very powerful video really brought to light how little I know about the suffering mankind deals with.
ReplyDeleteIn response to a few points brought up by my classmates, the shock and disbelief Gaby mentioned is definitely apparent within me as well. When Gaby mentioned that the two women were lured by the promises of opportunity, its upsetting because it sort of mars the pristine ideal of the "American Dream". America, the land of opportunity (but think twice because you might be enslaved), that remark within the parentheses will now forever be the fine print I see whenever I hear those words. Alluding to Cory's point, the fact that this institution is fueled by profit hungry individuals is disgusting. The fact that there are people who are so entrenched in their thirst for wealth that they fail to see the absolute annihilation of the human soul that their crimes inflict, is a huge flaw that stands out regarding mankind as living, thinking entities. And finally, in response to Anna's point, slavery further mars American ideals this country was built on, as 20,000 people are enslaved in the so-called "Land of the Free". The statistic clarifying that half of this number represents children is another statistic that is incomprehensible to me. A number so large, an age so young, and a crime so horrific, I cannot even contemplate.
ReplyDeleteThe two above comments were written by Greg.
ReplyDelete