Monday, September 23, 2013
The Old and The New
Slavery has been a part of many societies around the world beginning with some of the earliest civilizations. What we may not realize is that this institution still exists. Read through the following link from BBC News and answer the following questions with well supported answers in at least one paragraph per question.
The questions:
1. Why does slavery exist?
2. How has slavery changed and stayed the same compared to the traditional form that we’ve studied?
Here's the link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/world/slavery/default.stm
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1. Slavery exists because people are conscious and intelligent and ambitious, and this ambition, this desire for progress, blocks out compassion and logic. There are conflicting universes in the human brain: the one that exists only for that person, and which causes them to do selfish things that hurt others, and the one that is infinite and almost impossible to imagine. The second universe is the one where class, ethnicity, sex, even species sometimes don't exist, and all that exists is life. But humans often forget or ignore that second universe because it gets in the way of their earthly desires for wealth and power. Slavery is the result of people being overcome by the intensity of their own universes. They are blinded by greed, to such an extent that they can't see beyond their own minds. They do terrible things to people who they consider lesser than themselves, or at least unfortunate or stupid enough to deserve lives in bondage. Slavery happens when people become bodies, mindless, soulless bodies. Of course they aren't just bodies, but when people can't see beyond their own minds, they certainly can't see other people's minds.
ReplyDelete2. Slavery has become a shameful thing, one that must be hidden, whereas traditional slavery was boasted. People used to use slaves to show their wealth and status. Now the truth of it is being obscured by governments and the media because people know that it is wrong. But, like in the traditional sense, slavery today is considered necessary by those who control it. Slave masters say that it can't be helped, and they try to justify it by saying that the girls and children forced into the slave trade entered it willingly. Parents who sell their children into slavery do it for money. The modern slave trade is mostly involving children, whereas the traditional slave trade involved both adults and children. Slaves are not used as much for heavy labor like farming in the 21st century, but for industrial tasks like weaving and spinning. Prostitution, though common in the ancient slave trade, was not the main reason girls and women were enslaved, as it is today. Slaves today are not considered property, though they are bought and sold, but they are considered chained to their masters by debt. Once they pay off the debt, they are free, although it is nearly impossible for them to do that. Traditional slaves were not freed unless they ran away to a place without slavery. Modern slavery does not pass from generation to generation as traditional slavery did. However, like traditional slaves, modern slaves (often children) are denied education and career opportunities, which keeps them dependent on their masters. Slavery is still the practice of essentially owning people and forcing them into labor against their will. There have been some changes, but in essence it is the same.
1. Slavery exists because people’s greed overpowers their sense of humanity. We forget that we are all fellow humans on this planet, not mere chains on a ladder to be trod on. This is exactly how slaves are used; they are mistreated to maximize the earnings of the slave-owner in an effort to climb to the top of society. Unpaid slaves allow for a greater profit margin, so they are preferred to paid workers. But the heart of the issue is that slave-masters’ greed all to often overpowers their consciences. It is not always individual persons responsible for the trafficking, though. With such a powerful institution established, many people just tap into the profits of this lucrative employment structure. They are willing to talk themselves out of the sorry truth of the matter because their desire for wealth, power, and status far exceeds their capacities for empathy.
ReplyDelete2. Slavery has changed in that, in most places, it is technically illegal. But this doesn’t stop covert operations. Slavery has become less obvious than the blatant slave-hunters bringing African people to the Americas to work on plantations. Now there are low-key groups that lie about the actual destination of children or future slaves, so that they will easily comply, believing it to be an opportunity for life improvement. Although illegal, slavery can be more sinister now than traditionally, because it is so secretive.
Slavery is, however, similar to how it always has been. A population of disadvantaged people is subjugated to provide for the wants of a more powerful group. Though sex trafficking has perhaps grown in frequency, many slaves are still used in industry and agriculture. And many times they are not out-right slaves, but their job description is essentially the same. For example, the prison-work camps in China force inmates to do the work of slaves, but their criminal status makes this work legal. The institution of slavery is very similar to how it has always been, with some changes as to the exact occupations of slaves and the organization of the trade.