In a blatantly political move designed to keep President Obama from hogging all the good apologies, the United States Senate has apologized for slavery.
Here’s how the Wall Street Journal reported it:
The U.S. Senate approved a fiercely worded resolution Thursday that attempts to formally apologize for the “fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery” of African-Americans.
The unanimous voice vote came five months after Barack Obama became the first black U.S. president, and ahead of the June 19 “Juneteenth” celebration of the emancipation of African-Americans at the end of the Civil War in 1865.
Approval by the House of Representatives, which could come as early as next week, would make it the first time the entire Congress has formally apologized on behalf of the American people…”
Right. We understand that slavery was cruel and inhumane. But don’t apologize on our behalf. Our grandparents were still wearing wooden shoes in Holland 50 years after slavery was abolished. They had nothing to do with slavery. Neither did we.
While the Senate’s in an apologizing mood, maybe they could apologize for some other stuff. Like that plaid sports coat my dad wore to church every Sunday. Pat Boone records. Spaghetti-Os. Afro perms. Leisure suits. Car 54, Where Are You. MTV. White bread. Yanni. The Black Sox scandal. Joe Biden’s hairplugs. The 1958 Cadillac. Barry Bonds.
Maybe the Senate could even get a head start and apologize now for the reparations movement their slavery apology is sure to inspire.
Source: Wall Street Journal
This post was last modified on January 26, 2021
View Comments (23)
Sorry, where I posted "(folks like you and jim j)" I actually meant to say "like you and roy lee"...you know, that caps lock happy freak crying about how badly HE deserves reparations to heal the gaping wounds HE endlessly suffers resulting from the traumatic and brutal captivity of...his ancestors 100s of years ago. Yeah I suspect of ol' roy that if he were to lose a a completely estranged relative in a car accident with a drunk driver where the driver also perished, he'd run to any nearest by associate of the culprit demanding they apologize and pay him damages. I wonder if someone like him even cares about his people at all, as much as he does attention, pity, being sanctimonious.
The fact that you james, supported that heinously self-serving, NoI-esque verbal diarrhea pretty much says it all. I don't think you care about truth..which should have been evident by your trying not once but TWICE (and twice without evidence at hand), to pass off that b.s. about Africans apologizing for slavery (and no, "a matter of record" doesn't cut it). Come to think of it you've only been assed to backup very few claims. You try to come off as calm, reserved, and just looking for a "reasonable compromise" but when it comes down to it you're a race-baiter. A company apologizes on it's behalf for actions reflective of it's present ONLY. It should be the same with the U.S, and if you can give an example where America's apologized for otherwise, I can probably find examples people objecting to it. What one can't help but wonder, is what the ultimate end goal in all this? For example, let's say that Africans HAD apologized for slavery(pretending to live in your fantasy land for a moment)...that doesn't even actually change what happened, does it? Just like Americans apologizing wouldn't. NOTHING, not apologies, not reparations, will change the past. Or pretty much the present for that matter. Even if you got your money and your heartfelt apology, would you really (folks like you and jim j), truly forgive whitey? Would it improve race relations?
Have "almost apologies" in the form of school education about racism/apartheid/slavery, black history month, affirmative action/quotas and government assisted income done so much to "heal wounds"? Obviously not, if you're still feeling so damaged over the past. And yet, more money is the answer to something so complex, huh?
Right, any wonder people aren't buying this like they used to.
James, you are correct. As a former social studies teacher and the recipient of a B.S. in History, I find that Roy is in the neighborhood of accurate. By deleting my own comment, I was merely trying to follow through with the old adage of not saying anything at all because I was typing hurtful things. I was simply amazed at how much of the message is lost when the syntax is incorrect (and the caps button is stuck). My deleted comment essentially stated that I would be willing to contribute to the reparations myself if some of the remuneration were to be utilized in a course of study that would result in the strengthening of ones literary skills.
Jim, at least Roy has most of his facts straight. It's amazing how many people are confused about this history and its consequences.
Comment deleted
Roy, if you don't stop shouting with all caps, I'm gonna have to kick you outta here.
WHAT ABOUT JIM CROW LAWS THE GOVERNMENT PASS. WHAT ABOUT THE SLAVERY LAWS THE USA GOVERNMENT LEGALLY PASS ..IT OK TO HAVE SLAVES .THIS COUNTRY FOUNDATION WAS SLAVERY THAT WAS THE ENIGINE THAT MORE THE ECNOMY FREE LABORSO THE USA GOVERNMENT NEED TO PAY REPARATION THE DESCENDENT OF SLAVERS
LOOK WHITE PEOPLE MUST HATE BLACK PEOPLE.... JUST READ WHAT YOU ARE SAYING ....TOO TAKE A HUMAN BEING RAPE.BEAT, WORK TIL SUN UP TIL SUN DOWN ....FOR FREE...EAT THE POOREST FOODS YOU MAY NOT HAVE EATEN FOR DAYS ....THIS WAS THE CASE FOR THE CHILDERN . LOOK YOU SAY WAR ...THE BLACKMEN AND WOMAN FIGHT IN EVERY WAR THIS COUNTRY HAD ,CIVIL WAR... WORLD WAR 1AND 2 NAME A WAR BLACK PEOPLE WAS FIGHTING IN IT FOR A AMERICA...CIVIL WAR WAS NOT OUT ABLE HELPING BLACKS BECOME FREE ..IT WAS MONEY THE SOUTH OUT PRODUCEING NORTH... IN OTHER WORDS THE SOUTH WAS RICH AND POWERFUL THE NORTH WAS NOT...THE NORTH DID NOT LIKE THAT .SO TO CHANGE THAT SECNE THE NORTH HAD THE VOTEING POWER THE CONGRESS AND SENATE THEY VOTED TO END SLAVERY..SEE THE NORTH COULD NOT OUT PRODUCE THE SOUTH IT WAS FREE LABOR..THEY NEW THEY COULD KEEP BLACKS 3 CLASS CITZENS. IT WAS ABOUT KEEPING THE UNION ONE AND TAKING POWER FROM THE SOUTH..
SO LOOK YOU NEED TO SAY CAN I GO THROUGH WHAT THEY GO THROUGH.. O IF YOU HAVE FEELING FOR THE JEWS YOU SHOULD HAVE FEELING FOR BLACK PEOPLE ...FOR WHAT THE JEWS WAS IN FOR 5 TO 10 YEARS THE BLACK PEOPLE WAS IN 400 YEARS ...REPARATION IS A GREAT AND SMALLTHING TO DO AND TOO HEAL THE WOUNDS ON BOTH SIDE...
Wow, could you more blatantly have pulled that out of your rear?
Ordinarily, I would think this means it isn't true. However, it's a matter of record.
The point was, genius, that NOBODY should be apologize for anything they are not directly at fault for.
I couldn't agree more. The more subtle issue, though, is whether an institution (such as a company, nation, or society) should apologize in its own name for its own past actions.
We have companies and other institutions apologize for their actions all the time, even if the most of the employees (even the company president) weren't responsible.
The U.S. has apologized for many actions, yet rarely does anyone object that not all U.S. citizens were personally responsible, or feel that a U.S. apology amounts to a personal apology from them.
What's different about this case?
You appear to have a lot to learn not only about Africa, but the history of the world at large…and if not, then you have some serious bigotry to work through.
Okay, enlighten me. I was right about African societies apologizing for their role in the slave trade. What do you think I need to learn about Africa, or world history?
As for my "bigotry," just who do you think I'm prejudiced against?
"African societies *have* apologized for slavery"
Wow, could you more blatantly have pulled that out of your rear? Africans apologizing for something most people know STILL occurs in Africa to this day? The point was, genius, that NOBODY should be apologize for anything they are not directly at fault for. Nearly every group of people in the world would be apologizing for something if we all decided to take responsibility for questionable actions from our ancestors. You appear to have a lot to learn not only about Africa, but the history of the world at large...and if not, then you have some serious bigotry to work through.