I think that the point here is that we should not go around condemming and being ashamed of our ancestors because our standards today did not exist in our ancestor's time and place. I have Vikings in my ancestry, but I will not condem them for how they lived. My wife has slave owners in her ancestry, and I will not condem them either. They all lived their lives within the norms that prevailed in their times and places. Who knows what kind of standards (Politically Correct or otherwise) that might exist a few generations from now? What if your great-great-great grandchildren condemmed you, and were ashamed of you, when they found out that you included oranges and apples in your diet? Or if they found out that a small amount of the electricity you used came from nuclear power plants? To be ashamed of your ancestors and to condem them is foolish, since a part of what you are came from them. Be proud of them instead. Don Erickson, Colorado Springs CO [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.pcisys.net/~don_erickson ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2002 7:49 AM Subject: [MSMARSHA-L] Re: MSMARSHA-D Digest V02 #3 > What a sad commentary from this person. He obviously does not acknowledge > the fatal beatings, the rape of enslaved women, and the unjustifiable racism > of slave owners -- to suggest that a life like this is "better than Africa" > is a slap in the face to descendants of slaves. > > In a message dated 1/3/02 8:05:33 AM Central Standard Time, > [email protected] writes: > > > Why would any one say "sad but undeniable" my family was slave owners. It > > is > > sad, that you do not understand that owning slaves was the modern > > equivalvent > > of saying "my family owned a mechanical cotton picker, a gas oven, a weed > > eater, a dish washer, an automated milking machine", etc. Slaves, at that > > time were implements! It just so happened they were people. Politicians > > and Clergy made valiant attempts to justify slavery, so your ancestors > > would not feel bad about it. All in all, many of the slaves were saved > > from a worse life back in Africa. > > While I do not justify the ownership of slaves, black, yellow, brown or > > white, to be sorry about it is to say "I'm sorry my ancestors were > > successful." > >