Thankful for slavery?

So, I think that I've found a prime candidate for natural de-selection...

I just read this unbelievably offensive editorial by columnist Adele Ferguson. In it, she makes the argument that God somehow used slavery to help blacks and that we should be thankful that we are here in the U.S. She's also baffled why so many of her black "brothers and sisters" support the Democrats since she thinks they are responsible for our conditions.

Rather than try to aggregate blacks in one category based on her interactions, wouldn't it have been easier for her to ask why some blacks supported the Democrats? The truth is: I'm not a fan of Democrats. I never have been. They're just as guilty of sustaining the permanent underclass status of blacks as Republicans are. So, to that extent, I agree. Blacks shouldn't support Democrats just because they tolerate us a little more than Republicans.

But, it's very easy to get lost in her message after reading the first paragraph where she tries to use, what I call, the "history card", by claiming that we should be grateful for the opportunity to be in America; even if it meant going through slavery. She goes on to juxtapose the Middle Passage to other movements involving indigent groups who had to 'endure hardship' in this country. I'm speechless.

Apparently, so many people complained about the article that it was pulled from circulation. However, it wasn't before it was copied, pasted, and emailed to several people/groups.

Now, I'm not in a fan of censorship in any form. A fellow blogger recently posted a compelling entry that shares in my sentiments. Censorship, unless done to protect a person's physical well-being, is hypocritical and a blatant violation of the First Ammendment. And, yes, this includes censoring Fergusen's nonsense. So, to that end, she has my support.

But, at the same time, I think that it's imperative for a person who steps on this type of platform to be knowledgable about the subject on which they are commenting. It appears to me, from this article, that this woman truly is ignorant of history and doesn't really know anything about the conditions that our ancestors had to endure aboard those slave ships. I mean, you had men, women, and children alike crammed into every available nook and cranny. They were denied adequate room, fed diseased and contaminated food (if they were even fed at all), and left to wallow in their own human waste. The conditions were absolutely appalling. The atmosphere was so inhumane, in fact, that many died before they ever set foot on these shores; whether from the conditions or from suicide. Some historians say that the death toll was in the hundreds of millions. How someone could callously say, "we should be thankful" for slavery simply amazes me.

But, again, I'm not for censorship. I can't be. I mean, if I became too much of a proponent of silencing others for their beliefs, then that would mean that half of my blog would be deleted. However, if someone were to...let's say... 'accidentally' blow up this lady's computer and place her in an asylum, I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it. Hint, hint.

- ACL