Apathetic Australians?

[Aliantha]

I'm just wondering why tw brought Africa into it. I wouldn't say that it's clear Africa has been a 'safe' place ever by western standards. Up till a couple of hundred years ago (or less) tribes were being captured by whites and sold as slaves still. To this day tribal nations kill each other off indiscriminately as we've seen throughout what history we know of Africa. Not a lot has changed when the continent is taken in a broad view.

As for the boy genius, I've no idea what that's supposed to mean.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by tw

Meanwhile, and in contradiction of Hollywood fiction, large numbers of families trekked across the American frontier without guns. A typical family might have had one gun.

All the people who lived here and decided to move west had guns, at least one per family and usually one for each boy over ten years old. Hunting was an important part of their food supply. The few that were unarmed would be the ones fresh off the boat headed to the midwest, and that was not exactly the frontier, at that point.

Originally Posted by Aliantha

Up till a couple of hundred years ago (or less) tribes were being captured by whites and sold as slaves still.

The white slavers didn't capture tribes, they bought slaves from the Black and Arab slave traders that had operated in Africa for a thousand years. Slavery is not dead in Africa even today... or the rest of the world.


I think the "sunglasses dude" is referring to post 16, but no idea what it has to do with the price of beans.

[Aliantha]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

The white slavers didn't capture tribes, they bought slaves from the Black and Arab slave traders that had operated in Africa for a thousand years. Slavery is not dead in Africa even today... or the rest of the world.

Nope, slavery happens all over the place still. It's just not demonised as much when it happens in western nations because most of us prefer to believe it doesn't happen.

I think it's probably arguing semantics as to who actually did the catching of African people. Ultimately, in western history it's white people who've been the masters.

[xoxoxoBruce]

In western history, yes. I was just pointing out the white slavers didn't invent it, just took advantage of an established trade. They probably did escalate it, however, through the laws of supply and demand.

Oh wait, natives of both North and South America had slaves, but that could be considered pre-western history I suppose.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

Nope, slavery happens all over the place still. It's just not demonised as much when it happens in western nations because most of us prefer to believe it doesn't happen.

I think it's probably arguing semantics as to who actually did the catching of African people. Ultimately, in western history it's white people who've been the masters.

You are quite correct that slavery remains a modern problem in many places of the world. You are incorrect that whites captured slaves, they mostly bought them from other blacks for export tot he the US. If you look at the period when Europe dominated Africa, sure they whites were heavily involved in the slavery of Africans. This was a great read on the subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Leopold's_Ghost