I know there are posters on here who see stepping into their opponents perspective as a dangerous and pointless endeavour that gives undue worth to a viewpoint they despise, but purely as a mental exercise theres usually something to be said for examining your opponents strongest argument instead of their weakest. Presumably there were normal times when food was cheap that you fed your workers and didnt seek to replace them in the way Olusoga means. I assume these were usually killed before Europeans turned up and bought them. Thats why when the question is raised, I always point out that they owe me lots and lots of money. It is about the centuries-long engagement with Africa, a consequence of which is the black presence in Britain. In America few were castrated, which is why there are now >40 million descendants there. Very little sugar on the mainland. Sugar plantations were bad. Long after he had published Corydon, his defence of pederasty. More than a million copies were sold in Britain cheap pirated versions reached a mass readership. His rhetoric is to inflame the reader. Theres an argument about judging people by the standard of their times, though even in the 1500s moral and religious objections to the slave trade had been made and the rationale of crimes against humanity is that some things are so abhorrent they could never truly be legal no matter what moral code the perpetrators justified themselves with. Forbes magazine's extraordinarily arrogant contributor Tim Worstall Jeremy Corbyn. We pretend we do not like slavery but actually we do not like slave traders. The Sokoto Caliphate probably had as many slaves and a lot fewer free men as the Old South. The world has seen more slavery since its abolition than before. Hes insisting that a household headed by a 21 year old black should have the average wealth of all white households. . Peter Pan & Wendy is a live-action reimagining of the J.M . One of his teachers had a coffee mug bearing a National Front slogan and another attacked him during a school trip, he said. BZZZTT!! Theres probably more mileage in my country, or at least its historical incarnation, fought against it because unlike the actual people involved, the state is still around. "They do not want British history to be a catalogue of heroes and victories and glorious chapters," he says. In 1860, cotton goods accounted for 40 per cent of all British exports. If Olusoga is looking for apologies or compensation for slavery, I am quite prepared to meet him, accept his apology, togehr with cash, cheque or even a postal order. The publication in 1852 of Uncle Toms Cabin, by the American abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, swelled national sympathy for the plight of black slaves. But Muslims were enslaving white Europeans into Africa long before the Atlantic route, usually castrating the males. There is an alternative argument that it is their ancestors who were wronged hence deserve compensation and as descendants theyre entitled to an inherited share (so their portion depends on how many slaves at what position in the family tree) plus interest, regardless of how well theyre doing now. Cest de la trs bonne dialectique conomique. Moreover its arguably unjust that only victims of still-extant states have a route to compensation whereas people from ethnic groups roughly contemporaneously massacred, enslaved and sacrificed by the Aztec Empire have nobody to sue. Maybe heard of Saint Balthild, seventh-century English lass sold into slavery, exported to the Continent, served in a palace and ended up marrying the Frankish King?). In 1861, the Economist stated that nearly four million people in Britain depended directly and indirectly on the cotton industry; a fifth of the entire population. Youre right, MBE. His exposure to Nigerian culture seems quite limited. Or anything to do with slavery. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Blacks like Mr Olusoga despite endlessly banging on about it seem to overlook the fact that they are in a minority. We aint paying no goddam reparations & no-ones gonna make us. If there were African states with legal continuity to those political entities which established and encouraged the African slave markets, they would be on the hook too, but theres a discontinuity due to colonialism and besides, everyone knows to sue the rich guy not the poor guy. And he might not find the society withdraws it nearly as comfortable for him to live in. But that is not the argument I am making. Black and British: A Forgotten History addresses one of the greatest silences in British historiography. They arent going to concede anything. That someone did something 200 years ago means double ought nothing.. So 10.416 were sold by the Africans every month for one hundred years, There will be no peace on this issue until black people acknowledge their own responsibility for the trade. "I first read it as a student and it struck me as something that was very different to other things I was reading about the Atlantic slave trade. This is nothing to do with slavery or as with black lives matter, blacks being shot, and everything to do with a shakedown of the white man. Obama had none. My first reaction, years and years ago, was thats awful. They all get it from White people inciting violence. Even Bill Clinton had affinity for the USA. Get back to us when your sin/privilege is expunged. Its extraordinary success rested upon the foundation of sympathy laid down during the previous 70 years of abolitionist activity in Britain. People seem pretty much agreed on what is right and what is wrong. But slaves were more valuable, so the British fought the Spanish for a share in the trade and eventually came to dominate it. And so many hundreds of thousands of British workers were directly dependent on slavery (from sailors to those who built, rigged and repaired ships) that it was easy to turn a blind eye to the inhumanity. The people in Portland, Seattle and Kenosha are too decadent to fight back. As for the future, the University of Manchester professor says younger generations give him hope. Olusoga poses as an objective historian and says he is not there to bring comfort to people. BLM is after political or financial advantages because of slavery. He is the undisputed King of the Internet Pedants and Lord of the Unnecessary Snark. They also ran a slave trade to the Ottoman empire and white slavery in the north without any help from Europeans. Of course if a rule was instituted that only people with white skins had to pay taxes, it might happen. Nobody will stop you, honest. It's possibly a deeper change than some people realise because I don't think what we're living through is a series of political events; I think we're living through a generational shift," he says. Its been banned for two centuries in Britain. Equiano is also mentioned in Incomparable World, a novel by SI Martin, which was selected by Booker award-winning author Bernardine Evaristo for her Black Britain: Writing Back series. The Russians do not have these problems because they are not ashamed. Video1894 shipwreck confirms tale of treacherous lifeboat, How 10% of Nigerian registered voters delivered victory, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip. That is a strawman argument at its best. That was at the least unusual, particularly from a West European perspective bearing in mind the practice of slavery had pretty much fizzled out there. But its still awful, even on a historical scale. Read about our approach to external linking. You may concede a point here, a point there. His black half can get the half-payment direct from his white half. Particularly as nowadays anyone who dares even look at someone a few days below the age of consent is believed to be an incorrigible nonce who deserves hanging, castration, or castration by hanging. I am of Ulster Scot heritage, who were originally John Knoxs Cumberland Presbyterians, VERY MUCH against slavery. This history of the black presence in . A House Through Time returned to BBC Two in May for its third season, and once again is fronted by historian extraordinaire David Olusoga. Sooner or later, we whites are going to have to take a stand, and say we aint taking this any more. Should almost go without saying except of course that it doesnt, since clearly not every culture has the same moral gut reaction to it that I do. Over 1000 years in Britain. That may have caused more violence. Certainly they killed them casually often for religious reasons. He has discovered new and exciting research materials in African archives, among them the Register of Liberated Africans in Sierra Leone, which list names, bodily details, ethnicity and origins, thus putting a human face on people otherwise treated as fodder and statistics. "They're not looking to history only to make them feel good and give them comfort, but they're looking to history to tell them things about truths about their society that we have traditionally edited out of British history.". It could not have happened at all unless African traders and kings had offered slaves to the Europeans. "This is a richer history as well as a necessary history; this is a more vivid history as well as a history that tells the back stories of more people in this country than the traditional narratives we've had.". I am happy with Olusogo paying reparations to himself. The race obsessed Department of Education goes to considerable lengths to distinguish Caribbeans and West Africans. I know. That needs to change, The autonomous future is nearly here with Wejo, The need to grow Londons EV infrastructure at speed and scale, From royal trumpeter to chief diver, Miranda Kaufmann uncovers the Africans of Tudor Britain, The big consultancy con, with Mariana Mazzucato, The rise and fall of Nicola Sturgeon Audio Long Reads, Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance, HR, Training and Organisational Development, Information and Communications Technology, Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives, Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities, Science and Technical Research and Development. June 16, 2020 - 20:29 BST Aisha Nozari. They may have been turning people they would have killed into a profitable commodity. Shipwrecked off the coast of Africa, he, and other survivors, were taken by an African tribe as captives. Their cities, as well as their comfort, will rapidly decay. It's against this backdrop that Black British History Month was created. And yet Africans and West Indians were banned from the victory parade in 1919. In the late 1800's and early 1900's, 30,000 Jewish migrants from Russia and Eastern Europe settled in Manchester. 7 years was the average working lifespan so it is said. There is no reason to think that slavery was nicer in Africa. Prof David Olusoga has presented numerous documentaries including A House Through Time and Black and Black and British: A Forgotten History, Olaudah Equiano played a role in Britain's abolishment of slavery, Performer Giles Terera has written a play featuring Equiano, Prof Olusoga said when it was published, people did not believe the book was by an African as it was deemed so well written, Bernardine Evaristo (second left) has launched a series called Black Britain: Writing Back which features novels by black British authors that have been overlooked, Should black history be taught all year round? Though I dont know where wed get $12 trillion in Confederate currency. Surely the US has already spent much more than that on black Americans. I know there are posters on here who see stepping into their opponents perspective as a dangerous and pointless endeavour that gives undue worth to a viewpoint they despise, but purely as a mental exercise theres usually something to be said for examining your opponents strongest argument instead of their weakest. "They look to history not just for inspiration and comfort, not just for heroes and for glorious chapters; they look for history expecting to find challenging stories, painful stories, dark truths, villains as well as heroes. Britain was happy to force the Bevan Boys down coal mines. Sugar was king: originally a luxury, it became one of the main sources of calories for the British poor. Olusoga unloads all sorts of characterizations. My argument is that Africans were probably happily killing each other for women before the West turned up. The evidence of this is that seasoned slaves, those exposed to the environment, sold for up to 50% more than new ones. It isnt going to happen anyway. Both of these need proof. And the transatlantic slave trade? Indeed in many cases, whose ancestors didnt even live in France or England at the relevant time. Both groups today, especially the former, could reasonably claim historic persecution has reduced their present income and wealth. Just how much should Olusoga receive? But you need a different approach if you dont think great-grandkids of the Confederacy are still fair game.) It is a good deed that must not go unpunished. White communities suffer huge losses from Black crime. His dad met his mom at the city's university in the 1960s. Writing in english is cultural appropriation so STFU. Those who grew rich on slavery and the slave trade were not neutral and no achievement or act of philanthropy justifies airbrushing their involvement from history.. The masses who once supported black freedom now campaigned for the Deep South. Intellectually more convincing anyway for practical and political purposes, demolishing a straw-man often makes a better video or audio clip while simultaneously making your opponents position sound stupid. This is indeed tu quoque. But werent they lucky compared to the other Germans in Stalingrad? Country Star Kacey Musgraves: Voting for Trump Is an Act of Violence. It was an apt university to experiment with such developments, since Lord Scarman, who reported on the Brixton riots of 1981, was its chancellor. First launched in London in 1987, it aims to highlight and celebrate what black people have achieved in Britain throughout history. Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. His exposure to Nigerian culture seems quite limited. Watching @worstall execute @richardjmurphy is like watching a very, very clever cat slowly killing at ataxic mouse. Reckon they found commenters guessing which parts of a hypothetical argument were meant all part of the fun, In many respects youre one of the posters here whose views on morality Im closest to our personal moralities probably being quite far apart, but I recognise mine as very much the product of my upbringing and surrounding society and know enough about other places and times to realise just how contingent that makes them. The book accompanying. How could Britain, a civilised and Christian nation, indulge in rape, torture, killing and the forced labour of Africans over two centuries? I brought up paedophilia to demonstrate that there are things not worth my time. * the legal institution and pretty much the practice He is the author of the 2016 book Black and British: A Forgotten History, which was awarded both the Longman-History Today Trustees Award 2017 and the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize 2017. They organised a boycott of sugar, produced more petitions and hosted meetings. He previously worked at JP Morgan for 18 years in a number of senior roles and was . But it is also likely that disease played a role. it was cheaper, at times, to starve people and then replace them Oh man. He writes to inflame white guilt, so that you will ACCEPT destruction of your culture. Ive always agreed that the Africans should pay reparations to the rest of us for dumping all those people they wanted to get rid of on us. Was never entirely sure which bits were believed and which bits were just a fun bit of intellectual muscle-flexing couldnt all have been intended seriously since so many posts contradicted each other. By David Dabydeen (Photo By Alamy) Nineteen eighty-four was a transformative year for David Olusoga. The New Statesmans weekly environment email on the politics, business and culture of the climate and nature crises - in your inbox every Thursday. Yet theyre so many centuries and generations removed from the crime, everybody involved with the decision-making is long-dead and while the responsible state still exists, in practice compensation comes from taxes paid by citizens who had no part in it all. And the third, fourth, fifth, and so on. In fact he is a biased political campaigner working to attack and do as much damage to Britain as he can. Yet American slave-produced raw cotton continued to feed the 4,500 mills of Lancashire. And, of course, being half white, he is only entitled to half the reparation payment. TV historian David Olusoga claims it is "palpable nonsense" to say that removing controversial statues "somehow impoverishes history". The Royal African Company, established by Charles II in 1672, eventually enslaved and transported more Africans than any other company in British history. Like I said before, tolerance is in the gift of the powerful. Should black history be taught all year round? How does it benefit anyone to make an issue about particular events? Olusogas ancestors will have participated in the capture of sale of slaves in Nigeria. The rest apart from Ireland (17, partly due to influence of aforementioned Patrick) set it younger. Olusoga is just getting even because he was attacked by the right when he was a teenager. It was far too real to her. How does importing new labour from West Africa solve the food shortage in the West Indies? The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. So is Richard Murphy. The following decades were taken up with popular and political rhetoric about immigration and parliamentary acts to limit blacks coming to Britain. It began to alter (slightly) the history curriculum at university level: the first undergraduate one-year course on black British history and culture was taught at the University of Warwick in 1984. The thing we British are ancestrally responsible for is beginning and continuing to pursue the extinction of the sordid business of slavery. Sure. Slaves were crowded in a new environment with new diseases. Wrong ?!?! He seems to be an interesting social historian and his TV series on the occupants of a single house over the centuries is very good, although I suspect a lot of the research is done by others, I look forward to an even handed expose of the entire slave trade from birth to capture, imprisonment, sale, transportation, arrival, sale, treatment and life while enslaved as well as the UKs role in stopping it, But it wont be on the BBC, and he wont be writing it I fear, @smfs It was such a brilliantly organised programme of mass protest that slavery was declared abolished in 1833: 46,000 slave owners were given 20m in compensation (17bn in todays money), the largest payout in British history and 40 per cent of all government spending that year. The details of difference are fairly minor. Theres no point pretending Europeans who profited from either the transatlantic slave trade or the use of slave labour in the Americas were somehow doing a favour to the slaves involved. It isnt happening now. That hes able to write this article is because hes living in what is, by historical standards, a remarkably tolerant society. I hadnt gotten far when she stopped me cold, pointing out that her best friend, a 15 year old girl knitting beside a window in her house, was machine gunned by an American P-51 pilot. Fryers book was monumental, inspiring conferences, publications, the setting up of local history groups, the establishment of Black History Month, and radio and television programmes. Those who grew rich on slavery and the slave trade were not neutral and no achievement or act of philanthropy justifies airbrushing their involvement from history. David Olusoga, 49, is a television presenter and historian. We do not know for sure. Olusoga brilliantly reveals such contradictions in British society. You dont have esoteric discussions with paedophiles any more than you would with serial killers. Nineteen eighty-four affected him in another way: the publication of Peter Fryers groundbreaking Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain introduced him to the scholarship needed to understand his position in Britain. In the UK its not white people enslaving blacks anymore, but Asians enslaving other Asians, as in Leicesters clothing sweatshops. They deliberately bought skewed mostly male gender balance. It happened. The enslaved Africans had to wait another five years for their freedom and were not given a penny. (Britain expended blood and treasure on ending the slave trade, and thereby paid its moral debt already is one way of trying to resolve it, but rather unsatisfactory at righting the wrongs done to those who had already fallen victim to the trade.) The strongest case I can see against reparations is not fundamentally a legal one but perhaps one degree abstracted the law if we can litigate that, we can litigate a heck of a lot of stuff from centuries past, tie our legal systems up in knots with no obvious limits in sight. Instead he has become a campaigner working to discredit Britain, the country that has educated him, promoted him and brought him fame and acceptance. He is a Cultural Marxist trying to destroy the West. Anyway, I digress, we did have at some point, a gang of pedos turn up and put their case, reasonably, and were tolerated and conversed with. Its entirely possible to think something was awful without feeling the slightest twinge of guilt or personal responsibility. A fifty quid note in the hand of the first black bloke you encounter. The vast majority of Americans are not guilty. Not good. 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