My ancestor did murder millions of innocent people. Nor did any other confederate soldier for that matter. They supported a system that murdered countless innocent people.
So, at best they would be compared to rank and file German soldiers.
My ancestor did murder millions of innocent people. Nor did any other confederate soldier for that matter. They supported a system that murdered countless innocent people.
So, at best they would be compared to rank and file German soldiers.
Honestly, I felt like an asshole not helping, and she didn’t offer them anything for their help. Looking back maybe that was a sign. But yeah I thought that these 2 guys that got her car running deserved at least a 12 pack of beer each (remember we are talking mid 90s prices). So, I gave them a 20. Plus if I’m being 100% honest. I was probably trying to look cool. It did not impress. Heh
You say that the US was unique, but once again we have proof that tons of slaves were used to do dangerous jobs like mining for thousands of years. We know about their high mortality rates. The Spartans famously had more slaves than citizens. It’s a large part of why they were the way they were. Slavery is a very unfortunate part of human history.
In mor recent times. European nations cut out the middle man and just enslaved large swaths of Africa. There is nothing unique about the USA except the civil war.
I mean right now slavery is still a thing in places like China and the Middle East. Hell, it’s still a thing in the USA. Legally! There is legal slavery in the US through prisons.
None of these facts make slavery any less terrible. But also, we can’t deny that for most of history humans have been disgusting ghouls.
One day people will look back on us and talk about how horrible we were. How we destroyed the planet. They will hate us for our abuse of the planet. They will paint us with the same broad brush that you currently wield.
But right now, in this moment, you and I know that we are just trying to live within what is considered acceptable for the time. We have to have things that come in packages that pollute the very blood that flows through our veins. We have to use vehicles that pollute the air in our lungs.
We are also simultaneously terrible and just a normal human. We are also just doing the best we can with the flawed knowledge we have. But hopefully we learned something from the humans that came before us and repeat as few mistakes as possible.
Well, cheers I guess. People are complicated. I guess that I can acknowledge that a person is flawed. While still admitting that they were probably a flawed human doing the best they could with the flawed information they had. You and I included.
I hope that one day you too will be able to see monsters for the humans they really are.
Well, when she and I talked, she said that she had an arrangement with several bars around the city. Where she would buy those test tube shots and walk around and sell them. Then give the bar a cut of the profits. She went to gay bars and country bars, and dance clubs.
I think the seedy gay bar part says more about me than her if I’m being honest. Heh.
So, I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I’m going to attempt to explain, but I just want it to be known that I don’t condone slavery. Because I think that you think that I’m celebrating my ancestry. I am not. I am acknowledging that without that person I wouldn’t be here, and maybe don’t piss on his grave. Maybe don’t piss on anyone’s grave except for GG Allen’s grave. I think he would have been cool with it.
So, here we go with the explanation.
Even Thomas Jefferson wasn’t that long ago in the eyes of history. I’m talking for all of human history. The Greeks, The Romans, the Egyptians. All of these cultures had slaves far longer than the US has been a thing.
Slavery was a thing for thousands if not 10s of thousands of years. I’m sure that the occasional person thought slavery was bad, but it wasn’t really a movement of any kind until a 2 to 3 hundred years ago.
Right. What I was saying is. Calling the civil war the “war of northern aggression” may make some of the racists that currently live in the northern states upset.
I meant northern as a literal geographic area. Like how Oregon is in the north. As opposed to some arbitrary line like the 31st parallel, or the mason Dixon line.
No, much like I said in my comment. Now, just like then. The racists are everywhere. They are in the north and the south. Trump welcomes racists from all over the US irregardless of geographical location.
I think everything on the internet should be taken with a grain of salt.
Even my ramblings. I tell them to the best of my memory, but memory is a funny thing, and your only hearing my side of the story.
So, one day I’m riding down the road. I’m like 17 or so. I see this super hot red head chick broke down on the side of the road. At the time (in the mid 90s) I was driving a 73 Volkswagen super beetle. Because of my shit car I knew what it was like to be stranded. So, I decided to pull over and see if she needed help.
I get out of my car and immediately realized that these 2 greasy looking middle aged guys were working on her car. I told her I just wanted to make sure she was ok. But it looks like she already has help so I’ll leave.
That’s when she says “Wait, your MJGS right?” I’m like,”Why yes I am”. She says “I’m Stephanie smith we went to school together.” She then says “Please stay, I don’t know these guys and I don’t trust them.”
I agreed and we talked for close to two hours. We laughed and talked about what happened to people we went to school with. Everything was perfect.
The two guys got her car running and left. I gave the guys like $20 or something for their help. It was all I had.
So she and I go to leave, and I stop and ask her if I can have her number. I figured we could go out sometime. After all we had just had a great time chatting it up.
All of a sudden like someone poured cold water over her head. The smile was gone and she looked me in the windows of my soul and said “You used to make fun of me in school.” I said “I swear I don’t remember that, but if I did I’m sorry.” She said “Yeah, you were a real ass hole to me fuck you. The answer is no.” That was one of the only times in my life I was left speechless with my mouth open. I just bowed my head, got in my car, and drove off.
I guess the moral of the story is. Sometimes making a joke at someone else’s expense may not be a huge deal to the person making fun. But it’s a big fucking deal to the person on the receiving end. To this day I don’t remember ever saying anything bad about her. I’m not calling her a liar. I probably did. I just don’t remember it.
I didn’t escape school unscathed. I had people that were super shitty to me too. But that’s a different story. For a different time.
I ran into that chick again about 6 years ago. In our mid 30s. She was a “shot girl” in a seedy gay bar. We talked about the good ole days for a long time. I did not ask for her number again.
Ahhh I see. Well I’m not gay, but I’m not really straight either. However, I never picked anyone up from the gay bars. This particular gay bar was a private club. That means that when all the other bars closed at 2am. This place was still open. Hell, this particular gay bar was open on Christmas morning. I’ve gone in there on Christmas morning and it’s just 3 people sitting there me included.