Hi Folks,
So I came across a CNN article that talks about the University of Virginia celebrating Thomas Jefferson's birthday by apologizing for the school's use of slave labor between 1819 and 1865. You can read about it HERE.
I'm sick and tired of people apologizing for things they did not do, to people who were not wronged.... "What do you mean Tom?" "Slavery is horrible, and it's an outrage the university was built on the back of slave labor, isn't it?"
That's true, slavery is wrong. I don't condone it, but here's the problem folks. Slavery in the USA happened 150-200 years ago. That means that everyone who was a slave during that time has died. It also means that everyone who owned slaves in the USA has also died.
Heck, I was born in 1978, I have no part in this history. No slave picked my cotton or called me "massa" and there's no way I'm going to apologize for "enslaving" someones ancestors because I didn't do it. Besides, who would I apologize to even if I felt like it? The 20 year old black guy selling weed on the bus home? The guy in my mailroom who is from Africa, but immigrated here 5 years ago? Maybe Oprah...?
My point is that no one on the U of V's board had anything to do with the decision to employ slave labor in the making of the school and there's no one left to apologize to. IT'S ALL OVER FOLKS! The time to apologise would have been back in the 1800's when former slaves would have been around to receive such an apology.
If folks want to be boneheaded about it, why stop there? Trace the history of everyone at the school. Any Russians out there? Might want to apologise that one of your Alumni's ancestors might have been responsible for sending millions to their deaths in in the Russian gulags. Any alumni of Roman decent? Romans were a HUGE slave society, why aren't you apologizing for that atrocity.
Remembering history and learning from those mistakes is a very good thing... Making stupid apologies for something that isn't your fault is NOT TOMLAND APPROVED
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