I agree but let me tell you a story that orally given to my great-great grandfather form his father.
In 1854 my great-great-great grandfather came to the US from Ireland. He got a job building railroads out in the US West.
Well when thy came where they had to blast rock for the train track tunnels it was a tricky job back then so many workers got killed or maimed in the blastings.
There were three principal ethnic groups that worked on the railroad-Irish, Chinese Coolies and black slaves.
When there was blasting the boss would send only Irish or Chinese-because if they died they didn't get paid on Friday-if the black slave died it was a loss property around $2k.
I live in this country because my great grandfather's brother died in a dynamite accident, working in a stone quarry in England. My great grandfather then came to the US to work in another quarry, cutting stone for the Erie Canal.
The problem is that the narrative has it that 'blacks had it bad' and 'whites had it good'-and, on the average correct-but the stories like mine and yours illustrate that the Woke narrative is much too simple and Manichean like all their values.
No, that's not correct about whites having it good. Most whites did NOT own slaves and had an extremely hard existence just staying alive. Blacks were well cared-for by their owners because they were valuable property. The vast majority of whites throughout the budding United States lived a "hand to mouth" existence and struggled to survive!
Have you seen what a “steel driving” man like John Henry had to do to bore the holes for dynamite charges. One holding the spike and one banging on it with a sledge hammer. No thanks.
I agree but let me tell you a story that orally given to my great-great grandfather form his father.
In 1854 my great-great-great grandfather came to the US from Ireland. He got a job building railroads out in the US West.
Well when thy came where they had to blast rock for the train track tunnels it was a tricky job back then so many workers got killed or maimed in the blastings.
There were three principal ethnic groups that worked on the railroad-Irish, Chinese Coolies and black slaves.
When there was blasting the boss would send only Irish or Chinese-because if they died they didn't get paid on Friday-if the black slave died it was a loss property around $2k.
So there are many nuances.
I live in this country because my great grandfather's brother died in a dynamite accident, working in a stone quarry in England. My great grandfather then came to the US to work in another quarry, cutting stone for the Erie Canal.
The problem is that the narrative has it that 'blacks had it bad' and 'whites had it good'-and, on the average correct-but the stories like mine and yours illustrate that the Woke narrative is much too simple and Manichean like all their values.
No, that's not correct about whites having it good. Most whites did NOT own slaves and had an extremely hard existence just staying alive. Blacks were well cared-for by their owners because they were valuable property. The vast majority of whites throughout the budding United States lived a "hand to mouth" existence and struggled to survive!
You are generalizing.
In my humble opinion, in the main, it was better to not be a slave than to be a slave-yet there are exceptions as I have offered above.
In the case of blacks, it was better to be a slave.
Have you seen what a “steel driving” man like John Henry had to do to bore the holes for dynamite charges. One holding the spike and one banging on it with a sledge hammer. No thanks.
That's horrible, but some elites tend to feel entitled to treat people in abusive ways.