Well, now the governor has come out with the tired "white privilege" line of reasoning.
I can see his headstone now...
Ralph "Mea Culpa" Northam
"It was allmyour parents' fault."
Whichever way the wind blows, old Ralph will be along shortly.
There's nothing civil about this war.
I apologize, in advance, to all people of Greek heritage, to all people of royal blood, and to all people who have herded cattle. Some time in the late Seventies, I appeared in a photo, published in the Baytown Sun, showing my portrayal of King Odysseus in an English class skit, wearing a silly crown, and cowboy boots. In true royal European fashion, the girl playing Queen Penelope was my cousin. I had, honestly, thought we were paying homage to Greeks and their literature, but now I know how wrong we were. I plead ig’nance.
To my knowledge, I have no Greek heritage. Gallic/Germanic on one side, Scots-Irish/Anglo on one or both sides. Blue eyes, fair skin. Yep, Western European mongrel.
I have no direct knowldege that I have any royal ancestors, though my surname may actually be a Gallicized form of a Burgundian king’s name. (He became a Catholic saint.) So, who knows? At the time of the photograph, I did not know this, so, regardless, I was pretending to be that which I was not.
Well, about those cowboy boots. I never possessed any cattle, but did help a few fellow FFA-ers with their calves, and I had a horse, at the time. Those boot heels are riding heels, not the walking heels like Coca Cola cowboys wear. (I never had a proper saddle for the task, so never attempted to work cattle from horseback.) So, on second thought, if you don’t like the boots, this town ain’t big enough for both of us, so finish yer milk, and git out!
Last edited by Rex G; 02-11-2019 at 02:32 PM.
My wife just showed me a clip of Northam being interviewed in which he refers to Africans brought to Virginia 400 years ago as "indentured servants".
He just can't open his mouth without sticking his foot deeper into his craw.
There's nothing civil about this war.
He's not necessarily wrong but careless and dumb, considering SJW's hair triggers and the scrutiny he's already under. Bad politician.
https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org...ia#start_entry
Trying to weasel word the unspeakable by calling slavery 'indentured servitude' is a faux pas. (Something he's gained quite a bit of experience with.)
Your point is well taken but generally speaking, most folks' understanding of the term implies that the contract can be fulfilled at the repayment of the debt or the expiration of a period of time. I don't think most slaves had many options in that regard.
(But totally agree that neither system was anything less than harsh under the best of circumstances.)
In any case, he'd be far better off to speak plainly...perhaps not his experience as a politician nor as a physician...dunno.
There's nothing civil about this war.
All I mean is that he's correct technically - in addition to the early deluge of white, English indentured servants there was a small number of Africans who were clearly not slaves and were freed after "paying their dues". But they were quickly supplemented and eventually replaced by enslaved Africans because that was more financially and culturally (racially) advantageous. It doesn't make slavery any less despicable nor is it a detail that needs emphasis or discussion. Pedantic and tone deaf.