Jefferson's Pillow

[alfredjprufrock at club-internet.fr]

Hello MalignD,

Thursday, July 18, 2002, 6:55:40 PM, you wrote:

Mac> << I might be daring enough to ask if  p-listers would be willing to accept 
Mac> the not very daring proposition that racism is less the cause of slavery than 
Mac> an after the fact defense of and therefore result of it. >>

Mac> Interestingly enough, I found myself wondering along these lines while 
Mac> following the arguments around whether Washington or Jefferson or whoever was 
Mac> kind, benevolent, etc. to his slaves.  I assume, at some level there is truth 
Mac> to this phenomenon, whether true in the cases of the above-named or not, and 
Mac> not merely a whitewash of what was actually the case.  My musings, then, 
Mac> turned on why this (perhaps limited) benevolence became, a century later, 
Mac> rabid racist loathing?  When and why did a cheap workforce become a despised 
Mac> people, treated as subhuman?  Your point offers one answer -- an unbearable 
Mac> self-loathing, increasing over time, then transferred onto its cause.

forgive me but i'm not sure i understand your point; self-loathing
from whom?

-- 
Best regards,
 alfredjprufrock                            mailto:alfredjprufrock at club-internet.fr