should we apologise for our part in slavery?

[Richardp]

Do you think we should apologise for our countries role in the slave trade? or would it be an empty gesture? I mean it could lead on to making apologises for everything bad that our country ever did, but then again would that be a bad thing? I feel sorry for the treatment of slaves but don't feel any personal responceability for it, and so for me it would be an empty gesture.
having said that, I did once watch a programme about the slave trade and felt extreme sadness and shame at the time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4760803.stm

 

[Thermo]

strange one really. Although we did take a very big part in it, we were also responsible for stopping the trade from africa

 

[JohnD]

strange one really. Although we did take a very big part in it, we were also responsible for stopping the trade from africa

...once it became unprofitable for us.

 

[Glassman]

Why should we apologise for something which was carried out generations ago and was completely beyond our control? I think it would be an empty gesture personally.

Apart from anything else, as far as I am led to believe, black slaves were sold to the British by African (and other) black leaders at the time. Does that mean Africa should apologise to its own people too?

We should just learn from it. Just my opinion.

 

[pickles]

No

What would we be apologising for, we wern't alive then. If we apologise it suggests we are to blame which we are not

All of these things that are past living memory have to be seen in the context of when they happened. Life was a cheap commodity that could be bought and sold. We may as well apologise to the ancestors of feudal peasants who were also slaves, or the relatives of factory workers in the 18th century who had no money or choice and were forced to work in mills and heavy industry for a pittance

Lets all apologise to each other for everything bad that happened in the past in case our Ancestors might have been involved and we are on some sort of genetic guilt trip

 

[Richardp]

ok just playing devils advacardo here but if we are happy that we have nothing to feel guilty or apologise about and others would feel happy to get an apology why not just give it? everyone's happy?

 

[JohnD]

I can't apologies personally for something I didn't do, but I can express shame and regret that my country was involved in it.

If I was representing an organisation (e.g. the Anglo-Caribbean Banana, Molasses and Slave Trading Company, IG Farben, the British Empire, the Japanese Burma Railway Corporation) that was involved in something shameful, I could apologise on behalf of my organisation. My apology would be empty, though, if I didn't also try to make amends.

 

[scott1968]

Yes apologise it’s the best way to move forward.



Scott.
_____________________________________________________________

 

[splinter]

ok just playing devils advacardo here but if we are happy that we have nothing to feel guilty or apologise about and others would feel happy to get an apology why not just give it? everyone's happy?

The problem is ,how and to whom do we apoligise to,do we as a nation set aside a given time and all stand in the street and say sorry (like when we have a minutes silence)or does our goverment apoligise on our behalf.
the next part of the problem is to who do we apoligise to,a country,arace of people or ancestors of slaves ?
I think as it was part of our nations and world history it should stay in our history books,I would have like to have been able to say as a reminder to us ,as to how we use to treat fellow human-beings, not a lot has changed in that department

 

[WoodYouLike]

ok just playing devils advacardo here but if we are happy that we have nothing to feel guilty or apologise about and others would feel happy to get an apology why not just give it? everyone's happy?

I think it would be much better to make sure it never happens again! And where it does happen we take action to stop it.
Is that an apology, no, but it is a better deed IMHO (and being Dutch, our ancestors were the worst and the most profitable slave-traders; just to keep things in perspective)

 

[johnny_t]

ok just playing devils advacardo here but if we are happy that we have nothing to feel guilty or apologise about and others would feel happy to get an apology why not just give it? everyone's happy?

I often feel a bit like this - No harm done....

 

[Nige F]

strange one really. Although we did take a very big part in it, we were also responsible for stopping the trade from africa

because we got India instead........now we`ve got China and the rest for cheap(maybe near slave) labour

 

[Nige F]

ok just playing devils advacardo , but it is a better deed IMHO (and being Dutch, our ancestors were the worst and the most profitable slave-traders;

but you Gave us Caps and Dykes and strange tobacco........."Clan"and the oven

 

[WoodYouLike]

and double Dutch

 

[big-all]

a lot of the big country houses were built on the back off "trading" with other nations which includes profits made directly and indirectly by the use of slaves and enslaved people

if it wasnt for slavery and the theft of world assets [still going on now by the western world]britain france the dutch the americans and several other countries would be very poor
we can certainly and should be ashamed of the bad things in our past we certainly arnt personaly responsible
dont think we should have to appologise
doesn't mean we have to ignore the aftermath of our evil actions

as for restitution
we could try being more generous with our aid towards these counties that we have or are stripping of there natural assets