Sanders: 'We have got to apologize for slavery

[Kutnupe14]

Just out of curiosity, why was this questioned asked of Sanders in the first place? Just a stupid question altogether.

 

[Woobie]

Just out of curiosity, why was this questioned asked of Sanders in the first place? Just a stupid question altogether.

Yeah, I think Alpo brought that up. I said I thought it was dumb of Sanders to bring the whole thing up, and Alpo pointed out he was just answering the reporter's dumb question.

 

[Libertarian01]

Maybe it would be best if our President apologized to EVERY group our country has ever wronged.

Get it all out in the open. Own it. Show remorse for it. Then, move on.

Slavery, post slavery racism up to and including the 1950's, the oppression of women's right to vote, the treatment of native American Indians, child labor, treatment of dissenters in WWI, the treatment of American citizens and their families by McCarthy's UnAmerican Activities Committee, agent orange, lack of good gear for soldiers in Iraq, and on and on and on the list could go.

Air ALL of our dirty laundry. Face our good with our bad.

As a nation we would lose no money. It would violate no treaties. It wouldn't cost us a single job. It would address every group that was wronged by our country. Then no one could say we were in denial, or sticking our head in the sand. The only real harm it would do is to some folks ego. I would be OK with that.

Think of it this way, even though many of us weren't alive or of voting age (ie. with power) when many of these wrongs occurred, we are still in some way responsible for them. If I buy stock in a company that hurt someone before I bought the stock, I still pay for the mistakes of that company even though I wasn't a shareholder who could vote at the time. My stock value still takes a hit for damages done maybe before I was even born. It may not be fair but it is how the world works.

The way I see it the sooner we get it done the sooner we can move on and stop rehashing olde issues. They will truly become history.

Just a thought...

Regards,

Doug

 

[Alpo]

I'm waiting for Apple to apologize to the Chinese.

 

[KG1]

Go ahead. You start.

I would but I'm not feeling the guilt right now. It wouldn't be genuine.

 

[rambone]

Maybe telling millions of innocent people that they owe an apology isn't going to heal the nation after all.

 

[Kutnupe14]

Maybe telling millions of innocent people that they owe an apology isn't going to heal the nation after all.

Not the people, the enduring idea of the country. No one is asking for any individual's apology, just the official recognition, that under the nation's flag things occurred that tarnished its promise to all men. I'm not apologizing to myself, and I don't expect other living Americans to apologize either. But the nation, if one views it as a perpetual entity, could.

 

[Woobie]

I would but I'm not feeling the guilt right now. It wouldn't be genuine.

Well, I'm glad we can admit this is a matter of feelings, and not any sort of logic.

 

[RockofStrength]

.

 

[Kutnupe14]

When last I checked, even my little podunk town of nowheresville, Indiana of 10,000 or so has a memorial to those who died fighting in the Civil War. Apologies and payments have been rendered in full already.

To who?

Edit: and fyi, you bring up an excellent point.... if one believes the Civil War was fought over slavery

 

[rambone]

Not the people, the enduring idea of the country. No one is asking for any individual's apology, just the official recognition, that under the nation's flag things occurred that tarnished its promise to all men. I'm not apologizing to myself, and I don't expect other living Americans to apologize either. But the nation, if one views it as a perpetual entity, could.

This argument seems to be based on the assumption that this national entity has never apologized. In reality, there have been many, many apologies. There were some very official apologies made just in my recent memory.

* * *
S.Con.Res. 26 (111th): Resolution apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African Americans (2009)

H.Res. 194 (110th): Apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-Americans (2007)

S.Res. 39 (109th): Lynching Victims Senate Apology resolution (2005)

"Going back to the time before we were even a nation, European-Americans received the fruits of the slave trade and we were wrong in that." -- President Bill Clinton (1998)

* * *

These are only a few recent, official, federal apologies. There were also many, many other apologies from the states, various politicians, and celebrities (all of whom are part of the national entity). And let's not overlook that the USA has also instituted numerous pieces of apologetic legislation, including race-based scholarships, affirmative action in the workforce, anti-discrimination and hate-crime laws, and more.

Sanders himself was one of the co-sponsors one of those official apologies, and still he says that "we" need to apologize. To continue to demand an apology is to reject the apologies that have already been issued (even his own). What does the final, acceptable apology look like? Maybe its time for the apologies to finally be accepted.

 

[BugI02]

I'm waiting for Apple to apologize to the Chinese.

I believe the Chinese gov't already has a uniquely in-depth understanding of capitalism without conscience

 

[BugI02]

"At heart, I'm an American artist; and I have no guilt..." - Patti Smith

 

[KG1]

In light of rambone's post it would seem plausible that Sander's call for another apology could be construed as vote pandering.

 

[cce1302]

Should have waited 2 weeks to edit your post. You might have come up with something better.

 

[jamil]

The national healing that ensued after each aplogy is not astonishingly absent. It's just absent. There are reasons for that. 1) the apologies were empty because a nation can't apologize in that sense. 2) there's no political value in feeling satisfied.

This argument seems to be based on the assumption that this national entity has never apologized. In reality, there have been many, many apologies. There were some very official apologies made just in my recent memory.

* * *
S.Con.Res. 26 (111th): Resolution apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African Americans (2009)

H.Res. 194 (110th): Apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-Americans (2007)

S.Res. 39 (109th): Lynching Victims Senate Apology resolution (2005)

"Going back to the time before we were even a nation, European-Americans received the fruits of the slave trade and we were wrong in that." -- President Bill Clinton (1998)

* * *

These are only a few recent, official, federal apologies. There were also many, many other apologies from the states, various politicians, and celebrities (all of whom are part of the national entity). And let's not overlook that the USA has also instituted numerous pieces of apologetic legislation, including race-based scholarships, affirmative action in the workforce, anti-discrimination and hate-crime laws, and more.

Sanders himself was one of the co-sponsors one of those official apologies, and still he says that "we" need to apologize. To continue to demand an apology is to reject the apologies that have already been issued (even his own). What does the final, acceptable apology look like? Maybe its time for the apologies to finally be accepted.

 

[Birds Away]

I guess I need to apologize for the Boston Tea Party. All of that good tea gone to waste. Sorry!

 

[Kutnupe14]

This argument seems to be based on the assumption that this national entity has never apologized. In reality, there have been many, many apologies. There were some very official apologies made just in my recent memory.

* * *
S.Con.Res. 26 (111th): Resolution apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African Americans (2009)

H.Res. 194 (110th): Apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-Americans (2007)

S.Res. 39 (109th): Lynching Victims Senate Apology resolution (2005)

"Going back to the time before we were even a nation, European-Americans received the fruits of the slave trade and we were wrong in that." -- President Bill Clinton (1998)

* * *

These are only a few recent, official, federal apologies. There were also many, many other apologies from the states, various politicians, and celebrities (all of whom are part of the national entity). And let's not overlook that the USA has also instituted numerous pieces of apologetic legislation, including race-based scholarships, affirmative action in the workforce, anti-discrimination and hate-crime laws, and more.

Sanders himself was one of the co-sponsors one of those official apologies, and still he says that "we" need to apologize. To continue to demand an apology is to reject the apologies that have already been issued (even his own). What does the final, acceptable apology look like? Maybe its time for the apologies to finally be accepted.

So congress collectively agreed with these resolutions?

Kut (knows the answer)

 

[Expat]

This argument seems to be based on the assumption that this national entity has never apologized. In reality, there have been many, many apologies. There were some very official apologies made just in my recent memory.

* * *
S.Con.Res. 26 (111th): Resolution apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African Americans (2009)

H.Res. 194 (110th): Apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-Americans (2007)

S.Res. 39 (109th): Lynching Victims Senate Apology resolution (2005)

"Going back to the time before we were even a nation, European-Americans received the fruits of the slave trade and we were wrong in that." -- President Bill Clinton (1998)

* * *

These are only a few recent, official, federal apologies. There were also many, many other apologies from the states, various politicians, and celebrities (all of whom are part of the national entity). And let's not overlook that the USA has also instituted numerous pieces of apologetic legislation, including race-based scholarships, affirmative action in the workforce, anti-discrimination and hate-crime laws, and more.

Sanders himself was one of the co-sponsors one of those official apologies, and still he says that "we" need to apologize. To continue to demand an apology is to reject the apologies that have already been issued (even his own). What does the final, acceptable apology look like? Maybe its time for the apologies to finally be accepted.

If I was a cynic, I would conclude that it really is about reparations and putting some money in the pocket of community organizers...

 

[jamil]

So congress collectively agreed with these resolutions?

Kut (knows the answer)

Oh. So THATs what halted the collective healing. Or maybe there should have been more ceremony around it.