When it comes to the absurdity of American taxpayers giving “reparations” to black descendants of slaves, it’s hard to limit the number of objections. Apart from the fact that American slavery, though horrific, was legal; that it ended 157 years ago; that the government did not own slaves, the private sector did; that most Southerners did not own slaves; that nearly all slave owners were Democrats — so why should non-Democrats pay?; that hundreds of thousands of white Northerners lost their lives and suffered serious injuries fighting in the Civil War that ended slavery; and that today, as conservative writer Michael Medved puts it, only about 5% of whites bear “a generational guilt” to slavery — there’s the role Africa itself played.
Take the 2022 movie “The Woman King,” starring Viola Davis, about African female warriors. It portrays white slavers as villains and the female warriors as antislavery avengers, and the film claims it is “Inspired by true events.” IMDB describes its plot:
“A historical epic inspired by true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.”
Inspired by true events? Really?
There was a band of warrior women in Africa called Dahomey. True, they were fierce, feared, and bloodthirsty fighters. But they used that ferocity to kill and conquer other Africans for sale to slave traders. The trans-Atlantic African and the Arab African slave trade could not have occurred without the complicity of African chiefs, who sold conquered Africans to European and Arab slavers.
In the film, white slavers are the enemy when, in reality, they were business partners with the “women kings.”
Critic Robert Daniels, who mostly praised the film, said: “You might wonder how (director Gina) Prince-Bythewood can shape a tale centering the Agojie warriors — an all-woman group of soldiers known as the Amazons, sworn to honor and sisterhood — hailing from the West African kingdom of Dahomey when one considers their hand in perpetuating the transatlantic slave trade.”
A review on Last Movie Outpost, called “‘The Woman King’ Historical Embarrassment,” puts it this way: “The movie has been set up as having a historical basis, telling the story of the real-life Kingdom of Dahomey in the 18th and 19th centuries. … In reality, Dahomey was a notorious slave kingdom, and not the Pan-African freedom fighters as the movie presents them. They enslaved and murdered hundreds of thousands from other tribes and sold them into the slave trade.
“Dahomey was renowned as the ‘Black Sparta,’ and was a fiercely militaristic society bent on domination and conquest. Their soldiers struck fear into other tribes all along what is still known as the Slave Coast, as they captured tribespeople from enemy tribes and sold them as slaves.
“The Dahomey women fought to protect their slave trade. Even worse for those who struggle with reality, the Amazons were formed from among the king’s ‘third class’ wives. These were those considered insufficiently beautiful to share his bed and who had not borne children. Awkward!”
About the film, “History vs. Hollywood” writes: “In real life, Dahomey is much more the villains than the heroes. … They conquered neighboring African states and took their citizens as slaves, selling many in the Atlantic slave trade in exchange for items like rifles, tobacco, and alcohol. Many of the slaves they sold ended up in America. … The business of slavery is what brought Dahomey most of its wealth. … There are accounts of Dahomey warriors conducting slave raids on villages where they cut the heads off of the elderly and ripped the bottom jaw bones off others. During the raids, they’d burn the villages to the ground. Those who they let live, including the children, were taken captive, and sold as slaves.”
So, will Africa reimburse American reparations-paying taxpayers?
Reparations for all that Looting and Arson and the Riots as well
Not to mention that an unknown (but likely not insignificant %) of blacks are descended from black slave owners. Parsing liability is an impossible task after 150 years.
Black plantation owners were numerous, especially in Louisana, owning 10’s of thousands of slaves themselves. (All were Democrats)
For a look at Africa in the days of Stanley and Livingstone when it was largely unexplored, you can find, free, on the internet, “Negroes in Negroland” which is a book made up of observations of some explorers. The local tribal chiefs were brutal.. The brutality was toward their own people and toward their captives.
Slavery of anyone is a despicable business but as far as the Africans are concerned, if the TRUTH were known and broadcast, those expecting money now would end up PAYING money, not receiving it. Better they keep quiet. as had their antecedents remained where they were , they would have been killed or kept as slaves to African chiefs . That they came to America meant they continued to stay alive.
all descendants of the tribe of Wakanda of course.
All descendants of the kings and queens of Wakanda, of course!
The African key operators of the slave trade to America have long been well known to anyone who does the merest amount of history research. There would have been no slaves in America had Black African Chieftains not captured their own people – most of other tribes – and sold them into slavery. And it was the English who owned our American Colonies. The English bought those slaves for labor in their huge English Plantations. The English owned and operated the colonies, the Plantations, and the slavery. For 167 years, 1609 to 1776. It took 13 years to establish the legal foundation of our United States. America became a sovereign Nation in 1789. Americans immediately moved on the path to ending slavery. Importing slaves ended in 1820. All slavery fully ended in 1865.
You are correct, but you missed the abolition movement of England. Britain preceded the USA in outlawing slavery by several decades. There’s a very good film about the life of William Wilberforce, a British M.P., who led the fight. Look for the 2007 film called “Amazing Grace” starring Ioan Gruffudd, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Albert Finney.
English-speaking peoples on both sides of the Atlantic spread the ethos of freedom to the world. We are seldom thanked for (largely) ending the institution of slavery — it persists today in the MIddle East, in the sex trade, and where human trafficking goes unpunished, However, we Anglophones decided to end the thing, at great cost, more than 150 years ago. Frederick Douglass would be embarrassed if he were alive today, faced with whining ingratitude and demands for ‘free stuff’ (government dependency). Thanks, Larry Elder, for telling the REAL truth.
The British and NOT the English, unless you call America as Texas, at least get your Geography correct.
What about reparations for the white solders and people over 500,000, that died for freedom of slaves during the Civil War
What about reparations from ital/ germany for two world wars
Italy was our ally in WWI.
It is not possible to sway the view of Leftists, They are absolutely convinced of their moral superiority.
The problem is that the Left OWNS California and several other states and large cities within otherwise sensible states. They also own virtually all institutions of society — Academia, Hollywood, TV, Big Tech, and Big Business in general. Dogma becomes ‘truth’. The Big Lie has been told too many times; it has become ‘truth’.
Whether it’s ‘catastrophic’ man-caused Global Warming (AKA ‘climate change’), or the demand to put skin color above all else in every avenue of life, the Left destroys everything previously good and noble. They’re coming for George Washington (because slave owner). Once he’s cancelled, the takeover is complete. What we called the “USA” will be over. Lincoln and Reagan weep in their tombs.
A demand for Reparations? We have had ongoing reparations for decades — in the form of Affirmative Action. Affirmative Action IS reparations. Giving black Americans preferences in college admissions, hiring and promotions with the intent to “right” past wrongs and to “level the playing field” is alive and well in every state of the Union. Now the demand is not just for preferences, but for hard cash. The truth is that for race hustlers — both white and black — the playing field will never be level enough.
All races have suffered at one time or another in the history of mankind. Blacks are not entitled to any special reparations for past wrongs. They are not a privilege race. The blacks today are not slaves. They have been free for 150 years. They are free to return to Africa, if they so desire. There are many successful blacks today in America. Those that are not successful could be the result of the poor choices they have made.
Viola Davis was quoted as saying she was ASHAMED that she played a part in the movie The Help where she played a Maid back in the Jim Crow times, so methinks she took this Africa Queen role nonsense in order to get people to think she is righteous… She aint…
I told a black American guy decades ago that Africans kidnapped and then sold other Africans to the European Slave Traders after he had informed me that ”my” people had sold ”his” people into slavery, he refused to believe what I said and then called me a racist for suggesting such a thing and I responded that in fact he is the racist to which he replied, ” Im black and we cant be no racist and shit ”…
I wonder if he ever found out that what I told him was a historical FACT.
Negroes in America have been well and truly ”paid back” for what happened 160 years ago only today its called Affirmative Actions Programs, Projects,free housing and Welfare.
They never took advantage of the Affirmative Action Programs, they trashed the Projects and they live generation to generation on Welfare Payments paid for by the very people they all seem to hate and resent.
Black people in the USA need to learn that success is the best revenge.
I look at EVERY single Black American Communities across America and then I look over at 99% of the countries across Africa and I see a pattern… Can you see it ?.
It just occurred to me that the correct description for people who demand ‘reparations’ is “Grifter.”