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Ilgattomorte's avatar

"Some planters took pride in being fair and kind to their slaves”

I don't think the passage states that the slave owners were good and kind people, it just describes their treatment of the people they CHOSE TO OWN. I know any number of people who take pride in their fairness and their charity, but it doesn't change the fact that they're douchebags. Honestly, the humanity of a slave owner that chose to treat their slaves well is a value judgement that maybe shouldn't appear in the text because it requires greater discussion and explanation. Any teacher worth their salt should be making these points in the classroom so it is understood that the evil is in owning people, not how you treat the people you buy.

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malsperanza's avatar

Got to agree. Far be it from me to underestimate how much Brookline liberals can go overboard on any number of topics. But I'm wondering what fine upstanding constituency needed to be appeased with the idea that a person suffering chattel bondage can in any manner or by any stretch be said to be "treated well."

Is this one of them there Republican dictionaries where all the definitions are the opposite of actual meanings?

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