It's not all that often that David Haberstich and I
agree, but we do a high degree here.
There's something that seems to have eeked into this
conversation: excuses. It's as though the whole
issue of slavery is excused because someone else
caught the individuals in question, were the first to
enslave them, and so therefore, it seems to be
inferred that it was ok--an "it wasn't my fault."
As I sat back and read so much of this dialogue, which
basically questioned the use of a verb and questioned
if it were a "politically correctism", I couldn't help
but think I was seeing "the angry white male" railing
back.
I'm not sure if there's any use in the thread. People
are going to defend or attack the use of the term
based on where there personal biases are, I fear, not
on whether it's an appropriate museum label.
Already, we've had an un-PC term unfurled after it was
hinted upon--albeit within the context of the
discussion.
I don't know about anybody else, but it's beginning to
make me quite uncomfortable. Forgive my honesty, but
sometimes I think we don't take into consideration the
feelings of other list members whose ancestors may
have been enslaved and are feeling disenfranchised by
the excuses.
Frankly, it's starting to bug me. It's starting to
feel incredibly cavalier. There's no excuse for
slavery and/or enslavement. It's just a damned shame
that today we can debate about it from a historical
perspective and turn a blind eye to the pockets within
the world where slavery, to this very day, still
prevails.
I dunno. In a week where's Dean's remarks rattled a
nerve or twenty (though I clearly understand what he
was attempting to accomplish, it still trounced on
some folks' feelings), I think we might consider the
impact of our words first on the audience here and
then on the audience we are attempting to serve.
It keeps poking me in the gut making me think oh,
crud, somebody is going to get pissy soon.
I'm sure that won't stop anybody, but it's making me
uncomfortable, if no one else.
The one thing I have enjoyed has been some of the
attempts to out-harrumph one another. That part has
been fun to watch! I think there are a couple with
degrees in museum studies who minored in
condescension!
--- "David E. Haberstich" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> In a message dated 11/5/2003 12:44:40 PM Eastern
> Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> << The word "enslaved" has become the preferred term
> for people found in that
> status on the same theory as the term "undocumented
> aliens" has become the
> preferred term over "illegal aliens." Human beings
> are inherently neither
> "illegal" nor "slaves." Human beings are sometimes
> classed as being
> "illegal" or as "slaves." In either case that is
> deliberate action of an
> outside agency and has no bearing on the inherent
> quality of that person.
> Therefore, the term "enslaved" is considered to be
> more accurate than the
> term "slave." >>
>
> Frankly, I fail to see how this and the other
> explanations which have been
> offered for a preference for the term "enslaved"
> person over "slave" accomplish
> anything or in what way there is any essential
> difference. I find the
> arguments totally unconvincing and beside the point.
> A person who has been enslaved
> is a slave. Enslavement produces slaves. If you
> want to differentiate
> enslaved African Americans from enslaved Romans,
> enslaved Native Americans, or any
> other group, the term might be useful, but "African
> American slave" or "Roman
> slave" work just as well. Saying a person was
> "enslaved" in no way circumvents
> the notion that a slave is someone who might be
> considered inferior by the
> non-enslaved population. In the ancient world, as
> well as in Africa and other
> parts of the world in more recent times, people who
> lost battles were enslaved
> because the victors could get away with it; they
> became slaves because, quite
> literally, they were losers and slavery was often
> the consequence of losing.
> The Romans enslaved "barbarians" because it was
> economically advantageous and
> psychologically satisfying--if they considered their
> slaves inferior as human
> beings because they were losers and barbarians,
> that's historical fact (or at
> least our assumption based on available evidence),
> but it doesn't, of course,
> mean they WERE inferior.
>
> Although I think there's an obvious political agenda
> behind the use of the
> term "undocumented aliens," it is clearly more
> accurate than "illegal aliens."
> People are not illegal, but they can do illegal
> things. An American citizen
> who commits a crime is not an illegal citizen, just
> a citizen who has broken a
> law. I think "undocumented alien" is a useful term
> because it can include
> persons who have deliberately broken immigration
> laws as well as those who have
> inadvertently broken the law, and others who are
> undocumented through
> bureaucratic confusion, etc.
>
> But I don't see how you can get around the
> linguistic fact that enslaving a
> person produces a slave. No one, as far as I can
> tell, said anyone was
> "inherently" a slave (the word in itself contains no
> such connotation, so I don't see
> why that's an issue), but you could say that the
> child of a slave usually
> inherited that condition. I'm a college graduate,
> but that in no way means I'm
> "inherently" a college graduate. I simply went
> through a process that produced
> a college graduate.
>
> David Haberstich
>
>
=====
Indigo Nights
[log in to unmask]
Looking for a Job? Try Got Links?, Your One-Stop Portal
http://victorian.fortunecity.com/stanmer/414
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
|
