Bruce Miller wrote:
>
> > > > Deb Fuller wrote:
> > >
> > > > > Why is the use of the word "slave" such a bad thing?
> > > > >
> > > > > Deb
> > > >
>
> Bob Handy wrote:
>
> > > > Yeah, like pretending no Jews were killed in the holocaust.
>
> Bob Handy wrote:
>
> >
> > It was not my intent to be politically correct (if you knew me well you
> > would understand why that label doesn't fit).  My point was that
> > ignoring the existence and reality of slavery--by calling them servants
> > or whitewashing the practice (excuse the pun) is like suggesting no Jews
> > were killed in the Holocaust.  Maybe you are one of those who argues
> > that there was no holocaust.  If so, I don't want to discuss it with
> > you.  I hope, however, you were simply asking for clarification.
>
> Bob,
> Thank you for the clarification. I share you sentiment that the
> intentional mislabelling or"whitewashing" of a the tragedy suffered by a
> particular community is repulsive and a dishonor to the institution and
> public one has been hired to serve. The moving testimonies of the
> survivors of the Holocaust are sufficient evidence that such genocide
> did occur, and intuitively obvious to all but a political ogre.
>
> No one contributing to this discussion is "ignoring the existence and
> reality of slavery". Quite the opposite, we are confronting it. However,
> it is apparent that some list readers and contributors are concerned
> with a larger issue: the status of all victims, of which slaves are a
> part. Victim  is a distinction which may be satisfactorily used to
> address the hardships and tragedies of all and any peoples. Rather than
> just exploring the problems of exhibiting and explaining slavery, I
> suggest we broaden the discussion as to how one should deal with the
> issue of all victims honestly. The problem of  slavery interpretation
> would be resolved within that larger issue. Accurately adressing the
> problem as the role of "The Victim in History" would reduce complex
> particulars to simple patterns and traits. This would allow one to
> perceive formulas regarding the representation of exploited, victimised
> and overpowered populations.
>
> Tragic as it was, the devastation of a European community isn't any more
> disastrous than the injustices which have been (and still are) suffered
> by the countless Indians of the western hemisphere, indigenous Pacific
> societies, African and Asian tribals, etc. An excellent account of this
> can be found in Alfred W. Crosby "Ecological Imperialism: The Biological
> Expansion of Europe". Cambridge University Press 1986. An illuminating
> history of anti-Semitism can be found in  Holy War; The Crusades and
> Their Impact on Today's World by Karen Armstrong. Aslo originally
> published by Cambridge University Press.
>
> Adressing the problem as the role of "The Victim in History" would
> reduce complex particulars to simple patterns and traits. This would
> allow one to perceive formulas regarding the representation of
> exploited, victimised and militarily defeated populations.
>
> Suggesting that I "maybe one of those" and therefore not worthy of your
> opinions, adds little value and dignity to your convictions or the
> intentions of this discussion list. Such a tactic is better employed in
> arguments rather than discussions. We can benefit from scrutinising an
> idea, rarely from exercising our vocabularies in demeaning a suspected
> diverse contributor. To limit a discussion of sensitive subjects to only
> those people who agree with us is a blend of insecurity and arrogance,
> and will hardly bring us closer to an enlightened solution.
>
> Bruce Miller

Thank you Bruce.  I have been appropriately scolded, although I will
hold to my position of not wanting to talk to what we used to call the
"lunatic fringe."  I had two of them here last week--the ones who don't
believe Texas is a state.  Tried to give them some accurate information;
they did not want it.  That has been my experience with those who don't
believe the Holocaust occured.

So, let's drop that one and focus on your other points.  I agree that we
should look at "Victimization."  There is no shortage of topics that
could be included.  You might be interested in knowing that my graduate
focus (too many years ago to mention) was on American Diplomatic
History, American Expansionism, and Modern China.  I did not work in my
field until I assumed this position six years ago.  Rather, I worked in
International Education.  All of which led me to viewing modern history,
i.e., since Columbus, as European Expansionism or as some call it
euphemistically as "the great migration."  I have concluded that it
finally ended, in the grossly expoitive sense, last year, when the
Chinese finally regained sovereignty over Hong Kong (still have the
Portuguese in Macao, but that will end soon).  For awhile, I said it
ended when the United States was forced out of Vietnam--that was
premature.

However, if you take a look at the world today, the Western influence
has not yet ended.  Our drive now is to convert the world into
"democratically governed market economies."  Poor Castro.  He never had
a chance.  We're like the playground bully: "be like me or I will beat
the crap out of you."

Anthropoligists will look back a hundred years from now (they probably
already have it down) and study how one culture came to change and
dominate all others.  That's really what it is all about and many
societies have suffered therefrom.

Now, how do you present that in an exhibit or interpretive center
without being ostracized and victimized by the public you are trying to
educate.  They will, I suspect, take ethnocentric position that ours
was/is the better culture, so why not force it on all other people (we
need to remember that we serve the broader public, not the thinking,
intellectual class.

Enough for now.  Its monday morning and I need to get some (other) work
done.  Let's keep this up.  Your response was stimulating.

I am, by the way, going to order the books you mention.
--
Bob Handy, Director
Brazoria County Historical Museum
100 East Cedar
Angleton, Texas 77515
(409) 864-1208
(409) 864-1217 (Fax)
http://www.bchm.org