There is an excellent book called the Continent that goes through the history of Africa and slavery. The Zulu's the most powerful tribe attacked and took as slaves the men of other tribes.
When Capt. Van Dorf came around the cape of good hope and started trading with the Zulu's the Zulu's used their slaves in exchange for material goods from Europe.
Africans kept slaves and, in areas of Africa still do to this day.
So, white Americans were learnging how to work hard and get ahead in 1806, like Blacks today?
I hope this guy doesn't moonlight as faculty advisor for the debate team.
As a public high school English teacher in the Northeast, I can vouche for the fact that this guy represents the views of AT LEAST 90% of the teachers. And no - that is NOT hyperbole.
Target-rich environment.
Wonder how he explains the considerable academic and financial success of recent black African, Carribean and Asian immigrants. All three of these groups are wealthier on average, I believe, than white Americans.
Haven't heard that twaddle before, have we?
As a colonel in the Air Force, I commanded an engineering unit of about 200 people. Some 30 of my engineers were blacks. They were the equal of their co-workers. I promoted several of them (Civil Service) because they deserved it, not because they were blacks. They started their "race" the day they were born, and they managed to come out equal to the rest of those who worked for me.
Over the years I've had the opportunity to work with quite a few immigrants: Chinese, Vietnamese, Nigerian, Indian, among others. The Vietnamese, in particular, arrived here with literaly nothing but the clothes on their backs. They've all been successful here. I'm tired of hearing excuses for those who won't take advantage of the opportunities this country offers.
I find it remarkably offensive that in my own country I should have to tolerate the gratuitous attack on a country that did not exist for another 350-some odd years!
This Kenyan can kiss my red-white-and-blue American butt!
Where has his country taken him? Why is he not documenting the endemic failures of his country and his still-stone-age continent? Is it simply "easier" to attack the civilized and the successful?
Time to re-read the recent excellent reference book, The Slave Trade, 1440-1870, Hugh Thomas, Simon and Schuster, 1997.
Time to refresh my memory, about where all those slaves went, between 1440 and 1793 ...
I'm 56. I didn't get that 200-year head start. At best, I've been at this for about 56 years.
It does seem true that Black culture habits tend to hinder the devlopment of Black youth. The cultural differences are a bit more than 200 years apart if you take the apparent "age" of European society vs the apparent "age" of the stone age society encountered by Europeans when they entered Africa.
I'm not sure where I am going by this. I see people from different places that are not really different in raw intellect. One develops a technological society, the other doesn't. Sometimes I think religous beliefs inhibit progress.
At any rate, there might be racist inhibitors in today's America; however, I see more of a social inhibition on the part of Blacks. It is almost like they prefer not to "go with the flow". This is not unlike the Native Americans that languish on the reservations.
I hope I don't sound racist. These are musing of one who is bewildered.