[78-L] But Germans and Scotsmen were never enslaved, were they?

[fnarf at comcast.net]

I'm pretty sure neither of those took place in America, which is what we're talking about here.

Also, as long as we're recommending reading lists to each other, you might read up on the practice of slavery, which was a hell of a lot worse than living in East Germany, horrible as that was. And of course it doesn't end with slavery; it is an entire structure of racial oppression that has continued for 150 years after slavery -- including today. It's not merely about mistreatment and labor oppression; it's about the wholesale slaughter of personhood and cultural identity. East Germans could still speak German, and were still regarded as human.

The Clearances didn't have anything to do with Culloden, anyways. Scottish mythology is strong (I am largely Scottish-Canadian-American by way of ethnicity) but is mostly pure romance, and mostly originates in Walter Scott. The idiot Jacobins, whatever the merits of their claims, were doomed long before they ever set out. The Clearances were about economics, and sheep.

If you honestly can't see any difference between the "endearing" ethnic portrayals of Germans, Scots, and Irish on the one hand, and African slavery on the other (a subject which encompasses Brazilian and Caribbean culture as well), then you really are missing something important.

--
Steve.

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Jess McLean2" <jessmclean2 at verizon.net>
> I suppose you haven't had a chance to read about the Clearances after the Battle 
> of Culloden in Scotland. And the Germans who lived under the Russian occupation 
> for 50 years would disagree.
> 
> Jess
> 
> >Message: 10
> >Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:11:53 +0000
> >From: fnarf at comcast.net
> >Subject: Re: [78-L] Stephen Foster
> >To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> >Message-ID:
> <012420090011.3688.497A5CC60009E5E100000E682200763692009D0E0200 at comcast.net>
> >
> >
> >Of course there were other ethnic stereotypes. But Germans and Scotsmen were 
> never enslaved, were they?
> >
> >--
> >Steve.
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