The "straw man" argument is an often used debate tactic. It's used by people who have no argument to make or can't defend against an argument made against them. The tactic is simple; you defend against an argument your opponent never made.
source: YouTube
Here's an example; if I say "white Americans have enslaved black people from Africa for centuries, and their descendants still feel the the negative effects today," a straw man argument against that undeniable truth could be something like "so you say slavery is invented by whites, white Americans even, but let me inform you that blacks had slavery as well, and many black slaves were purchased from black slave traders..." See the straw man there? No one asserted that slavery was invented by whites or white Americans, or that white Americans were the only ones to use slaves. No one in their right mind would make such a brain-dead assertion. Humans have done ugly things throughout history and slavery is no exception; all societies have used slave labor. Whites have enslaved white, blacks have enslaved blacks, Asians have enslaved Asians, Christians have enslaved Muslims, Muslims have enslaved Christians... World history is a jolly merry-go-round of enslavement, and we're not done yet, as slavery still exists; there's wage slavery and we have prisoners who are made to work for almost no income at all. And we all know that, in America at least, black men make up a disproportionate majority of the prison population. Then there's "human trafficking," which is just a nicer sounding expression for something that amounts to... slavery. And there's "sweat shops"...
This particular straw man is used to divert attention from the very real systemic racism that puts black Americans to a disadvantage to this day. It's used by right wingers whose love for their country simply won't allow anything bad to be said about it. To them racism is a thing of the past, or at least that's what they say in public; I doubt many of them really believe it. The folks at PragerU certainly want us to believe it though, as does their favorite black narrator, Candace Owens. I know she doesn't believe it, as she once won a Connecticut lawsuit as a victim of racism; her parents received s $37,500 settlement from the Stamford Board of Education after she accused a group of teens of leaving her threatening and racist messages while she was a high school student in 2007. Racist threats case filed by Stamford High student settled for $37,500.
PragerU and Candace Owens BLATANTLY Lie About Slavery
She grifts so hard... I really don't know how she sleeps at night. Anyhow, Candace and PragerU released a new misinformation video titled "A Short History of Slavery." And it opens with the white straw man that is the topic of this post. I'm going to link it below, but not before I apologize for the brain-cells that are surely going to perish if you dare watch it. I'm so sorry. The video even suggests blacks should kneel down and thank whites, because they were the first ones to formally put an end to slavery. Even if that were true, which it isn't, that's not something to be proud of. It's a really sickeningly stupid and insulting video. Again, I'm so sorry. To make it up to you, I've linked an excellent debunking of this brain-dead right wing propaganda by Vaush above.
A Short History of Slavery
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For making a post about straw men and how people use it to debate, I find it disingenuous when you say things like,
I watched the video. Nowhere within it did it mention that anyone should kneel down to anyone because they were the first to formally put an end to slavery. It seems you've input your own bias against the message instead of letting it speak for itself, positive or negative.
Are you suggesting it is not something to be proud of if you put an end to slavery? I would say it is absolutely honorable to put an end to slavery. It doesn't matter to me whether it was a brown, black, or white person who stopped slavery; however, one must consider the audience of the video. There were most certainly people who were black that were involved in stopping slavery, too. That's where I would contend with the video. True, the majority of the leaders at the time were white, but there were blacks along side the fight in the civil war, seems how she saw fit to mention the whites who fought for the union side.
You have misinterpreted what they've said if you believe they say racism is a thing of the past. Obviously racism still exists. It exists on both sides of the political aisle; however, it is definitely much less than it was even just 50 years ago. If you don't believe that, you must hang out with people who are racist. I have lived in dozens of locations throughout the United States, and have visited other places outside of the US. There has been a sharp decline in racism, but an increase in stories that focus on it, in my opinion and observations.
A settlement paying Candace Owens because she was discriminated against is part of reinforcing your straw man argument. If it is not, please note where PragerU or Candace Owens have said that racism no longer exists...that it "racism is a thing of the past."
The video you posted is a great video for explaining the history of slavery and showing that it is not strictly a phenomenon isolated to the United States, as many seem to believe within the US. I've heard cries for reparations for slavery, with USD payouts to every person who is black. That is racist, yet it is an argument still being shouted today. The moment we stop trying to raise or lower someone within society simply because of the pigment or lack of it in their skin is the moment racism stops. Racism is a form of caste-ism and can be held against anyone's skin color, black against black, white against white, black against white, and white against black. Just stop hate...
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Indeed it didn't. These disingenuous liars would never outright say what they really mean to say. That's also why I never said they "mention" anything worthwhile or truthful; they "suggest" only. With a lie, to be clear. Whites weren't the first to enslave and consequently weren't the first to abolish slavery. And of western societies, America was late to that party as well.
Exactly. Especially when you're only one of the last to do so. Maybe you'll understand it like this: say a group of men, black, white, red and yellow, for decades buy little boys and girls from human traffickers, to take them home and sexually and mentally abuse them. Now take into account this is considered normal behavior in their society. Say a couple of those men decide that what they've done all those years is wrong and free the abused children... See where this is going? Should they be proud? Should they get a pat on the back? And if so, should they be the ones to give that pat on their own back?
You must not be familiar with Owens. Here's an example: Candace Owens' 'America is not a racist country' comment sets off Twitter firestorm. Or: Candace Owens Says She Never Had ‘Race Issues’ Even Though She Sued For Racial Discrimination. Youre right though; I should have said they claim that systemic racism doesn't exist anymore. But let's also be clear here: Owens makes tons of money from white Republicans by being a black woman who goes around saying that racism is basically a thing of the past, that police brutality is a myth and that BLM protesters are playing the victim-card instead of pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.
There's that straw man again; "as many seem to believe within the US"... This is tiresome. WHO in the US believes that slavery or slave trade is isolated to the United States? Who? I know that many right wingers accuse leftists of believing that, but that's exactly the straw man. And talk of reparations is racist..? You serious? You actually play the "let's all be color-blind" card here? There's a difference between feeling guilt over something your ancestors did (which is wrong and stupid in my opinion), and just acknowledging that history and what effects it has today (which is the right thing to do in my opinion). You know who did get reparations? The slaveholders did. For losing their main source of income.
In short: I have to politely disagree with your criticism and with your opinion on the PragerU / Candace Owens video...
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