Republican State Lawmaker: ‘Owning Slaves Doesn’t Make You Racist’

[Deleted User 1186]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/werner-ho ... e-lawmaker

If you were writing a list of things that are and are not racist, slavery should probably be pretty close to the top of the “are” section. But not for a Republican state lawmaker from New Hampshire, who claimed in a Facebook post that owning slaves was based on economics, not racism. State Rep. Werner Horn has deleted a Facebook post on the matter, but has repeated his opinion in multiple interviews since. Horn was responding to a post from state House member who asked: “If Trump is the most racist president in American history, what does that say about all of the other presidents who owned slaves?” Horn replied: “Wait, owning slaves doesn’t make you racist... owning slaves wasn’t a decision predicated on race but on economics.

[ReadingRainbow]

In his mind... beating another human being into submission based on the idea that they are not equal to you is not racism... it’s economics.

[MonarchMom]

The tried and true "it's just business" excuse.

[Momto2boys973]

Just because back then it was acceptable behavior and not qualified as racism that doesn’t mean that’s not what it actually was.
That’s like saying that the Inquisition wasn’t religious persecution and bigotry because, hey... it was all a matter of money and power!

[Mommabearof2]

Slavery is still being done all over our world. Many are enslaved in their own country by their own race. It is more about economics than racism. When someone in West Africa is enslaved by another of their own race in West Africa, are they still considered racist?

[MonarchMom]

Slavery is still being done all over our world. Many are enslaved in their own country by their own race. It is more about economics than racism. When someone in West Africa is enslaved by another of their own race in West Africa, are they still considered racist?

Good point. Slavery is a human rights violation - not synonymous with racism. But it is the precisely the use of skin color to justify and enforce enslavement in the US that made it racist. The system of slavery here classified people as property based on skin color. It was a system that allowed all "white" people to have rights above all "black" people. It ensured that enslavement was an inherited status and that the denial of citizenship could and did extend beyond enslavement.

[Lemons]

Slavery is still being done all over our world. Many are enslaved in their own country by their own race. It is more about economics than racism. When someone in West Africa is enslaved by another of their own race in West Africa, are they still considered racist?

In this particular country it was racism. Other countries it's tribalism or religion or whatever they can make up. In our country blacks were considered property, not people. There were no white slaves. Our country has an ugly racist history. We can't pretend it didn't happen.

[Mommabearof2]

Slavery is still being done all over our world. Many are enslaved in their own country by their own race. It is more about economics than racism. When someone in West Africa is enslaved by another of their own race in West Africa, are they still considered racist?

In this particular country it was racism. Other countries it's tribalism or religion or whatever they can make up. In our country blacks were considered property, not people. There were no white slaves. Our country has an ugly racist history. We can't pretend it didn't happen.

I'm not saying it didn't happen. I am saying that our country had a short timeframe in which it did happen compare to the history of slavery around the world. And the fact is that it is still happening. Now in our country there are slaves of every race. Black, White, Asian, Hispanic and so on who are sold and/or traded through S*x trafficking, child labor, force/child marriage etc all which are done for economical reasons.

[Lemons]

Slavery is still being done all over our world. Many are enslaved in their own country by their own race. It is more about economics than racism. When someone in West Africa is enslaved by another of their own race in West Africa, are they still considered racist?

In this particular country it was racism. Other countries it's tribalism or religion or whatever they can make up. In our country blacks were considered property, not people. There were no white slaves. Our country has an ugly racist history. We can't pretend it didn't happen.

I'm not saying it didn't happen. I am saying that our country had a short timeframe in which it did happen compare to the history of slavery around the world. And the fact is that it is still happening. Now in our country there are slaves of every race. Black, White, Asian, Hispanic and so on who are sold and/or traded through S*x trafficking, child labor, force/child marriage etc all which are done for economical reasons.

It was actually legal and part of our constitution back then and was very specific on who could be owned as property and it wasn't white people.

At least now it's illegal and we do our best to stop it from happening but there will always be evil and greed and hate.

[hotspice58]

No but slavery in this country was based on economics and race. After slavery was abolished, black people were still considered second class citizens,

Slavery is still being done all over our world. Many are enslaved in their own country by their own race. It is more about economics than racism. When someone in West Africa is enslaved by another of their own race in West Africa, are they still considered racist?