Anyone watch 'Britain's Lost Slave Owners' on the BBC recently

[aelfric]

How can you have sexual intercourse with someone you see as being little better than an animal?

I hesitate to point this out, in case anyone, anywhere, ever, thinks what I'm about to say is my own opinion, but for many centuries and in many societies men in general considered women in general to be inferior humans. 

As to slavery, I have the impression that those who started the process did not see Africans as inferior in any way except for having inferior weaponry and therefore being exploitable.  Until the institution was under criticism there was no need to use racial stereotyping to "justify" slavery.

[youngtug]

Having watched the program, the presenter observes and comments on the propaganda war waged by the slave owners and the legacy of that propaganda still with us today.

[Rena]

As I was born and bred in Hull I quite often visited William Wilberforce's home turned museum, thus saw at first hand the awful devices used on the Africans.

What we don't hear anything about is the transportation by British estate owners to their foreign plantations of their peasants, who usually died due to heat and exhaustion.  Nor do we hear of the estimated 50,000 British convicts sent to the Americas who were auctioned off to work on plantations.

[Redroger]

Part of the buried past Rena that the "establishment" don't want to see the light of day. Regarding having sex with people who were described as sub human, I have two observations 1) This was often a feature of slavery and colonialism. Why are do many black Americans have European surnames; e.g Washington? 2)There is also the DNA evidence that there is Neanderthal DNA in modern humans which can only have got there by rape of modern human women by Neanderthal males, or by modern human males having sex with Neanderthal women.

[youngtug]

by rape of modern human women by Neanderthal males, or by modern human males having sex with Neanderthal women.

An obvious case of prejudice seen here, the Neanderthals rape, the modern humans just have sex.
It's all an assumption anyway, maybe the females were the instigators. who knows?

[Redroger]

Prejudice noted, and unconditionally apologised for. Entirely unintentional shows the extent of the mindset even in someone like myself whose views on most issues I believe would be unacceptably left wing to most users of this site,

[ThrelfallYorky]

Slaves "surnames" were simply the name of the family they "belonged to" usually. Many serfs and servants earlier in Europe seem to have gained their surnames in a similar manner, didn't they?

[relatedtoturnips]

Slavery in all forms is disgusting, vile, and the worst form of human behaviour. I dont think its difficult to understand that.

Fortunately we are not responsible for the actions of our ancestors. The actions they took, are theirs alone. I dont agree with this idea that times were different back then, and this somehow supports the actions of people who abused other human beings.

The slave owners back then, are no different to people today. Some people would do anything for profit, regardless of time or enviroment. And with no thought of the people who suffer by consequence.

[youngtug]

Do you not mean; "will do anything for profit"