Unfortunately, I think the idea that forced labor = slavery is not a concept that pushes the limits of anyone's mental faculties, and thus ignorance is not a valid excuse. Instead, I believe the problem is one of conscience. If those who demand my labor under the threat of imprisonment were to objectively evaluate their actions in light of this simple truth, the result would be such an extreme level of cognitive dissonance that a change in behavior would be unavoidable.
As Stefan Molyneux has pointed out, once a behavior is recognized as evil, it ceases to continue. Evil can only flourish when that which is evil is presented as that which is good. And what facilitates the illusion that juxtaposes evil and good? Language.
Think of the worst atrocities that you can recall from human history or your own personal life? How did those who perpetrated such deeds describe their actions? Did those who called themselves the American government advocate an unparalleled slaughter of the brown-skinned indigenous peoples who lived on the land they wanted? Of course not. Instead they spoke of "Manifest Destiny." Sounds glorious, right? Well, apparently it was an effective enough illusion that the murder of millions of people was passed off as the righteous enactment of a loving God's will.
Sadly, the mass extermination that took place within "America's" borders gets quickly glossed over in favor of horrors for which people who flew a different flag can be blamed. Most frequently the Nazis. If you've always thought the Nazi Holocaust was worse than anything "America" has done, think again, or redefine worse so as not to include the possibility of multiple times more people dead.
Independent research has shown death totals between "10 million and 114 million indians (sic) as a direct result of US actions. Please note that Nazi Holocaust estimates are between 6 and 11 million; thereby making the Nazi Holocaust the 2nd largest mass murder of a class of people in history." Neither Hitler's minions, nor those who committed genocide under the banner of the American Flag, were able to do so while plainly stating their actions. One group had advocated a "Final Solution," and another carried out their "manifest destiny," both sound like something any good person would want, and yet both resulted in the deaths of millions of people.
The atrocities carried out under the banner of the swastika have likely forever designated that emblem as a symbol of the worst evil. Honestly, I've never encountered a person that said, "Yes, the Holocaust was horrible, but look at all the good things the Nazis did. The roads were improved, the garbage was taken away, and for a while, national defense was at an all-time high."
In contrast, only a few days ago, I encountered hundreds of individuals who were waving the banner under which a different genocide was committed. With a few of these people, I did engage in conversation, and yet they maintained that whatever travesties were committed by those who used the "stars and stripes" as their symbol, they were "proud to be an American."
Are you?
Posts
