Silver Linings Playbook (Slavery Edition)

Wow, silly ignorant me. It appears that for years I have been taught a false narrative of slavery. I had no idea that slavery was a vocational on the job training program. The state of Florida’s social studies curriculum will now teach students that slaves benefitted from slavery as they learned skills to be used once they were freed. The idea is to teach the "good" side of slavery. Ok, the history of slavery is not a two-sided issue. There was no good side to slavery and it's nonsensical to teach children there was, as if it were some intern program. Are they going to highlight the all-expense paid cruise from Africa and free room and board on the plantation as well? So, what about the generations of slaves beaten, tortured, lynched, and raped who never achieved freedom. What benefits were attained for them?

Ignoring the grotesque institution of slavery and to instead paint it as some upbeat rosy skills training program can only be implemented by those with a white nationalist mentality. By those who wish to rewrite history and paint a picture which doesn’t make white people feel guilty.  If the reality of American history makes you feel guilty, then you have a problem. No one is blaming you for the history and the racist shit your ancestors did, but if you ignore and pretend it didn’t happen, it only helps to continue the systemic racism which resulted directly form slavery. Jim Crow, lynchings, school segregation and redlining. All effects of slavery. Educational inequality, as well as economic inequality, benefits of slavery. They ignore systemic racism and white privilege, both benefits of slavery and say it doesn’t exist. If anyone benefitted post slavery, it was white people as they were allowed to prosper and build generational wealth. Freed slaves were not. Don’t get me started on those reparations. 40 acres and a mule anyone?

What’s really sad is that the history of this country is so filled with evil that white people feel the need to lie about it, so that they feel better. They are of the belief that slavery in America is the history of Black people when in fact it is the history of white people. You know, it's time for them to stop beating around the bush and just pull out the white sheets...at least it would be honest.