Question: Who thinks using the term" indentured servants" is racist?

A coworker of mine today made a comment about some children who were running wild in an area and said "we ought to round them all up make them indentured servants". Several people of color complained and he was called into the office and written up for making a racist remark. Do you think this was a racist remark?

No.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indentured_servant

There's no way and the "people of color" who made this complaint need to review their American History.

Dreamsglore wrote:A coworker of mine today made a comment about some children who were running wild in an area and said "we ought to round them all up make them indentured servants". Several people of color complained and he was called into the office and written up for making a racist remark. Do you think this was a racist remark?

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Racist...? Naahhh.

Stupid...? Definitely.




Why don't we just round up them kids and use them as forced labor, working night and day for at least 7 years to pay off their debt to society what done been give to um by the liberals.

What they heard ain't what he said, but perception is reality.

Yes, if the person was so challenged that they thought indentured servitude equated with slavery, and if in fact these kids were of color, but the historical context of the same in this country dealt with debt, and was predominately a European context. There are certainly similarities between the two, but I do not think an indentured servant who owed money would as a matter of English Law have their offspring become the property of holder of the debt. I do not know that answer. I would agree it was not an intelligent statement, and the employee should certainly have an opportunity to explain the context of the comment, or their understanding of the same.

"we ought to round them all up make them indentured servants"

I think he was talking about people working for minimum wages. No Harm, No foul.

The kids weren't black. He said it as a joke but the black employees were offended. Interesting. If you get a corrective action during any month you don't get your bonus for the month. He was upset.

My grandmother and her sister came here in 1912 as IDs. My grandmother was 14 and her sister 12. They were "nannies" for 10 years to pay off their passage. My grandfather paid off both of their debt in 1918. I have the documents.

AN ID was a legal slave. They were imported to the elite in the North. They were abused by the sponser families.

Their names are on the walls at Ellis Island.

It seems slavery was still legal up-North, 50 years after the Civil War.

No. Him getting in trouble just shows that people are ignorant about history. Most indentured servants were not "people of color." The boss needs a better education. The employee's write-up should be tossed in the circular file.

bluemoon wrote:No. Him getting in trouble just shows that people are ignorant about history. Most indentured servants were not "people of color." The boss needs a better education. The employee's write-up should be tossed in the circular file.

That was my thought based on the fact that many of the immigrants that came here on a particular ship were indentured servants due to the fact the ship broke down and they were rescued and had to pay that debt back by working for their rescuer.

I bet dreams tune would be different had this broke on the news and it was a known republican who said he wanted to make those kids slaves. indentured servant is slavery.

bluemoon wrote:No. Him getting in trouble just shows that people are ignorant about history. Most indentured servants were not "people of color." The boss needs a better education. The employee's write-up should be tossed in the circular file.

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A slave is a slave, no matter what their ethnic origin or skin color.

An off hand remark delivered before the wrong audience will usually cause trouble.


Tell us gnu-guy....is it racist to depict the POTUS as a sock monkey...?

Chrissy wrote:I bet dreams tune would be different had this broke on the news and it was a known republican who said he wanted to make those kids slaves. indentured servant is slavery.

No that's not correct. The slaves didn't owe a debt.

http://www.salon.com/2013/01/30/immigration_yes_indentured_serfdom_no/

This doesn't even specifically address the mexican cartels that routinely enslave and traffic humans.

I would never depict the President as a sock monkey or any other kind of monkey. It's just that the difference in an indentured servant and a slave is that the servant is repaying a debt he owes. A slave is owned, and most slaves were African Americans. Most indentured servants were not "people of color. Many indentured servants paid off their debts and became free citizens.
Slaves never had that opportunity.

bluemoon wrote:I would never depict the President as a sock monkey or any other kind of monkey. It's just that the difference in an indentured servant and a slave is that the servant is repaying a debt he owes. A slave is owned, and most slaves were African Americans. Most indentured servants were not "people of color. Many indentured servants paid off their debts and became free citizens.
Slaves never had that opportunity.

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Why not...?

Because it's overtly racist, or because it's bad for your idiom...?

Maybe because I voted for him.

What is your problem?

I've made 9 posts.

I don't think you can define how I think yet from any of them.

bluemoon wrote:Maybe because I voted for him.

What is your problem?

I've made 9 posts.

I don't think you can define how I think yet from any of them.

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I'm by nature a little suspicious, and even more so on this forum. And you seem to be dodging the answer to my question.

Maybe I'm just sayin'....

But I'm not sure, if that is my position...it might be.

What was the question....?

Welcome to the forum.

The answer is because to compare the President to an ape is overtly racist.

That's obvious.

And not maybe I voted for him, I did vote for him.

Twice.
I'm very disappointed in his recent conversion to the idea that messing with my social security is okay.

Do you mind?
Thank you for the welcome.

bluemoon wrote:The answer is because to compare the President to an ape is overtly racist.

That's obvious.

And not maybe I voted for him, I did vote for him.

Twice.
I'm very disappointed in his recent conversion to the idea that messing with my social security is okay.

Do you mind?
Thank you for the welcome.

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The obvious is not always taken for granted on this forum.

Take care and enjoy your minority status. LOL