That slave owners were compensated so highly in Britain

[tinypony]

I never realised till i read this article the extent of slavery in the UK till i read this. The fact that when slavery was abolished the slave owners were compensated by (in today's money) by millions of pounds, 40% of the ENTIRE government expenditure for 1834. If it wasn't for the fact they were getting compensated so highly we'd never have known the names of all these slave owners. But the lure of the big money drew them out of the woodwork.

www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/12/british-history-slavery-buried-scale-revealed

How bloody hypocritical and contradictory to abolish slavery on the one hand (presumably because of the immorality of it) but on the other hand give massive compensation to those affected.
It's just another case of the elite being looked after, where was the compensation for the slaves and their families. I'm disgusted.

but it was the morality of right minded people who managed to force change and bring about its abolition.

Right minded well-off, educated people of property.

Nobody else got a say.

Clearly the vast majority of people don't give a fuck since they buy stuff from 'wish'/china/cheap fashion outlets - there is no paper trail that it didn't derive from child labour.

Or all those fuckers going to the next football World Cup when more than a hundred slaves have died building the fucking stadium. But it's 'football' innit and no one gives a fuck.

I think it is very easy to look back at historical events and imagine that you or I would have been the enlightened one who stood up against slavery or the holocaust or other similarly atrocious events. Sadly, it is more probably that we wouldn't have been in that tiny minority and would just have been products of our time. It is easy to forget how different it was. Slaves chattels with a monetary value. Women were also somewhat akin to chattels. If they inherited any wealth then their husband had absolute control of it. Men could divorce their wives for adultery but women could not divorce their husbands for the same reason. Not only that, a divorced women lost any kind of legal right to see her children. Thankfully the law has changed to reflect our evolving morality on many human rights issues.

Its all history now anyway. Hard to get worked up about something that doesn't exist anymore.
Oh but it does.

Maybe you should do some basic reading about the historical context?

Its all history now anyway.

One of the most ignorant comments here ...

"History" casts a long shadow. We're still dealing with the fallout of the reformation, let along referendum.

@LaurieFairyCake or everyone with their granite worktops, mainly extracted by bonded and child labour

Don't forget the child sex slave trade that booms around the World Cup stadiums.

The world is fucked up.

Am I wrong but didn't all this happen a long time ago

I also wish that the British were a little more aware of their/our history with the Empire. The slave trade was abolished in 1807. Britain still had an Empire into the 20th century - the scars of that Empire in Kenya, in Sri Lanka, in India, in Palestine and in Israel date from wounds carved in living memory.

We have all profited from slavery. It fuelled the industrial revolution.

I would also say that it's important not forget that many men women and children in the UK laboured in factories and fields until they died in utter poverty. The industrial revolution and our lives today were also forged on the backs of the working class.

Or all those fuckers going to the next football World Cup when more than a hundred slaves have died building the fucking stadium. But it's 'football' innit and no one gives a fuck.

I presume you are talking about Qatar? That isn't next year as that is Russia, and as for Qatar there are many supporters groups that have tried to raise issues/ threats of a boycott etc. The issue with Qatar is the corrupt FIFA so it's unfair IMO to pin it onto the fans who wish to go see the national team play, if you did know about football you would see the vast majority have given massive fucks.

I also wish that the British were a little more aware of their/our history with the Empire. The slave trade was abolished in 1807. Britain still had an Empire into the 20th century - the scars of that Empire in Kenya, in Sri Lanka, in India, in Palestine and in Israel date from wounds carved in living memory.

People have a strange way of viewing history, where 300+ years of British imperial history are held to account by modern ethical standards, yet every other culture on earth is whitewashed of any complexity or moral agency.

Britain was one power in a world of petty kingdoms and constant warfare. Despite the hideous elements innate in colonialism, the British Empire was based on liberal values. There's obviously huge hypocrisy in that, but the empire bore no relation to the totalitarian savagery of 20th century dictatorships. The belief that Britain owed something to the people under its control was real, and should be recognised; the colonies stripped from Germany after 1918 were managed far more humanely than they were under German rule.
The invention of the modern world was messy, unfair, racist and violent, but the fact that it was Britain who administered it is a thoroughly good thing.

Slavery made britain rich but that wealth built industry that give work for the poor. I suspect it also provided patronage for our most famous authors and poets.
If the money wasn't there there might not have been writings from Rabbie Burns, William Blake, Byron etc. Then there are our universities and all the amazing inventions that occurred during those years, our famous scientist and engineers.
To make it a them and us scenario - the evil slave owners and the poor is wrong. Many benefited indirectly from money made using slavery in fact we probably all benefited in some way from discoveries in medicine and similar.

Egyptians had slaves, slaves are mentioned in the bible. Slavery continues right now as we choose cheap goods made under primitive conditions.
History is interesting.

I'm really curious to know what are we supposed to do about it now

I think everyone is supposed to apologise and perform contrition on the spurious basis that we're all supposedly collectively responsible somehow. Which is both woolly thinking and an existential challenge to anybody of mixed heritage.

Yeah @SerfTerf that's exactly what people are saying.

This is old news no ? The golden triangle and all that ?

It's a shameful blood stain on the 20th. Century but not sure why you are getting her up about it now it's a bit late......

It's OP's drift I'm straining to catch.

I think what horrifies me more is that the civil rights movement in America is within the living memory of my parents.

Yeah @SerfTerf that's exactly what people are saying.

I think these type of conversations generally go into the direction that SerfTerf is suggesting is correct, it's not really a "Today I learned", more a jumping off point with a framed narrative.

And those of us whose ancestors weren't even in Britain until recent times?

Let's remember that the slave trade involved British and American traders buying black "property" from other black people through mainly Arab intermediaries. There's plenty of guilt to go round if you want your share of it.

Justanotherlurker

Yes I do mean Qatar. And I disagree the 'vast majority' give fucks as you say or there would be MASS boycotting There have been a few articles that I've seen.

And just to take responsibility for my own part in it. We're not going and it won't be on in our house.

My "drift" is that i'm angered by the fact that the slave owners got such huge compensation for the loss of their "slaves". There's no other agenda, other than i think the slaves families should have been compensated. I didn't know these people received such huge compensation, i wonder if others realise that too. There's nothing wrong with being angered about past gross injustices.