The problem with short excerpts like this is that I don't have enough context to know exactly what the mayor intended to mean.
If I want to go in giving him the benefit of the doubt, and I don't see why I wouldn't, there are some contexts that could make sense.
He might be referring to America in general rather than just Chicago. Or, he could be speaking broadly about how exploited people always do most of the work, and just said slaves and indigenous people as examples of exploited people.
I don’t have enough context to know exactly what the mayor intended to mean.
Likely entirely on purpose. I bet the full context of the speech does help it make sense, but someone deliberately cut out that context in order to make a quick 'gotcha' moment out of it.
That is my assumption as well. I was just considering how much better this country could be if we just taught children to use steel man arguments instead of straw man arguments.
It's important to remember that all of America benefited economically from the slave trade.
Illinois had de facto slavery (indentured servitude) and initially, after the territory was acquired from the French, many slaves were kept in bondage based on prior treaties.
Chicago was built as a trading hub for shipping Southern cotton, sugar, and tobacco to Eastern markets and Europe. So while the value of labor was most apparently stolen in the south, middlemen in Chicago eventually got a cut of that stolen value.
Finally, Illinois farmers sold massive amounts of corn, pork, and beef to Southern plantations. Plantations in the South devoted essentially all of their agricultural capacity to cash crops so they needed to be fed by the Midwest to remain viable. This arrangement allowed the nation as a whole to maximize the export value it derived from slavery.
That's a nice combination of splitting hairs and moving the goalposts. There's some truth in it. However, we know that's not what Mayor Johnson was trying to say. I despise Ted Cruz as much as any decent human should, but this ain't it chief.
14 Comments
BillyClark@piefed.social · 34 pts · 174d
The problem with short excerpts like this is that I don't have enough context to know exactly what the mayor intended to mean.
If I want to go in giving him the benefit of the doubt, and I don't see why I wouldn't, there are some contexts that could make sense.
He might be referring to America in general rather than just Chicago. Or, he could be speaking broadly about how exploited people always do most of the work, and just said slaves and indigenous people as examples of exploited people.
OwOarchist@pawb.social · 29 pts · 174d
Likely entirely on purpose. I bet the full context of the speech does help it make sense, but someone deliberately cut out that context in order to make a quick 'gotcha' moment out of it.
BillyClark@piefed.social · 10 pts · 174d
That is my assumption as well. I was just considering how much better this country could be if we just taught children to use steel man arguments instead of straw man arguments.
SayJess@piefed.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 173d
No different from when people clip streamers out of context. There’s a narrative that the poster is pushing. Otherwise they’d come with receipts.
driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br · 23 pts · 174d
Is he implying that there were not slaved people or is trying to give credit to white slavers for building the city?
SarahValentine@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 20 pts · 174d
Illinois was established by a free black man, and has never allowed slavery.
shawn1122@sh.itjust.works · 47 pts · 174d
It's important to remember that all of America benefited economically from the slave trade.
Illinois had de facto slavery (indentured servitude) and initially, after the territory was acquired from the French, many slaves were kept in bondage based on prior treaties.
Chicago was built as a trading hub for shipping Southern cotton, sugar, and tobacco to Eastern markets and Europe. So while the value of labor was most apparently stolen in the south, middlemen in Chicago eventually got a cut of that stolen value.
Finally, Illinois farmers sold massive amounts of corn, pork, and beef to Southern plantations. Plantations in the South devoted essentially all of their agricultural capacity to cash crops so they needed to be fed by the Midwest to remain viable. This arrangement allowed the nation as a whole to maximize the export value it derived from slavery.
https://will.illinois.edu/news/story/illinois-issuesslave-state
SarahValentine@lemmy.blahaj.zone · -19 pts · 174d
That's a nice combination of splitting hairs and moving the goalposts. There's some truth in it. However, we know that's not what Mayor Johnson was trying to say. I despise Ted Cruz as much as any decent human should, but this ain't it chief.
Grail@multiverse.soulism.net · 13 pts · 173d
TL;DR: America was built by slaves and Chicago got rich off them
somethingsnappy@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 173d
Weird take. Seems like like you need Johnson for something..
SarahValentine@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 173d
I have no idea what that's supposed to mean. If you're accusing me of something, just say it instead of making vague insinuations.
somethingsnappy@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 173d
Suuuuure you don't.
JoMiran@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 174d
https://youtu.be/8S2HcmTEtRk
ryannathans@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 174d
Chicago was founded and grew after slavery was effectively ended in Illinois..