For a long time, I have contended that willed ignorance is
one of the most destructive powers in the world. That people choosing to remain
in the dark about important social issues and refusing to change their ways
even when they are morally wrong, is one of the principle causes of genocide,
holocausts, and atrocities throughout history. For example, the willed
ignorance of the vast majority of the white south in the 1800s about the human
status of black people, helped to shape and form the strength of the slave
system in early America. The stability of the slave system in part depended
upon the conception and belief that black people were below the status of
humans, that they were more like animals. However, there is evidence to show
that this ignorance about the human status of black people was willed and
purposeful. Evidence that shows that many people did not actually believe that
black people were like animals, but rather, they used this clever guise to hide
their moral reprehensibility.
For
example, slave owners often times had sex with their slaves. Whereas it may not
have been publically acceptable, this practice was all too common for it to
have been entirely taboo. Having sexual relations with slaves acknowledges the
fact that they are in-fact human, for if this was not an acknowledgement, then
the masters were intending to have sex with animals…
Furthermore,
people in the South often times had a “Mammy” figure: a slave who was in charge
of raising the children. The Mammy would take care of the white children from
the time they were born, feeding them, clothing them, basically becoming a
surrogate mother. Obviously, we
would not trust animals with our children, only someone we trust.
Moreover,
one of the other excuses for slavery was that slave owners were actually
benefitting the slaves by teaching them Christianity. It is here that the slave
owners have constructed a neat little paradox for themselves. If slaves are
animals, then their soles are of little importance, like that of livestock, and
subsequently do not need to be “saved”. On the other hand, slaves are in-fact
human and are worthy of eternal salvation that is only achieved through
Christianity.
Through
these few examples, it is clear that white southerners knew that slaves were
people who deserved rights, but they webbed the intricate story in order to
justify their actions and their profits. They chose to remain ignorant about the
human status of slaves in order to protect themselves from their own
conscience.
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ReplyDeleteIn your claim, you address the “mammy” figure in the American South, and this topic is one of which I find quite interesting. From birth, a white male is essentially raised by a female household slave. I believe at this point the child does not view his ”mammy” as an animal or piece of property and instead establishes a tight human relationship with her full of care and love. As the child grows older and his father eventually dies, the child’s “mammy” figure becomes his property. This class has really taught me to think about what effect this could have on both the child and the “mammy” figure. Does the child still view his “mammy” figure as human or has she now become a piece of property to him? Does the close bond they established earlier in life survive the progression in time or does the once child become devoid of emotion toward his “mammy”? In this instance, at some point during his life and maybe for a significant amount of it, I believe this child is able to see his “mammy” as a human being and not as a commodity.
ReplyDeleteYour defense against slaves being the like of animals is remarkable. You give clear examples with clean results. But, I would like to open up the act of interracial sex in your post. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, sex is defined as ‘the sum of the structural, functional, and behavioral characteristics of organisms that are involved in reproduction marked by the union of gametes and that distinguish males and females’. In laymen’s terms, sex is the act of reproduction between organisms. However, we know that particularly for humans and dolphins, sex can be used for pleasure as well. I am going to go out on a limb here and assume that the interracial relationships between a master and his slaves were typically pleasure driven. What then needs to be taken into account is the slave owner’s rationalization of these relationships. If for pleasure, why turn to the slave rather than the wife? Is it the sense of utmost control and ‘mastery’ that made it so appealing? If so, then interracial sex was for more than just pleasure. It played a key role in inscribing the slave-owner’s identity as well. This only reinforces what we discussed in class – slave-owners imagined who they could be by whom they could buy.
ReplyDeleteYou make an interesting point with the idea of willed ignorance as "people choosing to remain in the dark about important social issues and refusing to change their ways even when they are morally wrong". I definitely agree that willed ignorance is one of the greatest destructive powers in the world, however; I would also assert that coersion also plays a large role in willed igorance. Through coersion, usually coming from the top, which I would define as those holding a large amount of political and economic power, the general public came to believe their own rhetoric. Not necessarily being able to seperate these coersive tactics (religious intentions, immorality, human aspects) from the true reality of slavery, a nation that relied on and justified the institution of slavery was born. As the "humanness" of slaves was challenged, laws (both social and written) were enforced to maintain the commodification process. Asserting the inhumanity of slaves in newspapers and other outlets, popular public opinion was enabled and willed ignorance able to flourish.
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