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Woman in Brazil enslaved for 55 years by 3 generations of the same family

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Re: Woman in Brazil enslaved for 55 years by 3 generations of the same family

#201

Post by _DeadFred_ »

insane_dreamer wrote: post #167
petcat wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was shocked to read how late even several prominent European countries abolished it. Most northern US states abolished slavery even before Britain, France, Portugal, and (especially) Spain did.

> Most northern US states abolished slavery even before Britain, France, Portugal, and (especially) Spain did Sort of. France and England abolished slavery within their own territories before the US states did, but it did not extend to their colonies until later. France banned slavery within its home territory back in the 1300s (Free Soil Principle), but continued with slavery through its "Code Noir" (Black Code) in…

I wonder if this position was taken from the Muslim slaver behavior who had been conquering/enslaving Christians for quite a while at that point. Especially as Spain was being taken back from Muslim colonizers at that time, and you have lands that had been under Muslim practices (enslaving non-muslims) now having the roles reversed but perhaps the engrained Islamic thought (only enslave non-believers) entrenched.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saqaliba

Re: Woman in Brazil enslaved for 55 years by 3 generations of the same family

#202

Post by metadat »

leoc wrote: post #5

See also the late Alex Tizon's "My Family's Slave" https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/06/lolas-s... , with a 2017 HN discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14350059 .

Thanks for unearthing this, it was immediately what came to mind when I saw this headline and read some of the discussion.

Re: Woman in Brazil enslaved for 55 years by 3 generations of the same family

#203

Post by olelele »

ffsm8 wrote: post #163
iammrpayments wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was repeatedly told in school that Brazil was the last country to abolish slavery, only to find out recently that places like UAE had not abolished slavery until 1967.

As if they stopped... The whole middle east is a shit show in that regard. And North Korea continues to show that literally nobody cares, really. Because if they did, at least that would've been prevent- or at least stopable with some concessions to China. The North Korean people would've at least been treated as humans if they became part of China and the NK dictator along with the whole government be executed.

I’m sorry but the current NK regime and the Kim family consolidating power is in large part due to American aggression indochina. The Korean War was more or less genocide on the part of the Americans and history would be different without Douglas MacArthur…

Re: Woman in Brazil enslaved for 55 years by 3 generations of the same family

#204

Post by scottconover »

RetroTechie wrote: post #178
scottconover wrote: post #49

I’m new to HN. How does this relate to the theme of Hacker News?

Submitter here. As per HN guidelines: "anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity". This playing out across generations of the family that kept her, the woman 'rescued' but staying with them for the time being, the social context, income levels, how to keep a slave from leaving in today's ultra-connected world, the low $ damages mentioned, relation with other modern forms of slavery... Plenty to go on there…

Interesting no doubt!

Re: Woman in Brazil enslaved for 55 years by 3 generations of the same family

#205

Post by ffsm8 »

olelele wrote: post #203
ffsm8 wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As if they stopped... The whole middle east is a shit show in that regard. And North Korea continues to show that literally nobody cares, really. Because if they did, at least that would've been prevent- or at least stopable with some concessions to China. The North Korean people would've at least been treated as humans if they became part of China and the NK dictator along with the whole government be executed.

I’m sorry but the current NK regime and the Kim family consolidating power is in large part due to American aggression indochina. The Korean War was more or less genocide on the part of the Americans and history would be different without Douglas MacArthur…

That's just fake history. The US didn't start the Korean war, they helped SK stand free of the oppression of the seriously evil NK government.

China then interfered because they didn't want a US aligned country at their border.

However there have been decades since the affair settled - and I stand by my opinion that if the US and by extension NATO cares whatsoever, they'd have just told China "we won't interfere as long as you free NK citizens into free people".

It would've not been perfect at all, but at least the horrendous reality they are in would've been prevented.

Re: Woman in Brazil enslaved for 55 years by 3 generations of the same family

#206

Post by argentinian »

comfysocks wrote: post #195
argentinian wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That two actor system needs an poor person to exploit. You are confirming my statement that poverty is the main problem.

And you need a rich person to do the exploiting. The power differential is a key ingredient.

What's your definition of exploitation?

There's is poor people who exploit other poor people. Poor people that sends children to work for example. Only the rich can exploit? You are not using the definition of exploitation from the dictionaries. A stronger or armed person has a power differential with a weaker person. A smarter and less smart person too.

So, exploitation doesn't seem to be related exclusively to wealth inequality. It's a moral thing, not a matter of wealth differences.

A simple narrative of "us-good VS them-bad" is reductionistic.

Re: Woman in Brazil enslaved for 55 years by 3 generations of the same family

#207

Post by Brian_K_White »

sokoloff wrote: post #147
none2585 wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not the state but the companies that run the prisons and those that contract the workers to work at an extremely low wage.

What’s the financial motivation for the state then?

Irrelevant. There doesn't need to be any.

"What's the financial motivation for the state" is way too blinkered and makes at least 2 different false assumptions. There are other motivations besides financial, and it doesn't have to be the state's own motivation for the state to end up doing something.

Countless government policies and programs exist which give no legitimate benefit to the state or the people, no legitimate motivation, financial or otherwise, yet they exist anyway because they do benefit and motivate someone, financially or otherwise, who has some mechanism of influence to cause it to happen.

This is almost like asking "Why would anyone do something bad?" Gosh golly why indeed? 517,000 reasons and 124 new ones every day.

Re: Woman in Brazil enslaved for 55 years by 3 generations of the same family

#208

Post by timedude »

anon7000 wrote: post #109
timedude wrote: post #106

I see a lot of comments claiming that slavery was abolished. It was not, we just made the transition to another form of slavery, one where most people think they are free. In reality, they work every day while most of their earnings are taken from them by force every month ('taxation'). The well known slave Frederik Douglas was one of the first examples of this. Douglas made a deal with his master to do whatever he l…

Well, taxation is not “most of your earnings.” Not even remotely close. If we’re talking theft, maybe look at the companies reaping profits off your labor without sharing it. I think your definition of slavery is highly insulting. Slavery is bad not because two people agree to have this profit sharing scheme as you seem to be implying. Slavery is evil because one person is nearly fully and entirely controlling anothe…

Isnt taxation evetually more than half of your earnings? Eventually close to 70 or 80 percent. Depending on what plantation you live

Re: Woman in Brazil enslaved for 55 years by 3 generations of the same family

#209

Post by Brian_K_White »

elmer2 wrote: post #90
phyzome wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correction: The US still has not abolished slavery. It is still legal in the case of prisoners: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_Un...

I suppose using this logic, murder is legal, because of self defense. Theft is legal because of tax laws. Prisoners aren't 'slaves'. They are being punished for crimes they committed. Very dofferent than being born into it and bought/sold to the highest bidder.

Self denese isn't murder. It's killing but not murder. And yes, there are forms of killing that are legal and not murder.

And yes indeed you are correct that the sate does commit theft and declare it legal for itself.

Prisoners that are made to perform any useful work that anyone else benefits from are slaves, not merely prisoners.

If you want to invoke the word "logic" you should actually employ it.

Re: Woman in Brazil enslaved for 55 years by 3 generations of the same family

#210

Post by AnimalMuppet »

timedude wrote: post #208
anon7000 wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, taxation is not “most of your earnings.” Not even remotely close. If we’re talking theft, maybe look at the companies reaping profits off your labor without sharing it. I think your definition of slavery is highly insulting. Slavery is bad not because two people agree to have this profit sharing scheme as you seem to be implying. Slavery is evil because one person is nearly fully and entirely controlling anothe…

Isnt taxation evetually more than half of your earnings? Eventually close to 70 or 80 percent. Depending on what plantation you live

Claiming (twice) that taxation takes most of your earnings is not the same as proving it. We didn't believe you the first time, and we don't believe you the second. Got any actual evidence?
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