Another One Getting A Kicking For Stating The Obvious

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/david-starkey-widely-criticised-for-slavery-was-not-genocide-remarks/ar-BB16gnwq?li=BBoPWjQ&;ocid=mailsignout
It'd be a pretty poor slaver or owner that bumped off the assets wouldn't it?

[Theland]

A bit of a satirical comment and no statue for him!

[Gromit]

And Hitler didn’t commit genocide either, proof is there are so many damn Jews in Europe.

His statement was far from obvious or true. It’s not a good Argument and Starkey deserves all the flack his comment gets him.

[Theland]

I guess Starkey meant genocide was not the intention?

[royfromaus]

damn...why did he include that word?

[Theland]

Must have been thinking of Rap ''music''(?)

[ToraToraTora]

gromit, slaves were valuable, who destroys their own assets?

[Theland]

Indeed. Some were dumped over the side when accosted by the Royal Plod Of The High Seas.

[Gromit]

Slaves were merchandise and had no retail value if they died. So the aim was not to kill them but made money selling them. but many thousands died.
About 10% of slaves died on route. Estimates vary between 10 and 20 Million Africans were transported. That means that deaths were as high as 2 million people.

[ToraToraTora]

so Genocide: "the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group." - this was not that, many died but that was not the intention QED not genocide.

[tiggerblue10]

He hasn't done himself any favours with this one. Pretty tactless.

I used to like him until he had a hissy fit at Richard IIIs reburial.

[Gromit]

Tora

No not genocide, 1805 was just a bad year for boating accidents.

[ToraToraTora]

Starkey said it was not genocide and we agree that it was not, so why is he getting a hard time?

[andy-hughes]

I think anyone would agree that slavery was not genocide, for the reasons stated here - death is not good business when you are trading in people.

Mr Starkey's error was referring to 'so many damned blacks ... ' which is an utterly crass and offensive observation and unfitting of a man of his intelligence and reputation.

That's why he is 'getting a kicking' and he thoroughly deserves it.

[Atheist]

Throwing cargo overboard was never profitable in the short term, but was frequently done in order to save a ship from foundering. The black people chained up on board were considered as cargo, not as human beings. Their loss was considered regrettable but, unfortunately, necessary. Greed and ignorance lead to some awful events.

[Atheist]

I don't know the definition of genocide, but the fact that there are a lot of black people in USA now is surely not a sound argument; the whole human race may have descended from a bottleneck of a few hundred, many thousands of years ago - people do tend to multiply.

[jno]

//Slavery was not genocide, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many damn blacks in Africa or in Britain would there?//

I look forward to hearing what you have to say when someone announces “The holocaust was not genocide, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many damn Jews in America or in Britain would there?

[Hopkirk]

I agree with David Olusoga, a man I have great respect for.

The broadcaster and historian David Olusoga said: “This is truly disgusting. And by the same ridiculous, twisted logic the Holocaust would not be counted as a genocide.”

[Mozz71]

I don't think it's Starkey stating it wasn't a genocide which is the problem, more the phrase "so many damn blacks".

The whole thing is just belittling slavery.

It's like saying a serial rapist didn't kill his victims, otherwise there wouldn't be "so many damn women" still around.

[ToraToraTora]

jno: "I look forward to hearing what you have to say when someone announces “The holocaust was not genocide, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many damn Jews in America or in Britain would there? " - apples and oranges me old china, the holocaust was an attempt at genocide, slavery was not.

[Atheist]

TTT perhaps you should change your mind to Tora Pedant. Perhaps you could tell us what you think of Starkey's words. Do you admire and agree with him? Or do you think he spoke insensitively?