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According to this story, the last country to abolish slavery was Mauritania in 1981: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/03/world/mauritania.slaverys.last.stron

According to this story, the last country to abolish slavery was Mauritania in 1981: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/03/world/mauritania.slaverys.last.stronghold/index.html http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/03/world/mauritania.slav...

EGreg 8y ago
Why did it take so long? EDIT: again, heavily downvoted for merely inquiring why slavery in the middle east persisted It seems it’s only acceptable to discuss the moral failings of the US, or attacks on Westerners, while peoples and nations in the middle east are “below” criticism or comment eh? “We” are too englightened and talking about “them” is diverting the conversation from what really matters?
- CodeCube 8y ago
  I think this one sentence from that article gives a strong clue: "Activists are arrested for fighting the practice." Everyone is always quick these days (at least, here in the US) to decry "Social Justice Warriors" as if they are a bad thing ... but for many across the world and across history, they were the saving grace; someone who dared ask, "why are we doing this?"
  - maxerickson 8y ago
    It's not everyone using social justice warrior as a pejorative, it's assholes.
    - CodeCube 8y ago
      I guess I know a lot of assholes :)
  - ben509 8y ago
    You get judged on your actions; you don't get a pass because someone vaguely similar to you did good things.
    - cema 8y ago
      Absolutely! Actions should be more important than the names. However the names are not just labels, they often have meanings.
  - ygaf 8y ago
    Don't confuse people "who dared ask, "why are we doing this?"" with people who want reparations, affirmative action, etc. And that's just a second definition I've thrown out there, alongside yours, when there's many more.
    - CodeCube 8y ago
      You reference those things as if they are a "bad thing" ... they are not universally "bad things". They are merely individual actions/tools/incentives to right historical wrongs. It's not wrong for people to want to right those wrongs, even if someone else feels that other actions would be more efficient at righting those wrongs ... that's a valid discussion to have, not summarily dismissing people proposing solutions.
      - ygaf 8y ago
        >You reference those things as if they are a "bad thing" More accurately, as if they are not obviously noble, since you conflated everyone to have been called SJW with someone brave and insightful. But yeah I do think those things are intrinsically wrong.
- mikeash 8y ago
  You were probably downvoted because people suspected what your edit demonstrates: that you were trying to whatabout attention away from the US. You’re absolutely allowed to criticize other countries (Mauritania is pretty far from the Middle East BTW), but when you suddenly bring them up in a conversation that’s specifically about the US and a prominent figure in the American abolitionist movement, it looks like you’re trying to deflect. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, but it looks like the downvoters got it right.
  - anoncoward111 8y ago
    I agree with the rest of your comment, but I absolutely must clarify: Mauritania is considered to be a constituent part of the "Maghreb" region, which, while it isn't the Middle East, it is certainly a part of the "Arab World". Furthermore, Mauritania has a crescent and star on their flag, and their state religion is Islam.
    - mikeash 8y ago
      Yes, the whole point of my aside there was to correct the tendency to say “Middle East” when taking about the Arab or Islamic world.
  - EGreg 8y ago
    Why do you think the downvoters got it right? When Paris was attacked, and Beirut on same day, only France was being remembered. Somehow we haven't yet learned to care about people being hurt in other places in the world if we're not living there, if it's not part of "us". We need to start thinking of people as equal regardless of where they live. Anyway, when I saw that Facebook only let you put up the French flag I made https://customizeyourpic.com https://customizeyourpic.com And you can hear what I really think in the video there.
    - mikeash 8y ago
      I think they got it right that you’re not interested in discussing the topic at hand, and would rather hijack the conversation to talk about your pet issues.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]

EGreg 8y ago

Why did it take so long? EDIT: again, heavily downvoted for merely inquiring why slavery in the middle east persisted It seems it’s only acceptable to discuss the moral failings of the US, or attacks on Westerners, while peoples and nations in the middle east are “below” criticism or comment eh? “We” are too englightened and talking about “them” is diverting the conversation from what really matters?

CodeCube 8y ago
I think this one sentence from that article gives a strong clue: "Activists are arrested for fighting the practice." Everyone is always quick these days (at least, here in the US) to decry "Social Justice Warriors" as if they are a bad thing ... but for many across the world and across history, they were the saving grace; someone who dared ask, "why are we doing this?"
- maxerickson 8y ago
  It's not everyone using social justice warrior as a pejorative, it's assholes.
  - CodeCube 8y ago
    I guess I know a lot of assholes :)
- ben509 8y ago
  You get judged on your actions; you don't get a pass because someone vaguely similar to you did good things.
  - cema 8y ago
    Absolutely! Actions should be more important than the names. However the names are not just labels, they often have meanings.
- ygaf 8y ago
  Don't confuse people "who dared ask, "why are we doing this?"" with people who want reparations, affirmative action, etc. And that's just a second definition I've thrown out there, alongside yours, when there's many more.
  - CodeCube 8y ago
    You reference those things as if they are a "bad thing" ... they are not universally "bad things". They are merely individual actions/tools/incentives to right historical wrongs. It's not wrong for people to want to right those wrongs, even if someone else feels that other actions would be more efficient at righting those wrongs ... that's a valid discussion to have, not summarily dismissing people proposing solutions.
    - ygaf 8y ago
      >You reference those things as if they are a "bad thing" More accurately, as if they are not obviously noble, since you conflated everyone to have been called SJW with someone brave and insightful. But yeah I do think those things are intrinsically wrong.
mikeash 8y ago
You were probably downvoted because people suspected what your edit demonstrates: that you were trying to whatabout attention away from the US. You’re absolutely allowed to criticize other countries (Mauritania is pretty far from the Middle East BTW), but when you suddenly bring them up in a conversation that’s specifically about the US and a prominent figure in the American abolitionist movement, it looks like you’re trying to deflect. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, but it looks like the downvoters got it right.
- anoncoward111 8y ago
  I agree with the rest of your comment, but I absolutely must clarify: Mauritania is considered to be a constituent part of the "Maghreb" region, which, while it isn't the Middle East, it is certainly a part of the "Arab World". Furthermore, Mauritania has a crescent and star on their flag, and their state religion is Islam.
  - mikeash 8y ago
    Yes, the whole point of my aside there was to correct the tendency to say “Middle East” when taking about the Arab or Islamic world.
- EGreg 8y ago
  Why do you think the downvoters got it right? When Paris was attacked, and Beirut on same day, only France was being remembered. Somehow we haven't yet learned to care about people being hurt in other places in the world if we're not living there, if it's not part of "us". We need to start thinking of people as equal regardless of where they live. Anyway, when I saw that Facebook only let you put up the French flag I made https://customizeyourpic.com https://customizeyourpic.com And you can hear what I really think in the video there.
  - mikeash 8y ago
    I think they got it right that you’re not interested in discussing the topic at hand, and would rather hijack the conversation to talk about your pet issues.
deleted 8y ago
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