Twelve Years A Slave -- the book

[Crabtownboy]

This is a hard book to read, hard because of the inhumanity of how people treat other people.

When I saw the movie I thought, as bad as slavery is portrayed in this movie I expect it was worse. From the writing of Solomon Northup of his experiences it was much worse. Born in the state of New York he was a free Black man. Kidnapped in Washington, DC he was taken to New Orleans and sold into slavery. It was very providential that he was found and freed.

As I said, this is a tough book to read, but one that everyone should read.

 

[Don]

First off, your tense is incorrect. You said "how people treat other people"; based on the timing of the book, you should have said "treated other people."

If you want to take on the sins of the past, that's up to you. If you want to indicate that the book reflects how people are being treated TODAY, then be prepared to provide proof.

 

[Crabtownboy]

duplicate, deleted.

 

[Crabtownboy]

First off, your tense is incorrect. You said "how people treat other people"; based on the timing of the book, you should have said "treated other people."

If you want to take on the sins of the past, that's up to you. If you want to indicate that the book reflects how people are being treated TODAY, then be prepared to provide proof.

Slavery, in various forms, is alive and well in our world today.

1. Trafficking of women ... trafficking is simply a word for transporting to slavery
2. Trafficking of children
3. Enslavement of "guest workers."
4. Enslavement of domestic workers in Saudi Arabia and other mid-East countries.
5. Enslavement of children in sweat shops in various countries

The list could go on.

There are more slaves today than were seized from Africa in four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The modern commerce in humans rivals illegal drug trafficking in its global reach—and in the destruction of lives.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0309/feature1/

A 21st-century version of slavery—captive labor—is rampant at the bottom of the U.S. economy, and Washington politicians and business lobbies want to keep it that way, or even expand it as part of the immigration reform talks now in Congress.

Under a system of “legalized slavery,” foreign workers are routinely thrown in massive debt, cheated out of wages, housed in squalid shacks, held captive by brokers and businesses that seize passports, Social Security cards and return tickets, denied healthcare, rented to other employers (including the military), and sexually harassed and threatened with firing and deportation if they complain, according to two detailed reports by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Guestworker Alliance. The reports are based on sworn testimony gathered for lawsuits.

http://www.alternet.org/immigration/21st-century-version-slavery-widespread-america

 

[SolaSaint]

You are right Crabby. Slavery is at it's worst right now, we just don't see it. I watched the movie on Saturday and it was very depressing and sad. I find it so hard to believe anyone could treat another person in such a way. Notice I didn't say "treated" although it fits as well.

 

[Don]

Slavery, in various forms, is alive and well in our world today.

1. Trafficking of women ... trafficking is simply a word for transporting to slavery
2. Trafficking of children
3. Enslavement of "guest workers."
4. Enslavement of domestic workers in Saudi Arabia and other mid-East countries.
5. Enslavement of children in sweat shops in various countries

Please provide the examples of these in the United States. I'm well aware this occurs in other nations, especially third-world nations.

The list could go on.

Wow. Do you actually realize that the article identifies that suppliers to Walmart are abusing the H-2B visa program, and not Walmart themselves? This article, however, makes Walmart out to be the "evil" employer for using suppliers that are violating those rules. By that logic, our current government--including our sitting President--should be behind bars for allowing legislation that continues the abuse of the H-2B program.

Why didn't this article actually name those hotels and those suppliers? I want to see some names, so I can start an effort to actually boycott those firms. I imagine I'd get a LOT of support within 24 hours when it's made public what they're doing.

How come we didn't get that information in this article? But instead received a lot of innuendo and stories from abused workers? Is it because the reporter doesn't actually have evidence, other than the abused workers? And therefore would be sued for slander and libel by those companies?

 

[Crabtownboy]

Please provide the examples of these in the United States. I'm well aware this occurs in other nations, especially third-world nations.

Read the article at the link below. The link would not allow me to post information from the article.

http://www.caseact.org/learn/humantrafficking/

Other examples are below, but it is not an exhaustive list of references.

sex trafficking also occurs domestically.4 The United States not only faces an influx of international victims but also has its own homegrown problem of interstate sex trafficking of minors.5

Although comprehensive research to document the number of children engaged in prostitution in the United States is lacking, an estimated 293,000 American youths currently are at risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation.6 The majority of these victims are runaway or thrown-away youths who live on the streets and become victims of prostitution.7 These children generally come from homes where they have been abused or from families who have abandoned them. Often, they become involved in prostitution to support themselves financially or to get the things they feel they need or want (like drugs).

http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/p...ent-bulletin/march_2011/human_sex_trafficking

Collecting statistics on human trafficking—the illegal trading of human beings for commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor—is particularly difficult because of the hidden nature of trafficking activities. Although the majority of labor trafficking victims are undocumented or qualified aliens, the majority of sex trafficking victims in the U.S. are U.S. citizens. Recently, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)-led task forces have conducted hundreds of investigations of suspected traffickers, and the DOJ filed charges in a record number of cases, most of which involved sex trafficking. Victimization patterns vary by age, sex (most are female), and ethnicity. Although allegations generally involve one type of trafficking, investigations have identified a range of types of trafficking per incident.

http://www.victimsofcrime.org/library/crime-information-and-statistics/human-trafficking

Wow. Do you actually realize that the article identifies that suppliers to Walmart are abusing the H-2B visa program, and not Walmart themselves? This article, however, makes Walmart out to be the "evil" employer for using suppliers that are violating those rules. By that logic, our current government--including our sitting President--should be behind bars for allowing legislation that continues the abuse of the H-2B program.

If Walmart know their suppliers are guilty of trafficking and does not cut off those suppliers then they are guilty of aiding and abetting the slave trade.

Why didn't this article actually name those hotels and those suppliers? I want to see some names, so I can start an effort to actually boycott those firms. I imagine I'd get a LOT of support within 24 hours when it's made public what they're doing.

Ask the author. How would I know why the author did or did not provide specific information. It is an article, not a book.

Do some searches and you can probably find the information you seek.

How come we didn't get that information in this article? But instead received a lot of innuendo and stories from abused workers? Is it because the reporter doesn't actually have evidence, other than the abused workers? And therefore would be sued for slander and libel by those companies?

Do you mean that the witness of abused workers is worthless? What good are witnesses in court cases.

The article is not an encyclopedia. It is an article.