Ghana takes transatlantic slavery case to UN
(www.dw.com)
from schizoidman@lemmy.zip to world@lemmy.world on 23 Feb 2026 14:55
https://lemmy.zip/post/59638377
from schizoidman@lemmy.zip to world@lemmy.world on 23 Feb 2026 14:55
https://lemmy.zip/post/59638377
Ghana’s President John Mahama has received the African Union’s backing in pushing the United Nations to recognize transatlantic slavery as the ‘gravest crime against humanity.’
There is broad historical consensus that the transatlantic slave trade between the 15th and 19th centuries, which involved the kidnapping, enslavement and transport of millions of Africans to the Americas and the Caribbean, was one of the biggest tragedies in human history.
#world
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How does the 1300 year Arab slave trade compare?
You’re right. Time to dismantle all anti slavery rules and measures globally. Always have, always should.
Fuck. Whataboutism on the fucking transatlantic slave trade? Jesus fucking Christ, brother. This is fucking stupid, man. What the hell are you doing?
It’s not whataboutism when they’re on topic.
That topic again: what is the ‘gravest crime against humanity.’
The use of the superlative gravest invites conversation on what should be considered the ‘gravest crime against humanity.’
Why is it always the .world users?
Idk. I personally think the forced relocation and genocide of native Americans at the hands of the US government was the gravest crime against humanity, but slavery is pretty high up on my list too with the Holocaust and holodomor.
Yeah, and you’re saying that the forced relocation and genocide of African people where they were then forced into chattel slavery doesn’t compare. Bro, why the fuck are you playing this game, dude?
Cause what they are doing is using well known racist dog whistles.
Everything sounds like a dogwhistle when that’s all you ever want to hear…
They didn’t say it doesn’t compare, and they never suggested that the transatlantic slave trade wasn’t an atrocious crime against humanity.
The issue they’re criticizing is clearly the use of the superlative in this context, because it makes it about a competition between all the atrocities where there can only be one “biggest atrocity.”
The focus shouldn’t be on that. Each atrocity deserves focus, but not to the exclusion of others. It doesn’t matter whether chattel slavery, the holocaust, or the ethnic cleansing of the Americas was the “worst” atrocity. They were all atrocious.
That’s why using the superlative in this context is inappropriate, and it accomplishes nothing.
How would you compare that to the brutality of the Mongolian empire that spanned Asia to Europe?
Why do you only want the AST to be discussed when slavery is mentioned?
Chattel slavery, the result of AST, is a supremely fucked version of slavery. Children of slaves were slaves, so this incentivized “breeding programs”, which, beyond the nonconsensual nature, often included violence and forced incest. Christian justification at the time was that they had to punish their slaves “to save them from their sins”. The sin being their skin color (see, the Curse of Ham)
Arabic slavery had no generational component, since children of slaves were born free. Muslim practices of slavery had owners free their slaves at the end of their lives as a way of cleansing sins. Not defending either, but you wanted the whataboutism. So, there ya go. One is clearly worse than the other. Congrats?
They just enslaved 25 generations of African’s children who happened to be right next door and not require risky and expensive naval transport, for 1300 years, castrating the slaves so they could never have children and would be more docile. So much better…
Hey, sick fuck, you’re the one who wanted to play whataboutism. Not me.
Why am I sick? That’s literally the Arab slave trade. I didn’t start whataboutism, you did. I just asked how the AST compared to others. Ya know, all the others that nobody talks about because only the AST can ever be discussed? Oh maybe you don’t know, because only AST can ever be discussed.
No, your first comment “asking” how the Arab slave trade compares is the whataboutism.
But let’s finish this, shall we? How does the AST compare to others? The history of slavery in the Muslim world between 5th and 20th centuries had between 6-10 million victims. Meanwhile, the Atlantic Slave Trade had 12‐15 million victims stolen from Africa between the 15th and 19th centuries. Meaning more were taken over a shorter period of time, requiring a more violent and genocidal act to accomplish. So, the stealing was worse.
And, remember, unlike the Arab slave trade, those aren’t the only victims. All of the African diaspora in the Americas are descendents of generations of the most cruel form of slavery humans have ever devised. An active, ongoing genocide as people were constantly displaced from their loved ones over and over again. They weren’t allowed any privacy except during church (for a religion forced on them). They had to marry in secret. Their children were taken from them, never to be seen again. Their hair was shorn for “wool”. Their dead were taken for leather and their bones used to process sugar.
Oh! And in America, at least, they’re still being used as slaves (13th amendment) to this day.
So yes, again, this was the worst crime humanity ever committed. Sit the fuck down with this shit. Trying to fucking whatabout the goddamn Atlantic Slave Trade.
It’s a basic part of cognition to compare things when claims of are made about something being the worst. Any ‘whataboutism’ is your own bias projection. Why do you want to erase the victims of other slavery systems from the conversation?
It’s a basic part of human decency to shut the fuck after someone totally destroys your whatsboutism in the comments section
Is that what you feel you did?
No but chuckleslord sure fuckin did m8
I just was letting you know that you got spectacularly owned and it was very entertaining
Don’t argue with people John Brown would have shot.
Honestly, yeah. Thought that maybe it was earnest. Sure doesn’t look it now, though.
one at a time. one at a time.
When is anything but the AST ever discussed?
Huge fucking dog whistle right here.
So you don’t know how it compares?
How’s that a fucking dogwhistle? The article is about a superlative claim. Superlatives by nature invite what people are referring to as “whataboutism.”
It’s like if you say your chili is the best chili ever, and someone else says “well I don’t know, my neighbor makes pretty good chili.” You wouldn’t be like “shut the fuck up you fucking asshole, nobody asked for your opinion.” Um, no, you invited everyone else’s opinion when you claimed yours is the best.
That’s how superlatives work and why they’re unnecessary and inappropriate in this context. There have been lots of atrocities in the world, but picking one to declare the absolute worst ever is not fair to the victims of all the other atrocities.
If someone said “the holocaust was the biggest crime against humanity ever” and someone else said “what about the african slave trade?” You wouldn’t call that an antisemitic dogwhistle, would you?
It should be possible to talk about multiple atrocities without getting into slap fights about which one is the singular worst. There’s no prize for “first place.”
On the absolutely miniscule chance that you’re actually asking and are not just being a sea lion I will explain this to you. Whenever someone brings up the transatlantic slave trade, a racist will respond with saying well what about the Arab slave trade. This happens with stunning regularity. That’s why everyone who’s been around long enough will recognize it for the dog whistle it is. That’s why the upvotes and downvotes are the way they are here. We’ve all seen it a hundred times. It is an extremely well-known dog whistle.
Hope that helps.
I’ve never seen it before, but in this context the post is about someone making a superlative claim. So it’s entirely possible and reasonable to leave a genuine reminder that there have been other atrocities that shouldn’t be swept to the wayside just to crown one as the singular worst.
I wouldn’t have picked the Arab slave trade as an example. Seems strange to mention one from a millennium ago when there are plenty to choose from in the past few centuries. Maybe the holocaust, the holodomor, or the genocide of Native Americans. But I saw other commenters calling those dogwhistles too.
I just don’t think those and the African slave trade need to compete for the title of “biggest crime against humanity.” They were all really bad, and there’s no need to pit the victims of each against each other. That’s the only thing being accomplished by making a superlative claim in this context.
Called it.
Called what, exactly? That it’s possible to have a nuanced take that doesn’t perfectly align with yours without being the most completely diabolical and unthinking shill that you can imagine?
What’s the end goal in this.
It’s the UN, so you can be certain that if the action had any consequences, it wouldn’t pass.
Not to not argue about what the worst crimes against humanity are or have been, but I really like this statue