What makes a person think it is ok to keep a slave in the 21st century (note:sla

Question:(I asked this question in the wrong section I think so I am asking it again here-I am shocked by one of the 2 answers I got for this question in anthropology)

Slavery how can this be ok in ANYONES mind?

Are there not human instincts built into most of us to make us want to protect or comfort a person?

How can a culture of humans treat other humans so badly & proclaim ownership of another being & not feel any remorse???

I am reading a book at the moment called Slave by Mende Nazer it is breaking my heart to read and it is not a history book this is a true story of a girls plight in the 21st century!! - we are only talking a couple of years ago!!!!!!!!! She was a slave in Sudan AND the UK.

I am horrified by what I am reading. How can people be so cold and cruel? I can not comprehend how a women - a mother can treat a person- a child, in the ways described in the book.

Are people cruel of their own doing or is it a pack mentality that helps them reject responsibility?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: (I asked this question in the wrong section I think so I am asking it again here-I am shocked by one of the 2 answers I got for this question in anthropology)

Slavery how can this be ok in ANYONES mind?

Are there not human instincts built into most of us to make us want to protect or comfort a person?

How can a culture of humans treat other humans so badly & proclaim ownership of another being & not feel any remorse???

I am reading a book at the moment called Slave by Mende Nazer it is breaking my heart to read and it is not a history book this is a true story of a girls plight in the 21st century!! - we are only talking a couple of years ago!!!!!!!!! She was a slave in Sudan AND the UK.

I am horrified by what I am reading. How can people be so cold and cruel? I can not comprehend how a women - a mother can treat a person- a child, in the ways described in the book.

Are people cruel of their own doing or is it a pack mentality that helps them reject responsibility?

I have never understood how in any century another person could take a slave. These are things that hurt most of us to even think about. But there are many mind sets that we don't understand..like why does a pedophile think his needs are more important than an innocent child? I wonder how it is possible that we live in such a rich nation like the US and our elderly sometimes must choose between needed medication and food..or how it is still possible that we have children who are hungry or cannot have their medical needs met...and all the politicians can't figure out an answer to this. There IS so much wrong in the world that it makes good people sick. Slavery was not abolished at the end of the Civil War by any means, you are quite correct. No man should ever "own" another human. It seems like whatever is wicked a man's mind can think of it and find a way to bring it to fruition if he wishes to.

It's cultural, mostly. Generally you find slaves kept by people whose civilizations aren't exactly progressive: when they show up in the US, it's always a graduate student from the Middle East or a doctor from Africa who winds up blinking into the TV lights. They think it's the natural order of things, and that their tribe was ordained by God to be superior.

It wasn't that much different in the American South, which is one reason our Civil War was fought so hard.

Here's a bit of trivia:

Q: Why was the biggest issue that caused the Texans to fight at the Alamo against Mexico?

A: Slavery was (and is) illegal in Mexico, and the Mexicans wouldn't let Texas settlers from the Old South keep their slaves.

This may not be what you want to hear, but there is nothing in the human psyche that impels us to nurture. Rather the opposite...survival of the fittest. Humans are hard wired, so to speak, to survive. If that means that ruthless acts are necessary, then <shrug> so be it. (think genocide here)
Now, I'm speaking generally here...not as it pertains to each individual. The development of our species SHOULD have, by now, seen the development of ethics and morality that tells us that bondage, especially the bondage of human by human, is wrong. Apparently, this is not so. Our races highly developed feeling of entitlement, I before We, and superiority make this type of thing possible in any century. There are some belief systems that still, to this day, condone it.
"Are there not human instincts built into most of us to make us want to protect or comfort a person?" Look at abuse...child, elder, animal....obviously the answer would be no.
"I can not comprehend how a women - a mother can treat a person- a child, in the ways described in the book" Not all women are nurturers. For example, and I am sorry this is such a bad example, Kathleen Folbigg (link below)
I am as horrified as you are...I can understand it no more than you can. But the truth is, we will never understand it...and I highly doubt that it will ever stop. The ownership of one human by another may see its end, but there are all kinds of slavery, not simply ownership.

Slavery is better than starvation, often that is the choice. Many people in all cultures have been slaves, it is a more natural condition than democracy. If you look at what a mortgage reaaly does, its another form of slaery also.

peace and love

God did not forbid it, and in fact gave guidelines and rules about slave ownership. Do you presume to be wiser than God?

Aristotle described a condition of 'natural' slavery. His example included animals. A horse cannot work metals, develop medicine, nor fight off lions. But we CAN do all these things for a horse. And in return we ask it to pull heavy loads for us and give us rides. It is a mutually beneficial relationship - a good owner wants what's best for his property and the property does better by being managed by a good owner.

Of course, not all owners are GOOD ones. Some are very, very bad. Even with animals. Does this mean that nobody should be allowed to own an animal because some people are bad at it? A ridiculous assertion. What needs to be done is to STOP those who are bad while allowing those who are good to continue.

You may be thinking, "that's all well and good for animals, but I was talking about people!" But why should a different standard really apply?

There are people who are incapable of taking care of themselves. Perhaps they are mentally handicapped, or children. I'm sure you're not arguing that we leave them on the street and let them fend for themselves. But is what we do now really too much different from a KIND of slavery? Children don't want to do their homework or clean their rooms, but we FORCE them to do so whether they like it or not. And like Aristotle's natural masters, we don't do these things because we're sadists... we do them because it is for the children's benefit.

By extension we could include a number of different relationships. Is an indentured servant really less of a slave because they might eventually earn their freedom? Is a person in debt not really not an indentured servant because their creditors allow them to choose their work?

Nobody wants irresponsible owners. But I don't think very many people really want no owners at all...