story of a Philippino slave and her family

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spronk

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Really fascinating read of a woman who was glibly taken into slavery over 70 years ago in the Philippines. Which is quite common in most parts of the world, even still - if you have Asian, African, South American, etc close friends who were born into wealth its not shocking to hear stories of armies of servants, many of whom are born into servitude and can never escape.

This one is interesting though because the slave was brought to the US and lived and worked here for 56 years, to what we'd call a pretty common American family.
My Family’s Slave

Next time one of my daughters emails me about some stupid micro aggression shit that Trump triggered in her, I'll send this back to her and remind her that there are billions of people in the world who would gladly trade places with her in a heartbeat.

This article is also fascinating because the writer is a journalist for the Atlantic (and others) who died last month, this was the last story he did.
 
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TJT

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Okay I read it. Interesting except for....

TL;DR: Lifelong shitlib journalist has a literal slave work for his family for most of his life. Pays her something later. Feels sorta bad about it on his deathbed. Writes a story about it to absolve himself for adhering to a cultural practice he dislikes after having benefited from it for 50+ years.

What a shitbag.
 
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AladainAF

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A very powerful read, thanks for sharing it. It's shit like this that make me want to strangle fucks that bitch about micro-agressions.

I agree with TJT too though.
 
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Soygen

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Really good article. As far as the guy being a piece of shit, it sounds like he felt terrible guilt about it, but for the last 12 years of her life allowed her to live as she pleased. Being a libshit(I assume because of the article's source?) aside, shit like this is pretty complicated when it's not you, but your parents, who bring this into your life. I feel bad for the kids and the Lola.

Stories like this make you wonder just how many people out there are living like this and much, much worse.

Also, it's spelled Filipino, not Philippino.
 
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Sentagur

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Okay I read it. Interesting except for....

TL;DR: Lifelong shitlib journalist has a literal slave work for his family for most of his life. Pays her something later. Feels sorta bad about it on his deathbed. Writes a story about it to absolve himself for adhering to a cultural practice he dislikes after having benefited from it for 50+ years.

What a shitbag.
Every single word he wrote, every single good deed he ever did in his life will forever be tainted now. He is now a dirtbag who owned another human being and a deathbed confession and regret does absolutely nothing.
I hope his filthy bloodline ended with him but the world is not that fair.
 
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TJT

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Soygen Soygen

IDK man. Wouldn't take me too long to question shit when all your American friends are asking if you're paying her money or anything. You're 23 when you realize she's a fucking servant with no papers and no money.

But continue on with things as they are for 35+ more years then feel bad about it after she dies and you have cancer. I have no respect for that.
 
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Soygen

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Soygen Soygen

IDK man. Wouldn't take me too long to question shit when all your American friends are asking if you're paying her money or anything. You're 23 when you realize she's a fucking servant with no papers and no money.

But continue on with things as they are for 35+ more years then feel bad about it after she dies and you have cancer. I have no respect for that.
She probably made a mean plate of pancit. He didn't want to fuck up a good thing.

Jokes aside, I agree with you on the surface. I just think it's often more complicated when you grow up around someone like he did and the actions you take might blow your entire family up. I'm not endorsing slavery. I'm just saying I'm not condemning this dude for his lack of action.
 
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Sentagur

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She probably made a mean plate of pancit. He didn't want to fuck up a good thing.

Jokes aside, I agree with you on the surface. I just think it's often more complicated when you grow up around someone like he did and the actions you take might blow your entire family up. I'm not endorsing slavery. I'm just saying I'm not condemning this dude for his lack of action.
He had his whole life to figure out that this shit aint right. I am sorry but a deathbed change of heart is too little too late.
 
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TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
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She probably made a mean plate of pancit. He didn't want to fuck up a good thing.

Jokes aside, I agree with you on the surface. I just think it's often more complicated when you grow up around someone like he did and the actions you take might blow your entire family up. I'm not endorsing slavery. I'm just saying I'm not condemning this dude for his lack of action.

This is one of those things I just can't even pretend to defend. Yes, don't blow up your family because the impact of your slave being taken away would inconvenience you. And you'd look bad in the USA because having a slave is rather frowned upon.

That whole family can eat a dick. I don't care if its a cultural practice in the Philippines. So sorry our laws against slavery make life more difficult for you. Should have moved to Qatar. No sympathy whatsoever.
 
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Soygen

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On the bright side, everyone is dead now!
 
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spronk

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This is one of those things I just can't even pretend to defend. Yes, don't blow up your family because the impact of your slave being taken away would inconvenience you. And you'd look bad in the USA because having a slave is rather frowned upon.

That whole family can eat a dick. I don't care if its a cultural practice in the Philippines. So sorry our laws against slavery make life more difficult for you. Should have moved to Qatar. No sympathy whatsoever.

I don't think its that simple. Say he went to the cops and said his parents own a slave. They are on a visa or immigration status. They would all get deported back to the Philippines and/or sent to jail and/or the Filipino government may take extensive action against their entire family for making them look bad. Parents would probably kick the kid onto the streets and disown him. I'm not sure what would happen to Lola, either stay in the USA (?) or also get deported? The list of shit that can go extremely bad for you, in a foreign country, is immense and scary.

Its easy for us to say "well fuck yeah I'd report their ass and get them jailed" but I honestly don't know if I would rat on a family member like that, knowing the consequences could be shattering to my entire family. That does get a bit Star Trek-ian, is absolutely ruining the life of one innocent person worth the various levels of discomfort 5-6 other people may endure? How does a 11 or 19 year old kid decide that? Are they even emotionally capable?

Bad shit happens all around the world all the time, and most of us are completely oblivious. For example, do you like shrimp? Most shrimp sold in the USA is processed by bonded labor in southeast asia.
Don’t eat that shrimp

I've known that for years. I still buy shrimp :(
 
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AladainAF

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I've known that for years. I still buy shrimp

How about you buy wild caught shrimp in the gulf, if it makes you feel any better?

People buy thailand shrimp and food because they want it cheap. Oh they can sit here all day long and take a holier-than-thou attitude virtue signaling about slavery and such, but if they can get something cheaper with slave labor, they certainly will.
 
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iannis

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Deathbed manumission is always a cowardly, despicable thing.

He had money and an education. He could have freed her. You know why he didn't? It has nothing to do with family. He would then be personally responsible for her well being until such time as she was able to be responsible for her own -- which may never happen.

It's his regret that I scorn. That's a moral weakness. Either accept it as fact or do not. If you accept it that does not mean that you have to fight for the continuation of the practice. If you do not accept it then there are so fucking many ways to free your poppa's slavergirl in America and only one of them involves any state authority. I mean god damn, GET HER AN APARTMENT GET HER A G.E.D., GET HER A REAL JOB WITH A MAID SERVICE, AND TELL YOUR FOLKS THAT SHE FINALLY FIGURED OUT SHE WAS IN AMERICA AND SHE RAN AWAY.

No cops necessary to fix this problem. It just requires something stronger than a cowards regret.
 
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Soygen

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He had money and an education. He could have freed her. You know why he didn't? It has nothing to do with family. He would then be personally responsible for her well being until such time as she was able to be responsible for her own -- which may never happen.
They call that NKD syndrome (North Korea Dilemma).
 
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Sentagur

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This is a story of true progress! America went from importing slaves to importing slave owners. Remember folks all cultures are same and only the western culture is bad.
 
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