Just finished reading American Uprising with a much deeper and broader understanding of early 19th century politics on the mushrooming of both the US and it's dependence on slavery, specifically in Louisiana. The echoes are still audible, in the corrupt politics, the persistent poverty, in the clash of cultural values, ingrained bigotry* and violence. The only assumption that I have a small quibble with is that, had the slave rebellion succeeded, that it would have done anything better than the violent and exploitative government that formed in Haiti. Never clearly proposed, nor touched on, in this book.
No kind of slavery is anything less than atrocious.
The unrest among various factions in Africa, that provided slaves, were fueled by European imperial politics. Everyone in power was complicit in the atrocities committed for wealth from sugar, molasses, rum. We are left with the the stain of those sins, no one innocent.
So, is it terrible of me that I desperately want to see a sitcom, in the style of Hogan's Heroes, about slaves and their master? I have no idea how it could be done at all, save maybe by the Blackadder folks, or maybe Mel Brooks with the Wayans Brothers. It's a dire subject overdue for a completely ludicrous treatment.
*Racism is a bad term, we are all human, all the same species, supposing different races implies different species.
3 comments:
I could certainly envisage a Blackadder treatment of the subject. They did a good job with the first world war after all...
It just might work...
I do not see an 'Uprising' sitcom in the near future, not unless it is made for a poorly followed cable channel, or maybe purely youtube release.
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