DeSantis thinks slavery was a skill program

Dear Ron DeSantis, slavery was not a job skills program 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's presidential campaign is floundering, but his neofascist Orwellian thought crime campaign against teaching the real history of Black Americans – and America's real history more generally – is having great success nonetheless, as historian Keisha N. Blain outlines at MSNBC: 

For example, according to the state's new guidelines, instructors will be expected to teach students that enslaved Black people "developed skills" that "could be applied for their personal benefit." Instructors are also expected to discuss "acts of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans" when teaching students about mob violence….Rather than offer its students courses that provide a full and honest accounting of the past, Florida is choosing to dishonestly keep its students ignorant of this country's (and that state's) history.

These new "educational standards" are actually using the Black freedom struggle to advance a project of white supremacy. DeSantis' administration and its agents are censoring books they deem to be anti-American, "woke" or contaminated with the "critical race theory mind virus". Florida is now targeting educators for harassment and intimidation, rewriting school curriculums and threatening to defund departments and courses if they cover subjects that "make white people uncomfortable" or "feel guilty." They are banning diversity, inclusion, and equity programs, and are attempting to end academic and intellectual freedom at Florida's universities and colleges as part of a larger plan to destroy liberal arts education (i.e. courses that teach critical thinking). Several weeks ago, for example, the Florida legislature passed a law that makes it illegal for Florida's colleges and universities to teach the fact that systemic and structural racism exists in American society.

 Has anyone tried asking Ronnie, who owned the value created by the slaves skills? If a slave learns black smithing, who owns the horseshoes he makes? If a slave learns farming, who owns the crops? If a slave learns domestic work, whose house do they work in? If slaves were taught skills, it was only so that the owners could further exploit them.

So, let’s run with Meatball’s logic for a second. Some slaves were (forcibly) taught skills like blacksmithing or leather working or something else. Cool, okay, so how exactly is that a benefit, Ron? Could they quit their “job” and go find a new one that offers better pay? Oh, no? Hm. Turns out maybe they could use these skills a little bit on the side, if their literal owner allowed them to. Which wasn’t very often.

So where exactly does the benefit come from, Ron? Wtf is the point of job skills if you have zero agency? Pride in knowing you get to make horseshoes all day for the rest of your life, while worrying your family could get sold down the river without you at any moment? Cool, cool.

So, what about all the other enslaved people, millions of them, that only ever picked cotton? What about them? What sweet job skills did they learn? Arthritis? Bodily disfigurement from doing the same unnatural tasks day after day, forever? I suppose they don’t count in your little tale of uplift.

It’s a fucking stupid claim, backed up by stupid logic, crafted by hateful idiots.

Fuck this guy. And fuck Florida voters as well. Don’t let them off the hook. They foisted this mother fucker on us.

Ron DeSantis Snaps Back at Reporter Over Slavery Question in Tense Exchange

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis snapped at a reporter after being asked a question about slavery in a tense exchange during a campaign stop in Iowa on Thursday.

DeSantis, who is running for president, defended changes to Florida's newly passed school curriculum on how students will be taught Black history and slavery in particular.

The Florida Board of Education's new set of standards on how Black history is taught in public schools has faced criticism from both education and civil rights advocates.

The new standards require instruction for middle school students to include "how slaves developed skills, which in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit," according to a document listing the standards. Critics have argued that this statement suggests there were positives to being enslaved and have called for students to be allowed to learn the full truth of American history and the atrocities of slavery.

Imagine making "slavery was good" the hill you die on. 

He’s not important enough to have that kind of attitude. If you want to be president then a majority of the voters have to not hate your guts.

Every time DeSantis opens his mouth he proves everything’s bigger in Florida- especially the assholes.

Slavery should be taught as nothing more than the brutal and inhumane use of human beings as farm equipment against their will.