BIAS ISN’T ALWAYS WRONG
I’ve been studying the concept of THIS isn’t THAT for over 20 years. I’m not finished yet.
JSTOR DAILY writes: “Why Do People Embrace Hate? Sartre Has an Answer”
“A classic essay examines the hidden dynamics behind modern prejudice.”
The problem is that bias does NOT equal prejudice. We all use bias in our daily lives. I want wheat bread, not white. (That’s bias.) “I like a woman with a sense of humor.” (Also bias). Likes, dislikes, wants, desires, hopes, dreams, and even prejudice are all forms of bias. Some bias is GOOD, like “I’d rather not drink poison.” Some are BAD, “I hate my boss (no reason).” However, most biases are nuanced choices, a little bad but mostly good, others mostly bad but some good, too. It is important to understand that KNOWING why you have a bias is important. Often that takes serious study and determined thought. Let’s start with an obvious example.
For one, “slavery” isn’t all about “blacks.” Some would claim otherwise. If I said that in the wrong crowd I’d be cancelled and banned more than a book could ever be. However, it is true. Every race has served as a slave to another, sometimes to the same race. Men in the 1800s dared not go alone to a bar on the waterfront in San Fransisco. The bartender might serve him a “mickey” and a couple shady men would throw him in the back of a cart and thus to some ship where he’d be “owned” by the sea captain until he died or successfully ran away (usually overseas). Upon reaching port these slaves were shackled in a lower cabin. In either case he never saw his home or family again. Greeks owned Romans. Romans owned Greeks. Irishmen owned Englishmen, and Englishmen owned Irishmen. Blacks owned blacks in Africa (and elsewhere). American Indians (long before whites arrived) owned those Indians they conquered. It has happened in every culture, everywhere in the world … yet, American slavery was “more evil?” I don’t think that is true.It definitely was evil, though. EVERY KIND of servitude is evil. Even in England in the 1700s coal miners were in servitude to the mine owner because they owed more to the company than they could pay (they owed for company housing, and purchases from company-owned stores sold on credit to the employees. They couldn’t just move and get another job … they had to pay their debt in full first. Other folk became serfs to those who paid their passage to the New World … and had to work a whole year to pay for it (even though as a common employee they could have earned enough in a few months to pay the cost of passage. It was abuse of a system and the person was in servitude until the debt was “paid.” Strangely, in pre-1775 colonies on the East Coast, there were more WHITE slaves than black, most of them children. I never see this mentioned anywhere in the school history lessons. Can I mention that two of my wife’s earliest American ancestors were bond servants (they were white), and they were given no option about whether they would make the dangerous trip to Plymouth. (“Bond servant” is just another word for “slave.”)
The bias is that ONLY black slavery is evil. I have come to realize there was a definite reason that Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation failed to mention race. It wasn’t to appease white owners of black slaves. Not all slaves at the time were black. Most were, but not all. Some were native Americans. Some were Hispanic. Some were Asian. Some were European. Therefore he proclaimed ALL slaves free. Juneteenth isn’t just for blacks, then, but anyone whose ancestor was a slave. If he had only mentioned “negro” then the slave owners would have merely enslaved another race (maybe Jews?)
Even in modern America we are dealing with servitude issues. Many who crossed the border in the last couple decades were importing other humans for use as unpaid laborers, unpaid prostitutes, and more. Somehow this truth is seldom told, nor is the extent of it ever explored. (Some estimate there are more than one million slaves living in America right now.) It was (and still is big business). We forget that several nations allow (or never prosecute) slavery … and we continue to import products manufactured by enslaved peoples. Some clothing and shoes, some toys and electronics, and many other things are produced by slaves. Where? China, India, and some mid-east countries. Next time you purchase something made in India or China … ask yourself “Were slaves used to make this?” We shouldn’t be charging tariffs on that country’s goods, we should be ending all trade until their slaves are set free.
What makes a person less of a slave? I don’t like the question even though it is worthy of thought. For the Israelites who had been slaves in Egypt (circa “Exodus”) God had an answer: A day of rest. That was his reason for declaring a Sabbath. It was to remind the Israelites every single week that they were NO LONGER slaves (slaves never got a day off). A day of rest is a good reminder that one is no longer a slave. American history has another answer: Education. Slaves don’t need a good education, but it is vital for a freedman. History tells us that many former slaves sought education and learned how to read, write, and do math in the years following the end of slavery. From 1900 to 1950 blacks in the south improved tremendously in those categories. Owning a business and a home also brought opportunity and success. Perfection? No. Improvements? Yes. From 1866 on, every year found a greater number of blacks starting and running new businesses. One man, who had been a slave in Kentucky (owned by a famous Kentucky family), became a Baptist preacher and also ran several businesses. Freedom of self-determination (moving where YOU want to move) is another. One former slave moved his entire family from Mississippi to Kansas in 1869, bought property and built a house. (There are pictures of his family and the house.) Thousands moved north. Others left the States altogether and went back to Africa.
To be fair, many formerly enslaved Asians also moved back to Asia to restart their lives. This is not only true for the United States, it also happened in Argentina and Brazil. Oh, yes. They also had slavery.
Have I mentioned that when the Colonies were Colonies the slave owners were neither US Citizens, nor did they live under Colony laws. They were citizens of Great Britain and followed the governance established BY Great Britain. Therefore anyone held in slavery before 1776 in the British Colonies were British slaves, not American slaves. Before 1776 there were NO Americans. Don’t BLAME America for slavery. It was a nasty gift from our MOTHERLAND. Not only that, but Americans fought and died to eradicate the evil we were left with. We weren’t a world power then, but a fledgling nation trying to catch up. Yet we accomplished the abolition of slavery in less than 100 years. Name another nation in the world did it as quickly.
Slavery made slave owners rich. What did it do for non-owners? It was difficult in pre-Civil War America for a southern man to find a job that paid a living wage. It was cheaper for factory owners to buy slaves than to pay workers. What about dress-making. Again, it cost less to buy a few slaves than to pay white women to make dresses. White Southerners were largely poor folk. As a result many families had to allow their 8 and 9 year olds to work to help support the family. They often worked alongside slaves in the cotton and tobacco fields earning a few pennies a day (children’s wages were pitiful). It wasn’t until Emancipation that southern whites found better wages and more employment opportunities. Freedom didn’t only come to the slaves.
Bias? Not just a little it seems. And if you are going to have a bias you should know some actual history that goes with it. Now, if you really want to talk about bias … veganism.
Copyright 2026 Donald Whelpley
[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere.
ALSO, Don is always open to offer his thoughts on various topics. If you have a specific request, you can let him know in a comment; he reads – and replies to – them all. ~ Sherry]
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