Is slavery unethical? Is being racist for no reason unethical?

Is slavery unethical? Is being racist for no reason unethical?

>Is slavery unethical?

Yes.

>Is being racist for no reason unethical?

No.

1. Yes, I'd say so.
2. No, as long as you don't hurt others because of it.

If you know better than your slave does, I say it's not

Being a bigot is unreasonable and makes one a worse person, but that's not necessarily unethical. The problem is, words like "ethical" and "moral" mean different things to different people, and they cause us to group together disparate things under their umbrella that may or may not actually share a nature, leading to equivocation and confusion.

As for slavery, that's an easier question imo. Not only is the idea of being a slave oneself abhorrent, but the exercise of absolute power over another human is morally corrupting. A case can be made for slavery as it was practised in the ancient world, where slaves were for the most part captives taken in war and when taking a slave was considered the merciful alternative to the usual practise of genocide.

Racism is defined as actions, not thoughts, so yes to both questions.

>Is being racist for no reason unethical?
I highly doubt that racists are not racist for a reason, but even if they were it wouldn't be unethical. I don't like the business of policing people's thoughts.

>Racism is defined as actions, not thoughts, so yes to both questions.

Is it, though? If I hate Amglos but I never meet any, am I not still racist? Or if I do know some and refuse to associate socially with them, that's an action motivated by racism, but is it really unethical?

From what I've been taught, the act of treating somebody differently because of skin colour, religion, etc. is racism. So yeah, if you refuse to associate with those anglos you're racist. But not if you hate them, but still treat them as you would a member of any other "race", at least according to my logic. Maybe I was taught a faulty definition.

As to whether such racism described above is unethical, I can just give my own opinion. Which is yes. And if not, then at least just stupid.

Racism is just bigotry on the basis of race, it doesn't require actions although it's only thru actions that you can be sure you're dealing with a racist.

What about for example writing in a racist way? Lovecraft comes to mind. It's an action. He was clearly racist, but based on his writing alone, and this definition, is he actually treating black people differently? He probably didn't even meet one ever.

He was certainly a racist but as you say he never had the opportunity to prove it. I didn't mean to imply that you can only be racist thru action, it's perfectly possible to hate someone and yet treat them with perfect civility, as for example a military bigot might treat a nigger general.

Employment is slavery.

Slavery is judged as negative only based on the amount of oppression that is involved.

Forcing someone to clean your dishes with a whip to their back versus while they sleep outside tied to a tree versus giving them a roof over their head or a wage for their dish washing. Point is they are serving you. Some people would sell themselves into slavery to prevent themselves from having to sleep on rocks. It's all about the amount of oppression.

Not everyone can own the 7/11, you know? Not everyone can own the vineyard etc etc. Not everyone even aspires to own the 7/11 or the vineyard. Some are simple and content with working in them, not aiming to own them. Just the oppression involved is the problem, how heavy is the yoke? That determines the ethics. People would have vocal agreements to be a slave for 2 years or a year, if it meant they get a meal and a roof. If you find yourself better off than someone else, they need help or a place to say, they would sell themselves to you. The command is to be fair and kind for trade of service.

Slavery isn't what people think it is. Especially when you look at it's origins.

As for racism, it's unethical regardless. How can anyone hate anything for no reason? There's always a reason. Otherwise there would be a neutral response.

>Forcing someone to clean your dishes with a whip to their back while they sleep outside tied to a tree*******

added one too many "versus"...

>Is slavery unethical?
No
>Is being racist for no reason unethical?
No

Humans already practice slavery we call it owning a pet. Once you can make sure your slave always obeys you there are no downsides to slavery when it comes to getting them to be expendable labor drones.

>Employment is slavery

It's literally not.

>only based on the amount of oppression that is involved

One is voluntary, one is compulsory. Slavery is captivity and forced labor by imposition of the threat of force.

>slavery isn't what people think it is

You're just giving a vaguer definition.

>slavery
Yes.
>being racist for no reason
No, in fact, i'd argue that being racist is natural.
And i don't mean modern racism, i mean more of the fear of the unknown. We are just socialized otherwise.
As someone from eastern Europe, seeing a black person for the first time was a weird experience.
Now think back. How would an 8th century farmer feel if he saw a black man? And i don't mean your typical "african american", i mean one who's as black as charcoal. Anywhere, from Paris to Beijing.

>implying slavery has a racial basis
REVISIONISTS GET OUT REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Over the last 10,000+ years of history, anywhere human beings have formed settled communities they have utilised slaves as a cheap form of labour.
People criticise Europeans and Americans for having taken advantage of African slaving nations and exacerbating the problem (if they bother to acknowledge blacks were in any way responsible for the enslavement of the ancestors of Afro-Caribbeans and Afro-Americans), but these are the same nations whose notions of morality and humanity led to the ending of slavery around the world.
There is no such thing as a 'human right'. Much of what people consider universal rights of mankind are in fact Western, often Christian rights. The Chinese, Aztecs, Bantu, etc... all enslaved others for the benefit of their own in accordance with their own cultures, religions, philosophies and world-views.

As for 'racism'... nobody is racist for no reason. When white settlers arrived in Australia and found aborigines living a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, which had been dead in their homelands for almost 10,000 years, and partaking of bizarre, pagan, tribal rituals that involved self-mutilation and whatnot, they saw them as inferior. And as a culture they were.
Cultures are not all worthy of equal respect just because they happen to have adherents who happen to be Homo sapiens. Some cultures - I would argue most, being a selfish Westerner - are inferior to Western civilisation. Therefore I do no consider the cultures of Australian aborigines to be worthy of remotely the same respect as Western cultures, by virtually all measures.
But as individuals, I afford the same respect to all human beings. Racism in this sense would be leaving an aborigine to die in the street after being hit by a car, and then going to the aid of a white in the same circumstances. That is morally wrong.

>It's literally not.
It literally is.

There have been "slaves" throughout history that would offer themselves for a wage, for a roof, for food.

>You're just giving a vaguer definition.

No, I'm giving a broader definition because aside from the captive, there were individuals who would actually sell themselves into this situation.

If you're a wanderer that didn't inherit work, you didn't look for a "job"...you sought out a master.

>for a wage
Then they're not slaves, they're servants.

>

>unethical
spooks

A "servant" can be both an apprentice or personal property. It always comes down the the logistics, the law, the master.

The only unethical slavery again, is the one that is accompanied with oppression. Part of slavery's definition is being forced to obey. Obey laws. This is something we all do. If it's logical and fair, we have no problems, if it's accompanied with oppression...that's when ethics come into play.

Depends on which system of ethics you ascribe to

Depends on which system of ethics you ascribe to

>Is slavery unethical?
Yes, if you subscribe to the western notion of free will and self determination.

>Is being racist for no reason unethical?
Also yes. Racism is judging a person based on the actions of others who are only related by race. Certain other members of their race may be deplorable, but that does not mean every member of that race is. Even if there is scientific evidence that a large percentage of that race does certain actions, it does not mean that every member of that race does.
It's not only immoral, it's illogical which is worse

Not saying I condone forced slavery or that it was justified in this country btw lol.

Just saying that there's more to slavery than just the common narrative.

I don't get the australian thing.
>go to people's land
>get butthurt that they don't do things the way you do
>try to civilise savages by being savages yourselves

Yes and Yes

>inb4 the people who cry about how they're sick of being blamed for slavery/accused of being racist say no to both

Are you referring to the actions of the english settlers? Because it was pretty textbook for any colonization attempt.

there's a reason cracker educate yourself

No an No

>ethics

>It's an American social studies thread

Consider this
If 10% of the population (~700 000 000 people) were to be enslaved right now, the remaning 90% could be ameliorated of their stress, and economy would instantly improve tenfold. From utilitarian point of view slavery is absolutely logical hence ethical

racism is a good excuse for slavery, very useful tool

source? I don't wanna debate\contradict you, but I can't just blindly believe everything that's written on the internet either.