When it comes to the absurdity of American taxpayers giving “reparations” to black descendants of slaves, it’s hard to limit the number of objections. Apart from the fact that American slavery, though horrific, was legal; that it ended 157 years ago; that the government did not own slaves, the private sector did; that most Southerners did not own slaves; that nearly all slave owners were Democrats — so why should non-Democrats pay?; that hundreds of thousands of white Northerners lost their lives and suffered serious injuries fighting in the Civil War that ended slavery; and that today, as conservative writer Michael Medved puts it, only about 5% of whites bear “a generational guilt” to slavery — there’s the role Africa itself played.
Take the 2022 movie “The Woman King,” starring Viola Davis, about African female warriors. It portrays white slavers as villains and the female warriors as antislavery avengers, and the film claims it is “Inspired by true events.” IMDB describes its plot:
“A historical epic inspired by true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.”
Inspired by true events? Really?
There was, in fact, a band of warrior women in Africa called the Dahomey. True, they were fierce, feared and bloodthirsty fighters. But they used that ferocity to kill and conquer other Africans for sale to slave traders. The trans-Atlantic African and the Arab African slave trade could not have occurred without the complicity of African chiefs, who sold conquered Africans to European and Arab slavers.
In the film, white slavers are the enemy when, in reality, they were business partners with the “women kings.”
Critic Robert Daniels, who mostly praised the film, said: “You might wonder how (director Gina) Prince-Bythewood can shape a tale centering the Agojie warriors — an all-woman group of soldiers known as the Amazons, sworn to honor and sisterhood — hailing from the West African kingdom of Dahomey, when one considers their hand in perpetuating the transatlantic slave trade.”
A review on Last Movie Outpost, called “‘The Woman King’ Historical Embarrassment,” puts it this way: “The movie has been set-up as a having a historical basis, telling the story of the real-life Kingdom of Dahomey in the 18th and 19th centuries. … In reality, Dahomey was a notorious slave kingdom, and not the Pan-African freedom fighters as the movie presents them. They enslaved and murdered hundreds of thousands from other tribes and sold them into the slave trade.
“Dahomey was renowned as the ‘Black Sparta,’ and was a fiercely militaristic society bent on domination and conquest. Their soldiers struck fear into other tribes all along what is still known as the Slave Coast, as they captured tribespeople from enemy tribes and sold them as slaves.
“The Dahomey women fought to protect their own slave trade. Even worse for those who struggle with reality, the Amazons were formed from among the king’s ‘third class’ wives. These were those considered insufficiently beautiful to share his bed and who had not borne children. Awkward!”
About the film, “History vs. Hollywood” writes: “In real life, the Dahomey are much more the villains than the heroes. … They conquered neighboring African states and took their citizens as slaves, selling many in the Atlantic slave trade in exchange for items like rifles, tobacco, and alcohol. Many of the slaves they sold ended up in America. … The business of slavery is what brought Dahomey most of its wealth. … There are accounts of Dahomey warriors conducting slave raids on villages where they cut the heads off of the elderly and rip the bottom jaw bones off others. During the raids, they’d burn the villages to the ground. Those who they let live, including the children, were taken captive, and sold as slaves.”
So, will Africa reimburse American reparations-paying taxpayers?
Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk-show host. To find out more about Larry Elder, or become an “Elderado,” visit www.LarryElder.com. Follow Larry on Twitter @larryelder. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2022 LAURENCE A. ELDER
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
Truth does not come from Hollywood. Hitler liked propaganda too. History is brutal and man’s inhumanity to man is true for all races and nations. So who is really guilty. All or none? What good comes from pointing fingers?
It`s 157 years to late get it from them.
Liberals will always change history and manipulate facts to fit their agenda! They are cancer cells in the American Body! Always lie, never tell the truth….EVER!
Isn’t Larry Elder “the black face of white supremacy?”
That’s what the twisted minds at BLM would have us believe.
White American citizens should not be the payer of “reparations” to any modern-day descendants of the results of the “slavery era” in America. That burden rests soley on the African Government who did the conquering, capturing, and selling their captors into slavery… The buyers are not liable for anything other than what they did to provide for what “they bought”, which was much better provisions than where the “slaves” were being kept for sale… Go to the source!!! Africa… get one of their gold mines…
my ancestors were never slave owners so we owe no one
well, well, well, America owes reparations, because they went to AAAAAFRICA to get slaves, there was slavery in Europe, but they gave them a special name SERFS, they didnt take the, when they came, they were indentured slaves, freed after years, alot of people capture in Africa were not slaves, they were upholding people in their empires, towns, and villages, then they came to America, they face horrific system to them for 250 years, no rights, no pay, impoverish, laws impose against them, could not partake in the wealth of this country, what they built on their own, it was destroyed, (take the black street, Tulsa, ok, and several others)they built it this country, so now America says immigrants built this country, others immigrants came they came and contribute to it
The black man’s relatives in Africa sold their brothers to slavery!
women were treated the same way, and not all slaves came from Africa. most came from the islands where they knew how to work the sugar cain. It was when cotton was the major product that Africans were used. Hollywood victimized the slaves to sell their pictures people want pain not a stable family life. the same as romans wanted the gladiators. one of the largest slave owners and sellers was black. just because it is written down doesnt make it true.——– I, Grampa
Far too many generations have passed and there is no reason for current day blacks to not successful in todays society. They actually have an easier time getting into schools and getting jobs once out of school. There were quotas in place for over a several decades. I worked with a gentleman from Vietnam and he didn’t speak English when he entered the United States. All of his children are very successful One generation of hard working folks is all it took. My father grew up in poverty and he worked and studied very hard his entire life. He became successful and his children, of which I am one, are successful. It is the opportunity provided to everyone in this county. Payment for issues long ago are just silly. My spouse is Jewish, should she get money from Egypt? After all they were all slaves if you look at history.
I’m sure they will play hell to get ANYONE to pay this CRAP!!!
Reparations for slavery would be unjust since no way to prove anything of the accused. This is a ploy of our illegally even treasonous murdering government to staay in power by buying lyality and voters with our money without our consent.
More ignorance from the very ignorant feds!!!
Blacks are demanding “reparations “ because their ancestors were brought to the US many years ago. If these ancestors were not brought to the US, where would their descendants be now? In Africa, being chased by and eaten by, lions. In my opinion, if any reparations are due, present day blacks owe present day whites reparations since they have freedom to learn and work as they prefer and don’t have to fear the lions. (All this, of course, ignores the fact that the ancestors were captured by African tribes [not white tribes] and sent as slaves around the world to the benefit of the capturing tribes).
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article. https://www.binance.com/vi/register?ref=OMM3XK51