- Nov 2, 2009
- 8,801
- 5,870
- Occupation
- independent thoughtist thinker, context linker
I'm wondering.. thinking: by not allowing enslaved Africans to read, and by
enforcing the law with such swift cruelty, even upon the Slavers.. did that
dynamic elevate, at least in the minds of the enslaved, books and the
written word.. to the level of God?
I can see an enslaved people thinking to themselves that "there must be
something mighty powerful, magical.. in them books for them to go through
all this trouble to stop us from reading.."
I wonder also, if that was not a part of the white supremacists plan.. to get
the enslaved African to look outside of himself for wisdom.. to, effectively,
divide him against himself.
I wonder.. Even today I know plenty of folks that regard the written word
as some sort of truth, simply because it's in a book. Its like they don't trust
their own observations until they are validated by some authority. I think
it's an interesting question.. and I plan to explore it a bit more offline..
enforcing the law with such swift cruelty, even upon the Slavers.. did that
dynamic elevate, at least in the minds of the enslaved, books and the
written word.. to the level of God?
I can see an enslaved people thinking to themselves that "there must be
something mighty powerful, magical.. in them books for them to go through
all this trouble to stop us from reading.."
I wonder also, if that was not a part of the white supremacists plan.. to get
the enslaved African to look outside of himself for wisdom.. to, effectively,
divide him against himself.
I wonder.. Even today I know plenty of folks that regard the written word
as some sort of truth, simply because it's in a book. Its like they don't trust
their own observations until they are validated by some authority. I think
it's an interesting question.. and I plan to explore it a bit more offline..