The only thing different from everything you described and Chinese slaves is the number and the timeline.
Am I the only one who thinks old racists are hilarious? There is nothing more funny than a perceived sweet old grandma ranting about that "N____" at the cash register that can't count because she is certain her items were on sale. Even the store clerk has to chuckle.
how are they slaves, could they not leave, could they not marry who they wanted, were they owned, were they kidnapped an brought here. I really don't know. were they not paid?
They were subject to awful, awful working conditions like a lot of Americans were. And they were amazing in their work. There were paid very little and subject to very dangerous conditions. The Irish in this country were treated VERY similarly to the Chinese. In fact, they competed with the Chinese for jobs on the railroad. But I still draw a distinction between that and slavery. The Chinese and Irish weren't bought into bondage in America...they weren't kidnapped from their homes and brought here...and taking a job with the railroad was a choice that came with a payday, however meager it was.
Well if you want to compare it in American history when did the building of railroads? start mid to late 1800's. When did slave trade begin for Africans? somewhere in the 1600's. Thats a couple of 100 yrs I think they may have had on Asians. Of course To be honest for comparison sake native americans got the worst of everything being pretty much wiped out of their own homes
could not leave worked to justify getting food and shelter brought here by force sold for money I cannot believe this is really a discussion. If you have no knowledge of this, i suggest doing some reading and starting some other thread.
Chinese were brought here and sold. There was no law in the mid to late 19th century of manifest destiny.
I've glanced a few web sites about chinese railroad labor, they don't confirm your claims, maybe you could point me to a good one
The timeline pretty shows the breadth of how long they were slaves compared to Chinese working on the railroad. The sheer numbers of Africans brought over here against their will versus the number of Asians should show why these differences are so pronounced.
Right, and I think the OP is just reading too much into his situations. The bus driver was a woman, and we all know they can't drive so there's the reason. The second one was probably a preconceived idea that black people were racist to him so that might have influenced his reactions to the post office worker. Racism does exist in America. As much as we try, there's no overlooking the color of one's skin in our daily situations. I received a number of racial slurs in high school, mainly because I went to a redneck high school. That doesn't mean I'm bitter towards other races. I just see that particular individual as a douche bag who I hope gets what he deserves later down the road.
honestly, what in the world are you talking about?? we had chinese people immigrating to the US long before they were working hard labor...and most of them were wealthy. they were well received. later we didn't try to bring the chinese in by force...we kicked them out by law with the Chinese Exclusion Act. worked to justify getting food and shelter....yeah, no crap! welcome to the world...people work to justify food and shelter! the working conditions were AWFUL. read some Upton Sinclair and you'll find that wasn't true merely in the West or for the Chinese. it was true for MOST immigrants. particuarly for the Chinese in the mid 1800's and the Irish...both of whom were treated as second-class citizens..... but they were still citizens. they weren't counted as property anymore so than other employees were. and they were paid.
Yes they did and that doesn't make it right either. But I'm speaking of slavery in America now. What was your point?
in many cases, yes. does that make the suffering less in your mind? slavery requires a buyer and a seller. of human beings. both are wallowing in evil and degrade humanity.
Why argue the validity of others' hardships? It is irrelevant. Our goal should be for all people to have a chance to be successful yet respect and remember those who did not have such an opportunity.
Unfortunately there are people in the world who either don't believe there is racism or arent willing to understand why a race may feel the way they feel. I wish we could be more open on our racial views but in the same regards be open to others opinions and find some common ground generally.
i realize this is seriously derailed (ironic that it was rail workers) but here: http://library.thinkquest.org/20619/Chinese.html If not to count the ancestors of the Amerindians who presumably crossed the Bering Strait in prehistoric times, the Chinese were the first Asians immigrants to enter the United States. The first documentation of the Chinese in the U.S. begins in the 18th century, however, there have been claims stating that they were in the area now known as America at an even earlier date. Large-scale immigration began in the mid 1800's due to the California Gold Rush. Despite the flood of Chinese immigrants during that time, their population began to fall drastically. Because of laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, the highly imbalanced male to female ratio, and the thousands of immigrants returning back to China, the Chinese population in the U.S. fell to a lowly 62,000 people in 1920. Nonetheless, the Chinese make up the largest Asian population in the United States today. In actuality, the first Chinese immigrants were well and widely received by the Americans. However, the first Chinese immigrants were wealthy, successful merchants, along with skilled artisans, fishermen, and hotel and restaurant owners. For the first few years they were greatly receipted by the public, government officials, and especially by employers, for they were renowned for their hard work and dependability. The way of living among the Chinese was quite dissimilar from the patterns displayed among the masses of rowdy American gold-seekers surrounding them. Approximately 1/3 of the of the men attracted by California gold were Southern whites. Along with desires of wealth, many Southerns brought along hostile racial attitudes from the antebellum South. In the years that followed, those virulent temperaments were felt through laws and attitudes, and Blacks as well as Chinese suffered throughout the mid-century. Miners in the area often used violence to drive the Chinese out of various mines. While impatient gold-seekers would abandon prospective rivers, the Chinese would remain, painstakingly panning through the dust to find bits of gold. The Chinese did not only mine for gold, but took on jobs such as cooks, peddlers, and storekeepers. In the first decade after the discovery of gold, many had taken jobs nobody else wanted or that were considered too dirty. However, in 1870, hasty exploitation of gold mines and a lack of well-paying jobs for non-Asians spurred sentiment that the "rice-eaters" were to blame. By 1880, a fifth were engaged mining, another fifth in agriculture, a seventh in manufacturing, an added seventh were domestic servants, and a tenth were laundry workers. Approximately 30,000 Chinese worked outside of California in such trades as mining, common labor, and service trades. During the 1860's, 10,000 Chinese were said to be involved in the building of the western leg of the Central Pacific Railroad. The average railroad payroll for the Chinese was $35 per month. The cost of food was approximately $15 to $18 per month, plus the railroad provided shelter for workers. Therefore, a fugal man could net about $20 every month. Despite the nice pay, the work was backbreaking and highly dangerous. Over a thousand Chinese had their bones shipped back to China to be buried. Also, although nine-tenths of the railroad workers were Chinese, the famous photographs taken at Promontory Point where the golden stake was driven in connecting the east and west by railway, included no Chinese workers.
