This is a very well written and disturbing piece in "The Atlantic."

I'd say I want to slit the author's throat, but the bastard died a few months ago.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/ar ... ry/524490/

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Huh? What did the author do?

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

The author basically let his family keep a slave in the US in poor conditions until he was 40.

He certainly had the ability to put an end to the crime decades earlier.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

You can't really put it on the author. The parents were first-generation, anything he could have done until it was too late would have destroyed the family, and the opportunity for a new life here.

You can tell at the end, the guilt is one of the reasons he decided to take her ashes back to the old country.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

That family needed to be destroyed. What about the fact they robbed Lola of her chance of a life and any humanity/dignity she may have had?

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

He was complicit in destroying a person's life.

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You're applying modern views on something that, at that time (and even today) and in that country wasn't uncommon. Nobody is saying it's right. You are correct if you are saying they should have cut her free or sent her back after they got their roots here in America. The parents are most culpable here. I think the author knew something was wrong, but that was after becoming an adult in a different culture.

In any case it was a good long read yesterday on the train.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

Slit your own instead.

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The author was 4 when he moved to the US. He became an adult and was raised in the US. There is no excuse for doing nothing for 40 years. Having grown up and spent his entire schooling life in the US, I'm pretty sure he learned about the Civil War in 5th and 8th grade.

Your user name is oddly appropriate here.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

I'm pretty sure he realized slavery was wrong when Lola came to live with him in 1999 after his mother passed away. But I guess back then things were different.

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nailed it

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

That's a pretty insane take. What was he supposed to do at that point? The damage had already been done. Send her back the Philippines?

You think it would have been good for any of the parties involved to turn his parents in when we was old enough to understand? A 12-year-old with multiple siblings and then no parents. And what would happen to Lola then? Deported back to her mud hut after months if not longer in detention. Did not really think this through huh?

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

Slavery is good when they're Filipina and grandfathered in, I guess.

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As an adult, he could have easily sent her back with a large sum of cash and she would be able to live rich in her home country. Throw in a little money from each paycheck and she would have been fine there.

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I skimmed over it so wasn't sure the timing, etc.

but yeah, when you are in your 20s it was time to put an end to it one way or another.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

Agreed

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Where is this large sum of cash coming from? Does the average person have the cash to re-habilitate a former slave, teach them life skills and then provide reparations for them? Is it his responsibility to answer for the sins of his parents and grandfather?

He brought her back when he had the means, but she wanted to return to the United States. By this logic we should have just shipped African slaves back to African with a little cash and said good luck!

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

Percolating in my mind is some sort of wacky movie trailer where the protagonist finds out he inherited a slave and has to keep it hidden because he's too lazy or stupid to figure out a way to send her home. It stars Rob Schneider and "The Impression That I Get" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones is playing in there somewhere.

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At that point, she was an illegal in a strange land, and they were paying her $200 a week. I understand the points you guys are making, just think it's a bit more nuanced of a story (which makes it a fascinating read) than "Slavery- Bad. The author's throat should be cut"

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

The average salary in the Philiapenes is like $10/day. He could have easily sent a few hundred each month and she probably could have lived a better than middle class life there.

But yeah, why bother trying to right a wrong (and a wrong that he participated in for part of his own life).

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Clearly even this author knows he is wrong and guilty. He didn't want this published while he was still alive, but also wanted to do something assuage his earned feelings of guilt. Why else send this out to the magazine for publication when you are near death?

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Get this, Mr. Tizon won the Pulitzer Prize in 1997 for a 5 part piece on the mistreatment of Native Americans in a federal housing program.

There's got to be a major WYC there.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

He did try. Did you read it? Send her back to a strange land and wire her $10/day? At what point in your life could you afford this? I would venture it would be at least mid-20s. Even then are you sure she is going to get the money? Are you sure she could adapt to living on her own after years in the United States and in that house?

Most of your points are not thought through at all.

What's the average salary in Liberia? You too can send a former slave back to African.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

He died in his sleep. This is conspiracy level crazy. Have you benefitted from cheap near slave level labor? Look at your iPhone, clothes, computer you are working on and get back to me. Then tell me how much you plan to send back to rectify this injustice.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

The person making those items earned a wage that provides a living in their country. They have an option to come into work and do what they do. That is not slavery.

For you to even equate those two is just laughable.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

No for you to not see the difference is laughable. The only difference is that this person documented this slave's life and framed it into a story you identified with.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

Another major contribution to the message board, Flapjacks?
Make sure you put this one in your scrapbook. It's a gem!

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Host of the weekly "We Fish ASA" podcast
Weekly columnist for the Northwest Herald
Bi-monthly columnist for Illinois Outdoor News magazine
Former host of The Outdoors Experience on WIND and The Great Outdoors on CLTV
http://www.wefishasa.com

I could have easily afforded $10/day even when I was in high school.

And it's laughable to think this guy could have done nothing. He was a pulitzer prize winning journalist. Surely he had the means to fix this. He probably could have bought her a mansion back in the philapenes and bought her some slaves of her own.

But you're right. The guy did nothing wrong at all.

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This person kept or allowed a close relative to keep a slave for over 4 decades. This person wrote fucking Pulitzer prize winning material about the mistreatment of others while his mother still kept a slave.

Fuck him, fuck his family, and I'm glad he's dead

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Jealous.

How awesome would it be to have a slave? Someone to do all your shit and you can take your day out on them. All for free too.

I mean, that's what a wife is suppose to be for but the American woman is worthless now.

We should consider bringing slavery back.