Like what? Genuinely curious.

Hahahah, did you actually look up the context of this quote?

Well, he thought black people were less intelligent. He might catch an Obama speech, some Neil deGrasse Tyson, see a black man on the Supreme Court, Maya Angelou, listen to some Duke Ellington - maybe these are things he wouldn't have thought possible.

Really, why would I have to come up with examples of that? You really think you are that much better and smarter of a person than Thomas Jefferson that these things which are obvious to you would be impossible for him to grasp?

Let me ask you, and you'll probably figure out a way this is irrelevant, but what are you going to do about slavery now? Seriously, there are more slaves now than when Thomas Jefferson was alive. Are you even trying anything to avoid profiting off of slavery now? I know you're not owning slaves, but if you are ok with taking advantage of slavery in 2014 maybe you'd have been ok with owning a slave in 1770.

This goes back to my, why wasn't it ok for dumb white people to be slaves? Or did he think that?

Because you made the claim? Anyway, I have two answers:

1. Yes, I think I'm better.
2. I think how I was raised (both nature and nurture) had a large part in my beliefs. If TJ had been raised in modern times I'm sure he wouldn't have been (as?) racist. But that wasn't the question.

It's not irrelevant, but it is ******ed to think that not devoting your life to ending slavery is the same as actively continuing the practice by owning slaves of your own. And that's how I justify #1 above.

Make that
and we will have to totally agree on something.

Hey now!

I'm not asking you to devote your life to ending slavery. You don't have to go to fight slavers or buy and liberate slaves. Just don't consume products that you know are likely to involve slavery. Stop lining your pockets with the money you save from those cheap products, at least the ones you know about.

As for what would have made Jefferson reassess, there are a thousand things. I need to get to work. For now anyway, I'm going to have to leave it as it's patently obvious now that blacks are not inferior and I think TJ was intelligent enough that he would have recognized that despite being raised in the 1700s.

I agree, it was a rationalization as was his misguided paternalism. We still have rationalizations and misguided paternalism in our time as well.

I mean dark chocolate has antioxidants which are good for my health and how will those enslaved cocoa farmers eat if I don't by their product?

That quite possibly is the dumbest thing written in PU in the past 3 months.

fyp

FYP

Really? When you write the quoted, do you think you are being funny or something? Because it is one of the dumbest thing I have read itt.

I will leave your blatant misspelling alone as I don't want you QQing about big bad meanies picking on your supposed language disorders.

And this is what I dislike about Internet forums. You have judged me based on one interpretation of what I said and why that is incorrect. I literally changed my mind to agree with you and you're being a dick about it.

Way more dumb to fail to recognize intentional dumbness, even when it is denoted with winky.

Not surprising as you are dumb enough to be skeptical of a person's communication impediment, no reason to do so except to just be mean. Paul D- a dumb, mean bully.

Well yeah, if JJ were nice to you, the gang might pile in on him for breaking tribal norms.

I'm not being a dick because you changed your mind. That's cool.

I'm 'being a dick' because you partially quoted my post in a way that let you misrepresent my point and be pointlessly argumentative towards me.

I am not the one writing stupid **** that junks up threads. Seriously take everyone's advice and shut up.

Spank, people can't tell when you are intentionally dumb and when you are really being dumb. That's a problem you should work on instead of posting the crap you do.

Yes you are, but I leave you free to do so. Though, you can avoid response if it bothers you by choosing not to make dumb posts like you have.

Not really. Your subpar intelligence level doesn't give you the ability to judge others.

You have no problem behaving in a manner which fits my accurate descriptions. The sky is blue, and you behave like a creepy denigrator. Facts are facts, just face it.

Whoever drops it first wins imo.

It wasn't misguided paternalism. The paternalism was essentially a lie. If somehow the elimination of slavery allowed him to keep his standard of living and its perpetuation caused economic hardship, I claim he would never voice these views. If that isn't true than my opinion of him is wrong.

Couldn't agree more. Some who disagree might not realise that this is consistent with TJ believing he was right about the paternalism.