• pyre@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    i didn’t say it doesn’t talk about others anywhere. I’m talking in context of terror of flight and gloom of grave. how can anyone not see the contrast between how freemen and slaves are mentioned here I don’t understand. it’s clear why it says freemen stand for their loved home and slaves shall have no refuge. really weird seeing this shit being defended.

    • chumbalumber@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      4 months ago

      To be clear: your interpretation of it is not being defended. People are arguing instead that you’ve interpreted it wrong – i.e. that the ‘hirelings and slaves’ are the British soldiers, being likened to mercenaries (hirelings) and pointing out that they often served unwillingly after being press-ganged (slaves).

      I have no skin in the game, but you seem to be taking others’ statements in pretty bad faith.

      • pyre@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        it’s cope, post hoc rationalization. the person who wrote the poem was a slave owner who believed black people to be an inferior race. it was a threat to black slaves not to flee or fight for the British side (i wonder why they would ever do that).

        • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          It was a poem about the bombardment of a fort at the subsequent repulsion of the British forces in the Battle of Baltimore in 1814. It was literally titled “Defence of Fort M’Henry” before it was used as the lyrics to the national anthem.

          The context of the poem doesn’t jibe with it being about African slaves.

          We have lots of bullshit revisionist history that tries to whitewash racism, but this ain’t it.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      This was you right?

      that’s still not good. why does it only talk about slaves and hirelings then?

      Did you read any of what I wrote?