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submitted 6 months ago by yogthos@lemmygrad.ml to c/news@hexbear.net
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[-] FALGSConaut@hexbear.net 28 points 6 months ago

Lmfao maybe I've misunderstood the term "swarthy" but thats the last word I'd use to describe Scandinavians

[-] Erika3sis@hexbear.net 53 points 6 months ago

The full paragraph for your consideration:

Which leads me to add one Remark: That the Number of purely white People in the World is proportionably very small. All Africa is black or tawny. Asia chiefly tawny. America (exclusive of the new Comers) wholly so. And in Europe, the Spaniards, Italians, French, Russians and Swedes, are generally of what we call a swarthy Complexion; as are the Germans also, the Saxons only excepted, who with the English, make the principal Body of White People on the Face of the Earth. I could wish their Numbers were increased. And while we are, as I may call it, Scouring our Planet, by clearing America of Woods, and so making this Side of our Globe reflect a brighter Light to the Eyes of Inhabitants in Mars or Venus, why should we in the Sight of Superior Beings, darken its People? why increase the Sons of Africa, by Planting them in America, where we have so fair an Opportunity, by excluding all Blacks and Tawneys, of increasing the lovely White and Red? But perhaps I am partial to the Complexion of my Country, for such Kind of Partiality is natural to Mankind.

Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind, Peopling of Countries, etc. / Benjamin Franklin / 1751

[-] FALGSConaut@hexbear.net 42 points 6 months ago

Ah so he was only anti-slavery because he was incredibly racist, how am I surprised

[-] shallot@hexbear.net 20 points 6 months ago
[-] FALGSConaut@hexbear.net 20 points 6 months ago

Also known as the Oregon Rule in this context

[-] doublepepperoni@hexbear.net 18 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

increasing the lovely White and Red

While also fetishising native Americans, I guess cat-confused

[-] FALGSConaut@hexbear.net 29 points 6 months ago

I dunno, earlier he described native Americans as "tawny" visible-disgust and wants to "exclude" (read: genocide) them from the continent/hemisphere.

My guess is Red refers to gammon-americans

[-] dougfir@hexbear.net 16 points 6 months ago

i think that by red here he means sunburned people lol, my guess is that he thought non-brit euros tan too easily to be considered Truly White?

[-] Belly_Beanis@hexbear.net 18 points 6 months ago

Ben Franklin became an abolitionist after he inherited a few slaves. IIRC he got three house slaves from his aunt or something, but then realized they were people, which left him shook.

"Wait, what do you mean they can talk, have thoughts and emotions, and I have to abuse them to make them obedient? I thought they were like roombas or something!"

--Ben Franklin, 2076 (probably)

[-] Le_Wokisme@hexbear.net 16 points 6 months ago
[-] mechwarrior2@hexbear.net 21 points 6 months ago

"think of how we look to martians and venusians"

[-] peeonyou@hexbear.net 6 points 6 months ago

holy fuckin shit

this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2025
159 points (100.0% liked)

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