Stopping illegal immigration would mean that wages would have to rise to a level where Americans would want the jobs currently taken by illegal aliens.
Blacks were not enslaved because they were black but because they were available. Slavery has existed in the world for thousands of years. Whites enslaved other whites in Europe for centuries before the first black was brought to the Western hemisphere. Asians enslaved Europeans. Asians enslaved other Asians. Africans enslaved other Africans, and indeed even today in North Africa, blacks continue to enslave blacks.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that slavery is a global and historical issue driven by availability rather than race.
In this quote, Thomas Sowell argues that slavery is not a phenomenon that exclusively targets black individuals; rather, it has been a practice throughout history affecting various ethnic groups, driven by economic conditions and the availability of people to be enslaved. The statement challenges the common narrative that ties slavery solely to racial factors and highlights its prevalence across different cultures and times, suggesting that the human propensity to enslave others transcends race.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on the historical context of slavery, this quote can illustrate that slavery transcends racial boundaries.
More from Thomas Sowell
All quotes →One of the reasons for conspiracy theories is an assumption that people in high places always know what they are doing. When they do something that makes no sense, devious reasons are imagined by conspiracy theorists, when in fact it may be due to plain old ignorance and incompetence.
You will never understand bureaucracies until you understand that for bureaucrats procedure is everything and outcomes are nothing.
The real problem, both in discussions of mass shootings and in discussions of gun control, is that too many people are too committed to a vision to allow mere facts to interfere with their beliefs, and the sense of superiority that those beliefs give them.
Why is history important? Without history, many people have no idea how many of today's half-baked ideas have been tried, again and again - and have repeatedly led to disaster. Most of these ideas are not new. They are just being recycled with re-treaded rhetoric.
There is usually only a limited amount of damage that can be done by dull or stupid people. For creating a truly monumental disaster, you need people with high IQs.
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Silence is the unbearable repartee.
Not even old age knows how to love death.
Our Constitution is in actual operation; everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
I can't imagine myself outside any kind of social or political involvement.
The ability of humans to read meaning into patterns is the most defining characteristic we have.
In this world, only winter is certain