Original anxious Balloon Kid T Shirt
I showed this to a Original anxious Balloon Kid T Shirt without sound and asked “Gay or Straight?” At first he guessed straight conservative, but as the video went on, he was less sure. Right past 45 seconds, he said “Nah. Nevermind. That’s too many jazz hands for a straight man.” He then guessed that it was like a gay Stephen Colbert from the Colbert Report. A non-conservative pretending to be conservative in order to mock them. I told him the sad truth, but he thinks this guy might be as he guessed, and he’s playing the long con. I don’t think that’s the case because I’m a bit more aware than my buddy, but that would be mind-blowing if it were true!
Original anxious Balloon Kid T Shirt
As a Original anxious Balloon Kid T Shirt, it pains me to see this issue being weaponized and politicized. It is already hard enough to teach about the intricacies of life in slavery without every facet being turned into what feels like a landmine. In my college-level courses, I do teach about skilled, enslaved people and how being skilled impacted aspects of an enslaved person’s life. For instance, it might have enabled that person, if their particular slaveholder permitted it, to work in their “spare time” to earn money and perhaps eventually save up enough to buy their own freedom or that of a loved one. Being skilled might also have spared that person from some of the harshest types of labor in a plantation setting. It did NOT eradicate the cruel and unjust circumstances of being a human being held as a captive, forced laborer. I also like to point out that the work of enslaved, highly skilled people can be seen in enduring landmarks (e.g. the White House), which I think highlights the injustice perpetrated against enslaved people and the deep history of African-Americans in the United States, as people whose connection to this country predates many later-arrived free immigrants. These historical issues can and should be discussed with seriousness and nuance. Avoiding this issue because of the sensitivity required would be a disservice to the history of enslaved people. As I like to point out (despite its obviousness) — these were people will all the capacities of any other person like us. They were held in captivity and forced to work for others who stole the benefits of their labor. But their experiences were not all the same and this deserves serious historical attention, too.