….  All people's histories, all civilizations have some bad in it.

Quite right; the slave trade as mentioned in another thread:

Re: Islamic contributions to Western civilisation ? Reply #2 on: Today at 01:59:04 PM ?

---

They contributed to the slave trade.

Also consider this from a lesson my student teacher formulated and I coopted (with her permission):

Slavery has existed in one form or another for thousands of years. After man gave up hunting and gathering and started building cities, slaves were needed to grow crops, serve in homes as cooks, cleaners, and child minders, to make crafts like pottery and leather goods. Some slaves in classical times (ancient Greece) even worked as government officials. After the decline of the Roman Empire in the 6th century, slavery became less common and was replaced by serfdom. Serfs worked for lords and nobles in exchange for protection against invading armies and famine.Slavery still existed, but in smaller numbers. Slaves could be Christian crusaders captured by Muslims, or Muslims captured by crusaders, and people captured in Viking raids. But the biggest source of slaves were purchased by Italian merchants along the northern coast of the Black Sea. These were the Slavic people, and they were so commonly used as slaves that the word slave comes from the word Slav. Very few of the slaves at this time were from Africa. At this time there was no association between skin color and slavery. Slaves came from a lot of different places and could be of any color.

The above is part of a more extensive (and very fine) lecture for an 8th grade US History class. We also must stress that the black Africans were involved in the trade and that slavery was an integral part of society in Africa and the rest of the old world. The whites found that native traders had slaves and would trade them for European goods. As time progressed and more slaves were required they were provided. If I'm a black merchant and the whites want black slaves… it being meaningless to them if it is me or my cousin from up river I'll sell them my cousin. Don't' forget to write if you find work, 'kay?We also have to consider how different old world slavery was compared to the chattel slavery of our history, but that is another lesson….I was bummed out when Clinton apologized years ago… when he offered all the computers to get them on the Internet, or at least a discount from Al Gore for high-speed dial-up  ;D… one of my students (10th grade that year) asked how they could use them in villages with no electricity… hey Bill didn't care, he was apologizing for all our sins. My beef was that my family got here after the slave, never owned any, and likely got the dirty end of the stick almost as often due to our ethnicities.Yeah, the black Africans should have to own up to what their ancestors did (and some of them are likely still doing) but they, and we, shouldn't have to wear it forever.[/rant mode]  😉

I wonder if all these apologies, self-flagellations and so on… are not in the same trend, or even result of political correctness ?Once made, what would be the real consequences ?

My question is what is the usefulness of apologizing?  What point does it serve?  Neither the person that was aggrieved or their oppressors are still alive in the case of slavery so it is kind of like navel gazing, there is no one to apologize too.  You find me a black american that was a slave and I would gladly set him up for the rest of his life.  BUT there are none, they all died long ago.

I guess I will just have to be the bad guy.  The liberals already despise me because I am in the military and supposedly a baby killer and oppressor.  I know a couple of Iraqis that would disagree though.

I think the Civil War, JFK's assassination, and Vietnam more than atoned for the sins of slavery and Jim Crow.  It's time to move on and apologize for industrialization, Christianity, and Sex In The City………..LOL

I'm sorry that we as a society can't seem to avoid having to apologize.  :-[