# Who wouldn't like a slave..be he/she black or white **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 4, 2001, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wouldnt-like-a-slave-be-he-she-black-or-white/56685 "2001-03-04T03:18:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2001, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wouldnt-like-a-slave-be-he-she-black-or-white/56685/21 "2001-03-05T02:23:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Totoro \* > In my freshman year of high school, a friend (female) of mine asked another friend (male) to borrow money, and in return would be his slave for a week (didn’t even consider paying him back might be a better option…). Well, he accepted, and as long as he didn’t make her try and fuck him or anything, everything was good. She had to speak in third person at all times, refer to him as “Lord And Master (Name Omitted),” and do all sorts of wacky things… he could have been very cruel if he wanted, but he wasn’t. Technically, your female friend was an “indentured servant”, not a “slave”. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2001, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wouldnt-like-a-slave-be-he-she-black-or-white/56685/22 "2001-03-05T02:47:42Z")
> [@](#): > > As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. > That is my definition of democracy. > Whatever differs from it, to the extent of the difference, is not a democracy. > > – A. Lincoln. ---
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2001, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wouldnt-like-a-slave-be-he-she-black-or-white/56685/23 "2001-03-05T04:04:20Z")
labdude the diffrence is they could leave at any time, you are paying them and there is no diffrence between the 2 examples you had. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2001, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wouldnt-like-a-slave-be-he-she-black-or-white/56685/24 "2001-03-05T05:10:57Z")
If it was legal and I could afford one, of course I would get a slave. It would be far too convenient (and potentially profitable) to turn down. I have a lot less reasons to have one now that I am married, but I’d still like one. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2001, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wouldnt-like-a-slave-be-he-she-black-or-white/56685/25 "2001-03-05T06:36:17Z")
Moral issues aside, I’m too freakishly obsessive to even have a maid, much less a slave. I make my own bed in hotel rooms, fer cryin out loud. What would I do with a slave? I’d have to make his or her bed in addition to my own. Who needs that? Yes, being freakishly obsessive is my own issue, but now you want to make some innocent person deal with it as well? So, count me among the people who fit into the category of “people who wouldn’t like a slave.” ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2001, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wouldnt-like-a-slave-be-he-she-black-or-white/56685/26 "2001-03-05T23:35:36Z")
I think all these pro-slavery posters are imagining that the rest of us…society, the cops, the courts, etc…will help them force their slaves to work. Well, imagine this scenario. You wake up one morning, and your slave hasn’t made the coffee. “Where’s my coffee?” you demand. The slave just sits there. “Why aren’t you working?” you scream. Your slave responds, “I’ve decided I’m not going to work for you anymore. In fact, I’m going to get up right now and go live with that Quaker family down the street.” Now what do you do? Grab a whip? Call the cops? Ask society to punish your slave? Are you imagining that we will have the obligation to track down and return your slave if your slave escapes? Will we have to make sure your slave doesn’t vote? Are you going to shift all the externalities of slaveowning onto the non-slaveowners? Slavery can be profitable if the slave-owner can shift those costs to everyone else, as was done in pre-Civil War America. But if you have to bear the costs yourself? If you are not prepared to use physical violence to force your slave to work, I contend that you aren’t as ready to own a slave as you think. I imagine that most of the time slaves work without violence…but only because the threat of violence is there, 24/7. If you’re the kind of guy who doesn’t enjoy beating his wife or kicking dogs, I imagine you wouldn’t enjoy owning a slave. But hey, maybe you’ll grow to enjoy it. But of course, you will have transformed yourself into a monster by then. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wouldnt-like-a-slave-be-he-she-black-or-white/56685/27 "2001-03-08T07:47:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SexyWriter \* > \*\*I want to BE a slave. I want to be kept in a cage and whipped regularly and… > > Oh wait…maybe that’s a subject for a different thread. Besides, I was thinking only a weekend at a time would be more than enough. > > -L \*\* So are you taking applications for owners? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wouldnt-like-a-slave-be-he-she-black-or-white/56685/28 "2001-03-08T12:34:21Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Lok \* \*\* [QUOTESo are you taking applications for owners? 😉 \*\*[/QUOTE] Are you applying? 🙂 -L ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wouldnt-like-a-slave-be-he-she-black-or-white/56685/29 "2001-03-08T12:38:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lemur866 \* > \*\*I think all these pro-slavery posters are imagining that the rest of us…society, the cops, the courts, etc…will help them force their slaves to work. > > Well, imagine this scenario. You wake up one morning, and your slave hasn’t made the coffee. “Where’s my coffee?” you demand. The slave just sits there. “Why aren’t you working?” you scream. Your slave responds, “I’ve decided I’m not going to work for you anymore. In fact, I’m going to get up right now and go live with that Quaker family down the street.” > > Now what do you do? Grab a whip? Call the cops? Ask society to punish your slave? Are you imagining that we will have the obligation to track down and return your slave if your slave escapes? Will we have to make sure your slave doesn’t vote? Are you going to shift all the externalities of slaveowning onto the non-slaveowners? Slavery can be profitable if the slave-owner can shift those costs to everyone else, as was done in pre-Civil War America. But if you have to bear the costs yourself? > > If you are not prepared to use physical violence to force your slave to work, I contend that you aren’t as ready to own a slave as you think. I imagine that most of the time slaves work without violence…but only because the threat of violence is there, 24/7. If you’re the kind of guy who doesn’t enjoy beating his wife or kicking dogs, I imagine you wouldn’t enjoy owning a slave. But hey, maybe you’ll grow to enjoy it. But of course, you will have transformed yourself into a monster by then. \*\* I am sure that these days somebody would start a slave recovery service, kinda like bounty hunters, hire a lot of ex-cops, and make a bit of change. Maybe not much, though. Modern technology gives us several new ways to control slaves. One could implant devices that give a stunning electrical shock when given the correct coded signal from a remote, and tracking devices for if they managed to get out of range. These could be used for motivation as well as to prevent escape. Law enforcement probably would not be required to become involved in most cases of attempted escape. ---
**Author:** ![tsunamisurfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@tsunamisurfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tsunamisurfer)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wouldnt-like-a-slave-be-he-she-black-or-white/56685/30 "2001-03-08T16:32:57Z")
\*\* [/QUOTE] I am sure that these days somebody would start a slave recovery service, kinda like bounty hunters, hire a lot of ex-cops, and make a bit of change. Maybe not much, though. Modern technology gives us several new ways to control slaves. One could implant devices that give a stunning electrical shock when given the correct coded signal from a remote, and tracking devices for if they managed to get out of range. These could be used for motivation as well as to prevent escape. Law enforcement probably would not be required to become involved in most cases of attempted escape. \*\* [/QUOTE] Gee, Badtz, are you contemplating “Slaves R Us”? National franchising? A home-based import-export biz? Prey, where do you get your supply of slaves? Sounds like a Star Trek re-run. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wouldnt-like-a-slave-be-he-she-black-or-white/56685.md?page=1)