Comment on It is crazy how Whitewashed the practice of roman slavery has become
Schmoo@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
Historical revisionists like to find exceptions and present them as if they were the norm. There was a particular subset of slaves who served wealthy families as teachers, cooks, nannies, etc. that enjoyed a decent standard of living and were often considered a part of the family. This kind of slave contract was closer to being a sort of patronage and people with high social status but little wealth often sold themselves to wealthy families they had social connections to. The philosopher Diogenes did this and it shaped the way he viewed Roman slavery (he remarked that slaves should not try to free themselves because it’s worse to be poor; easy for him to say in his position as a well-liked and respected teacher serving a wealthy family). This kind of arrangement made up an incredibly small minority of Roman slaves.
This kind of slave contract was closer to being a sort of patronage and people with high social status but little wealth often sold themselves to wealthy families they had social connections to. The philosopher Diogenes did this and it shaped the way he viewed Roman slavery
That would be remarkable considering that Diogenes of Sinope was enslaved after being captured by pirates and sold to fellow Greeks.
You probably know more about it than me, I’m just repeating it how I heard it. My understanding is that Diogenes sold himself to a wealthy family who admired him for his philosophy and wanted him to teach their kids. This was before he decided to live on the street in a clay pot, and after he fled the previous city he lived in due to being caught committing fraud (counterfeiting coins).
I think you’re confusing the order of events. Diogenes, after he was captured and enslaved by pirates, when he was being sold as a slave, at the slave market, picked out a buyer, and convinced the man to buy him as a teacher, presumably to avoid being sold to a less-survivable fate.
Ah, that makes sense. Even more hypocritical of him then to suggest slaves shouldn’t try to free themselves. He leveraged his privilege to obtain a favorable outcome for himself and then allowed that experience to paint the way he viewed the institution of slavery as a whole.
SpongyAneurysm@feddit.org 1 day ago
Check your privilege, Diogenes!
Quill7513@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
Uncle Diogenes ass motherfucker