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Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Truly shocking figure

Pottering around on the interweb, you now and then come across some news (ie, a fact you didn't know before) that is so shocking that you can't stop reflecting on it. The most recent case of this came when I was browsing the news headlines and saw a sidebar link to the NPR story:

In 1850, a slave would cost roughly $30,000 to $40,000 — in other words it was like investing in a Mercedes. Today you can go to Haiti and buy a 9-year-old girl to use as a sexual and domestic slave for $50."

[From Author Struggles to Stay Removed from Slave Trade : NPR]

I have no idea why this keeps bothering me so much, when you read about so many horrible things going on the world every day, but I think it's something to do with the fact that we congratulate ourselves on ending slavery -- William Wilberforce, Amazing Grace and all that -- but we haven't even come close to ending it. We shouldn't be so smug sometimes. Anyway, sorry to lecture. I'll be back to moaning about travel shortly since I will be flying into Terminal 5 for the very first time in a while.

In the future, everyone will be famous to fifteen people.
[posted with ecto]

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