Rhett Butler: The Moral Dilemma

The day before High Point University's fall break I was fortunate enough to watch the first half of a great film Gone With the Wind. Personally I am a big movie guy, I can attest the reason for that to my father He used to make me sit down and watch all of these old movies that I now so dearly appreciate so being able to watch an older film in class was awesome.

While watching the movie I became fascinated with the character Rhett Butler, played by Clark Gable. His character is posed as a business man who at the start of the movie ruffles a few feathers in the deep south when he claims the north can beat the south at a house party. He then proceeds to overhear a conversation behind closed doors between Scarlett the main character and the love of her life Ashley. 

Ashely is in love with his cousin, and is going to marry her, Scarlett does not like this and tries to convince him otherwise but it does not infact workout, in anger Scarlett impulsively marries another man who she does not truly love. Butler confronts Scarlett saying he knows that she does not truly love that man and he knows why she did it. 

From this point on in the movie his character continues to follow Scarlett wherever she goes. Starting first after Scarlets husband dies in war, they are at a party where Scarlett is wearing all black, and he tries to talk to her and convince her to come with him. When she resists he offers loads of money to have a single dance with her at the ball Infront of hundreds of people.

This is where Rhett's character shows his true colors, he is cynical, worldly, and brutally honest in a society that values polite etiquette. To me he seems like a man who is obsessed with worldly pleasures, as he mocks the Confederacy's cause for fighting the war. We soon learn that Rhett has a lot of money because of the war. 

He makes a fortune running supplies through Union blockades involving guns, alcohol, and other pleasures that the Union tired to cut off to the south. He is a scandalous man, yet a straight shooter brutally honest and wears his emotions on his sleeve. Creating a mockery of Scarlett a recent widow when they have a dance together Infront of some of the wealthiest Confederate army supporters.

While watching this happen in live time I asked myself "does he not just care what others think of him?" "How can a person of his esteem stoop to such a low level?" When it clicked in my head Rhett is a perfect example of what happens in our world daily, there are certain people who can put aside there emotions, morals, and beliefs, to make a boat load of money. 

I instantly thought of the Merchant of Death Viktor Bout. A former Soviet Military officer who trafficked illegal arms through the 1990's-2000. It did not matter the buyer, if the money was good Viktor would sell guns to anyone, warlords, rebel groups, terrorist organizations, and governments. 

We all know that money makes the world go around, and there is no debate that it holds immense power over human behavior. But what truly concerned and stuck out to me in the move was that the pursuit of wealth and earthly pleasure seemed to corrupt this man until the very end of the first scene of them movie.

Rhett Butler may be a fictional character, but his ability to profit from others suffering during the Civil War, and breaking Southern social codes of the time is a concerning call to all that if our morals are jeopardized we can committee wicked and cruel acts. At the very end of the movie we see Rhett go past Scarlett in his horse and buggy where Scarlett asks him where are you going? and he says to fight a war. 

To me that seems like he had a full circle moment, realizing that him sitting back and profiting from this war was wrong, but the warning and final question I will pose everyone with is what if someone cannot open there eyes to there actions. What if they go so far off the deep end there is no return, there heart turns cold, and they have no true values for morals and respect? What would or world look like if those people ran around? 

Thank you for reading.

Inside the Abolitionist: Charles Miner

 

Charles Miner, a prominent Pennsylvania politician, journalist, and abolitionist, dedicated much of his public life to exposing what he considered the greatest contradiction in American society:

A nation proclaiming liberty while permitting the institution of slavery.

As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1825-1829 and a Pennsylvania state legislator, miner used every platform at his disposal to advance the abolitionist cause.

Most notably, Miner created The Gleaner, an influential anti-slavery newspaper that became a powerful voice in the abolitionist movement. Through its pages, he rejected the euphemistic language often used by slavery's defenders. 

He refused to call it a "peculiar institution," instead naming it plainly as evil- the systematic degradation of human beings created in God's image, reduced to property and things. This basically sums of Charles Miners believes and how he carried himself in the work world. He cut straight to the bone and did not care if he offended people because he was speaking the truth.

Beyond his newspaper work, Miner served in various civil capacities that demonstrated his commitment to public service. He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and held positions that allowed him to influence policy and public opinion. His writings extended beyond abolitionism poetry, essays, and contributions to American literature, though his anti-slavery work remained his most passionate pursuit.

Miner acknowledged the unpopularity of his cause, nothing that he pursued it not because it was popular, but because it was right. He criticized the silence of good men who should have been roaring with indignation, and he condemned the economic machinery that ground forward on the backs of enslaved people who received no wages, no thanks, and no recognition of their humanity.

Through his career, Miner directly confronted slavery's defenders and their arguments about economics, tradition, and states; rights. He posed challenging questions: what economic advantage could justify separating mothers from children? What tradition could sanctify the whip upon a human back? What state right could supersede natural rights endowed by the creator? These rhetorical questions exposed the moral bankruptcy of pro-slavery arguments. Miner often published this existential questions on slavery in his newspaper and later in his life shared them at the highest level of government.

Drawing on Pennsylvania's example, Miner demonstrated that free labor built stronger communities and more prosperous societies than salve labor. The state's farms flourished and industries grew without compromising moral principles- proof that economic success and ethical behavior were not mutually exclusive. 

Miner's message included a call to personal accountability. He insisted that those who benefited from slave-produced goods shared in the same sin of slavery itself. He rejected gradualism and half measures, demanding immediate abolition of what he called a national disgrace. 

Charles Miner's legacy as a congressman, journalist, poet, and abolitionist exemplified unwavering dedication to human dignity. His commitment to wielding his pen until every chain was broken and every captive freed characterized his life's work as one of America's early voices demanding the immediate end to slavery.

AI Disclaimer: After having AI write me a town hall speech in which I posed as Charles Miner arguing for the ban of slavery, I asked AI to turn my speech into a blog post. Giving mostly background information, and then I added my own opinions and extra information on Charles Miner Enjoy!

From Dawn to Dusk: A day in the Life of an Enslaved Person

 The harsh reality of enslaved life began long before the sun ever rose. Enslaved people were roused from minimal sleep with no regard for their physical or mental wellbeing. 

Once awaken work consumed every daylight hour and often extended into darkness. From the first light of dawn until nightfall, enslaved people toiled in fields, worked in homes, and were forced into workshops. Their labor built wealth of others while their bodies and spirits wore the true cost.

After long days of work enslaved people returned to overcrowded shacks that offered little comfort or
dignity. These cramped quarters housed multiple families, with dirt floors that turned to mud during rainstorms.

Even within the brutal system of slavery, there existed degrees of hardship. Overseers and those assigned to care for enslaved children experienced marginally better conditions than field works. Their quarters might be slightly less crowded, their treatment was fractionally less severe.

Still keeping in mind that the term "better" still is corelated with a system designed to dehumanize millions of African American's.

Basic necessities like adequate clothing were deliberately withheld. Many enslaved people possessed only a single set of garments. Rough, worn fabric that provided minimal protection from natural elements. 

During cold months, blankets became the primary defense against freezing temperatures. Often, these blankets were shared among multiple people or were so threadbare they offered little warmth.

Theses are just some small glimpses into the daily realties that many had to endure in the true horror of slavery. It wasn't just the violence or the ownership of human beings- it was the relentless grind of survival under impossible conditions. Every single day brought exhaustion, discomfort, and the complete disregard for human dignity.

These people who deserved rest, warmth, shelter, and care. Instead they received only what would keep them alive enough to work another day.

AI Disclosure: After watching videos created by my classmates on the day to day lives of slaves in the south. I had AI expand on notes I took on the video, to put together a blog post expanding on what I learned and found important in the video.