Honesty compels me to admit that in addition to not writing posts, I didn't read South Dakota blogs as much as I should have the past few years. That lack of reading was especially pronounced from October through March and during May and June when debate season or nationals preparation was in full swing. There was not enough caffeine in the world to provide enough energy to get me past teaching and coaching.
While reacquainting myself with the South Dakota blogosphere, I've learned Bob Ellis has stopped blogging, seen that Sibby is still obsessed with Cory Heidelberger but hasn't posted anything in a few months, and noticed what I believe is a decrease in the number of regular commenters on Dakota War College and Dakota Free Press. The latter observation may be a function of age and not actually be fact.
On Right Side South Dakota, however, Brad Ford remains unchanged. He still tosses out dog whistles like this insinuation that, despite libraries worth of evidence to the contrary, slaves must have been well cared for.
The family’s workhorse (“Old Doc”) seems to symbolize the difference between then and now. Cash outlay was minimal over the 34 years of the horse’s life. Food was free from the harvests. There were no veterinary bills or insurance policies needed: “Since the horses had the hard work to do, and would as busy as the men all summer, simple wisdom demanded that they be treated considerately. During the first week or so of plowing days they were permitted to stop for frequent rests, because their muscles were soft from the comparative idleness of winter. On warm days, when their breathing become fast, the plow was stopped to allow them to cool off.”
Of course, farmers today are just as motivated to care for their expensive machinery to prevent breakdowns. It seems just as likely that plantation farmers in the Old South would have done likewise. McMillen suggests that such practicality is built right into the natural order: “The cow permits herself to be milked, and the sheep yields up her wool. The horse, despite his great strength, stupidly lets man make him into a slave laborer” in exchange for ample food, comfortable housing, and parent-like care. [emphasis mine]Ford's ignoring the horrors of slavery are bad enough, but the paragraph's structure and the placing of the quotation not only furthers the idea that "plantation owners in the Old South" not only provided "ample food, comfortable housing, and parent-like care" but also that slave labor is part of "the natural order." More importantly, Ford's placement of the quotation likens humans to horses and impugns the intelligence of a whole race.
Perhaps the South Dakota blogosphere made the collective decision to ignore Ford while I wasn't looking. Perhaps I should ignore him too. That decision would certainly keep my blood pressure in check. I retain, however, a silly notion that humans are created equal and that it might be better for the world if one points out that no natural order exists where humans should be treated like animals.
