How to get rid of it again?

When humans start something, it proves difficult to get rid of it. We get used to it and want to keep the advantages. Because we often improve and optimize it, few disadvantages remain and we often become more dependent on it. We often don’t see such things as something bad at first. And when we have used it for so long, it is rather difficult to start thinking about it differently.

We all know the examples. Tobacco smoking was promoted for a long time as something good and we became addicted to it. Only now has the tide turned and we are seeing a reversal. Drinking cow’s milk is still widely done. But what about women’s oppression. How long did it take for women to simply get the right to vote. And still women are not treated equally in many cultures.

Slavery

I’ll cut to the chase and want to discuss the phenomenon of “How to get rid of it?” regarding slavery. What steps were taken and how long did it take. It starts with an idea that takes post after which it is discussed, decided and worked out. The implementation is improved and optimized. Then opposition and discussion slowly arise. With much resistance, it is abolished and then it takes some time before it is truly eliminated from our system.

Slavery was introduced to the U.S. by European settlers, and the first recorded African slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619. In 1661, slavery was legalized through laws. There was a gradual introduction with a peak of millions of slaves in the 18th century. Between 1700 and 1860, the system was optimized. A formal end in 1865 with the 13th Amendment. Then it took until 1960 to largely get it out of people’s heads.

British (UK) involvement the transatlantic slave trade takes place from 1562 and in 1672 the Royal African Company is established to monopolize the slave trade. Between 1650 and 1700 there is mass deportation to the Caribbean and in the 18th century the British became the largest slave traders with 3 million slaves transported. From 1780 the discussion of abolition began and in 1807 slavery was outlawed. It was abolished in 1833, but colonialism remained.

Portugal was the largest importer of slaves and was one of the last countries to abolish slavery in 1888. The Netherlands and France also played a big role. But this is not necessarily about slavery, because it is about the phenomenon of “How do you get rid of it?” We see that slavery has existed for thousands of years, for example in the Ottoman Empire and even in Africa itself where there were also white slaves from Europe. My example about slavery will serve another topic later.

Timeline

It took between 10 and 50 years from idea and discussion to preparation and decision. The start-up and optimization phase takes about 100 years. Resistance, discussion and phase-out decision takes about 50 years. Actual phase-out and safeguarding takes another 20 to 50 years. And finally that it is also banished from the system and people’s minds takes another 50 years or so. The lead time from idea to substantial elimination took 250 to 300 years.

Now of course this is a very rough approximation, but I want to use it to show that something as disgusting as slavery “just” managed to exist for 300 years. We thought it was normal. Smoking and cow’s milk are still normal for many people. Women’s oppression is still normal in many cultures. Slavery is still normal in some cultures. Colonialism is still normal when we look at what is happening in the world today. How do you get rid of it?

Israel

This is what I want to talk about. A subject we are still in the middle of and which is still taboo. We are at the end of the optimization phase and are still struggling to openly resist and talk about the abolition or reversal of a wrong choice that has been made. How long will it take to get rid of it? Addicts will not want to get rid of it. And make no mistake, the economic benefits are addictive.

Slavery involved cheap labor. Although I think it is also in the nature of Europeans to consider themselves superior and therefore they also loved being able to rule over in their eyes inferior peoples. There must be reasons why colonialism is actually still practiced by the West. Who are these people who put thousands of animals in a mega-stable with no right to a true life?

The Middle East is economically very important to the world, it is the transit artery in trade especially energy. It stands to reason that back then, when the British still owned their colonies all over the world and ruled everywhere, they decided that the creation of Israel was a good idea. The Zionist lobby secured the Balfour Declaration in 1917 and through the UN they managed to get Israel founded in 1948.

The expulsion of the Palestinians (Nakba) was to enable the mass migration of Jews to Palestine. After that, systematic efforts were made to reduce territory for the Palestinians. Propaganda reversed reality and Palestinians were always blamed for their justified resistance to oppression. Zionism also succeeded in turning the West against Islam so that most people could look away from the genocide.

Timeline

Genocide did not begin after Oct. 7, 2023, but as early as 1948. As with slavery, “we” have come to think it is just. It is part of it. We have chosen it. At least, we think we did. Or maybe we don’t think at all. We don’t care. We want no hassle and to keep the benefits. But the truth catches up with us and we hear the thunder approaching. The flashes of light are there before the thunder, we might know what’s coming. Do we want to see the light?

Hopefully it won’t take 300 years to get rid of this. However, most people in the West don’t see it yet. They see the Palestinians and now the Iranians as inferior people who have to do what they say. There are actually still slaves and slavers in this equation. The settlers are allowed to have their way and the Arabs are allowed to be killed. How will “we” look back on this in 200 years? As pityingly as we do now about slavery and women’s oppression?

Open the eyes

Women’s oppression is an argument for many Westerners to condemn Iran. To then be allowed to attack Iran. Quite apart from whether it is true that women would be oppressed in Iran, couldn’t you just turn this whole argument completely around? Because suppose it is, then Iran could still argue that it is just to attack the West because the West does not oppress women. The wry thing is that the masculine West does oppress women.

Someone who continues to smoke is not open to the arguments for quitting. They will continue to make up excuses and justify the unwise choice to themselves. In order to continue smoking without suffering too much mental distress. People continue to participate in lotteries to perhaps become a millionaire without thinking about the fact that millions of people have to become a little poorer in order to do so. This is very deep within us.

It takes effort to be courageous against the current, to see through all the noise the truth, to let go of all the beliefs acquired by propaganda, to not make excuses for maintaining things that are not true, and to begin to formulate a new ideal without wanting to assume the status quo. Anything goes. Where there is a will, there is a way. We have abolished slavery. What do we have to do now?

https://sovereignista.com/2025/05/31/palestine-bleeds/

Nico Cost, June 22, 2025