World around Us

Is slavery a direct cause for success?

Recently, I've discovered an interview of a track coach of a Jamaica national team. He particularly talked about Usain Bolt. He is a well-known sprinter, who several years in a row, almost playfully beats the world sprint records. For those who would like to see him break the World Record during Beijing Olympic games in 2008 can do so on this site:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By1JQFxfLMM

Furthermore, he usually breaks difficult records like 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, etc., which stood unbeatable for several decades.

The coach of the Jamaican team, to my surprise, explains Bolt's success with the Jamaican history. He says that Jamaicans suffered from slave for a long period of time, which made Jamaicans patient and tireless. Indeed, Bolt is a genetic champion due to several centuries of slavery. Thus, slavery is a direct cause for the success of the nation.

I immediately thought of Ukraine. This country, in principle, aside from mongolo-tatar yoke, or Janissaries is not familiar with slavery. However, that slavery was local and did not have general characteristics. If we define slavery as lack of freedom, country, we would notice that slavery in present throughout Ukrainian history. The exception might be Zaporozhskaya Sech or Kievskaya Rus.

How can we compare three centuries of Jamaican slavery with two thousand years of our own. Using extrapolation, should we conclude that if a Jamaican can run 100 meters in 9 seconds, a person from our country should do so in less that two?

Thus, it is possible that the Jamaican coach is looking for explanation in a from place since slavery did not cause anything positive. Movies like "Spartan" support this idea. Also, even thought in modern science there is an understanding such a "conditioning", everyone agrees that slavery is evil. It does not matter if we're talking about Greece, Rome, Latin America or Africa, slavery is commonly accepted as a morally wrong institution. In any event, Michael Phelps, an American swimmer, which broke at least as many World records as Bolt did on track, belongs to a nation which does not support slavery. (Except, of course, for a few centuries when Americans themselves promoted slavery).

This topic reminded me that I did not run my distance of 10 kilometers in a while. There is just not enough time. On Sunday, will run 10 kilometers for sure.