Fred, sorry if I come across as judgemental.I'm no oracle; simply trying to be firm and unequivocal.

I'm not saying Stockholm Syndrome or an equivalent coping strategy explains every instance of this perceived behavior, but that it could certainly explain a significant number. I also don't doubt that many slaveowners in their paternalism deluded themselves that their slaves viewed them with affection; it made it considerably easier for them to sleep at night.

Certainly some slaveowners treated their slaves better (oops- almost said more humanely)than others did, much as, for example, some guards at Buchenwald or Sobibor were less brutal than others. But this individual variation does not diminish the horror of the holocaust any more than it does of slavery.

I admit that I'm impatient with those (and I DON'T include you in the category)that seem to suggest or imply that it does.

Best, Greg