It was common for slaves to feel alienated from their own bodies, often taking two different views of their experiences. This happened because slaves acted the part that needed to be acted, often in order to secure for themselves the best possible future. Johnson solidifies this by saying, “By knowing what slaveholders were looking for, slaves could turn their own commodification against their enslavement,” also slaves began to realize “civility rather than strength would entice a likely buyer” (164). Another part that demonstrates this is, “When slaves looked at a particular buyer, they could do so with an informed eye to their own future” (Johnson 170-171). However, it was not solely slaves who acted out particular roles but also slave buyers. Buyers had to rely upon the word of sellers, “slaveholders gained creditability in the market by attaching reasons to their offers” (166), because the slave market was “impersonal”, and the trading of slaves involved much “deception and manipulation” (Johnson 172,
It was common for slaves to feel alienated from their own bodies, often taking two different views of their experiences. This happened because slaves acted the part that needed to be acted, often in order to secure for themselves the best possible future. Johnson solidifies this by saying, “By knowing what slaveholders were looking for, slaves could turn their own commodification against their enslavement,” also slaves began to realize “civility rather than strength would entice a likely buyer” (164). Another part that demonstrates this is, “When slaves looked at a particular buyer, they could do so with an informed eye to their own future” (Johnson 170-171). However, it was not solely slaves who acted out particular roles but also slave buyers. Buyers had to rely upon the word of sellers, “slaveholders gained creditability in the market by attaching reasons to their offers” (166), because the slave market was “impersonal”, and the trading of slaves involved much “deception and manipulation” (Johnson 172,