Jean-Paul Sartre's Wretched Of The Earth

In Jean-Paul Sartre’s preface for Wretched of the Earth, Sartre issues a condemnation of passive Frenchmen that transcends the colonial situation. In this condemnation, Sartre accuses all Frenchmen of being complicit in the dehumanizing institution of colonialism by virtue of being part of the French nation and profiting off of the spoils of empire. This is a transcendent issue that delves into many more areas of human existence beyond colonialism. Sartre raises the question of just what is the duty of those who profit indirectly off of dehumanization and oppression and what moral repercussions are there for remaining passive in the face of injustice. According to Kantian deontology, it is evident that people have an obligation to not remain

Sartre refers to the French citizens as “accomplices,” and charges, “we have all profited from colonial exploitation” (lvii). One cannot dispute that the spoils of empire and colonialism are directly responsible for the vastness and power of the French nation. There is no way for somebody in France to escape that they have enabled and profited from colonialism and all of the evils associated with it. Sartre argues that “Today whenever two Frenchmen meet, there is a dead body between them” (lxii). Colonialism is so ingrained in the French identity that one cannot call himself a Frenchman without also carrying with them the stain of colonialism on the national identity, even if he was not directly responsible for the exploits of

It may seem evident in hindsight that the Frenchmen who turned a blind eye to the injustices of colonialism were indeed “accomplices” to the crimes of the Empire (lviii). However, similar situations have occurred throughout history and are occurring today and Americans, even the most moral people, do not fulfill this duty. A prime example is the inhumane labor conditions abroad that furnish Americans with their consumer goods. Workers abroad are dehumanized in horrible conditions for little pay while companies reap enormous benefits and consumers are satisfied with the products they desire. I personally deplore the global labor practices we all enable, yet I have never stopped to question my role in perpetuating the injustice. After all, I am opposed to these practices and would never initiate them myself if I were a business owner, yet I have never pondered my role in this or any other global injustice the American nation is complicit