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There's no easy way to phrase exactly how I feel about the subject of slavery. I'm not going to tell people to "forget" the history of their ancestors. However, I will tell them (to their faces) to get over their anger concerning it.
Yes, it's probably easier for me to say since I don't care what names I get called for my opinion. It's probably easier for me to say because none of my family ever owned black slaves.
In my generation *born 1987*, none of us were called slaves. Nobody in my graduating class was treated as 3/5th of a person. Nobody in my graduating class was segregated based on color, or treated worse because of their darker skin complexion.
When we, as a country, realize that slavery was a part of our history - and that nothing we do today can fix or change the facts... then we can forgive...
As long as people still hold contempt in their hearts over the past, then the future will be just as blea...
Of course there is going to be contempt and it is justified. Those were obviously times of incredible ignorance and a barbaric mindset, not far removed from prehistoric times and the behavior of the neanderthals. I personally have nothing but contempt, not only for the very ignorant people of those times who felt slavery was right, but those who didn't who did nothing to stop it. But what of today? What residual effects of this ignorance are a source of contempt?
Today, whites enjoy an unearned privilege. They ascended in this society, protected by laws, practices, beliefs that overwhelmingly favored them and worked to the detriment of every black person from birth. This meant that whites could for instance get a college education when blacks couldn't and have doctors in the family for generations long before any black person could do same. It meant that the best, highest paying jobs were available to whites as a matter of course while blacks were only allowed to work remedial, low paying jobs if at all. Wealth and land were more easily obtained by whites, and having such a position of controlling the land, the government, the businesses, the laws, the enforcement, the schools, and so forth whites progressed without having to endure the continued subjugation, persecution, discrimination, and hardships that blacks did in every aspect of their lives. An inequitable way of life existed and still continues today to a lesser degree. Thank God for the efforts of people who fought and continue to fight against the race-based inequities.
The race-based inequities are still perpetuated by whites who pretend to believe that racism no longer exists. For instance, many Republicans believe that any form of affirmative action is "reverse discrimination." They conveniently ignore the reality that many whites today still discriminate against blacks based on race. They want to pretend to forget the past atrocities because they enjoy a favored position because of them, a position they don't want to give up since it was obtained without effort. They don't care that qualified, versatile, brilliant blacks may be denied opportunities that they are entitled to simply because a white person doesn't like the color of their skin. Such is a source of contempt.
Affirmative action is necessary because race-based inequities continue to exist. The intent has always been to afford those who have traditionally been denied opportunities by racist whites to be given more consideration. At the same time, those whites who discriminate must be identified, removed, and prosecuted. A better description is "Affirmative Opportunity." It seeks to remove the barriers that have traditionally (for hundreds of years) been in place to deny qualified blacks equal opportunity. Incredible to read about some spoiled, rich white kid whose parents were doctors, who grew up in the rich suburbs and went to private schools cry me a river because he was beat out for admission to a top school by a black kid from an impoverished, single-parent household in the ghetto. Both had 4.0 averages. Both had top SAT scores. But the black kid had traveled much further and endured far more than the white kid and is more likely far more qualified. Take two kids from well-to-do families, one black, one white, and the result is the same. Both have top averages and top SAT scores, but the black kid is given less consideration in this society simply by being black and on some very personal level, has had to overcome discrimination that the white kid can't even dream of experiencing. Even this rich black kid is more worthy. Nothing wrong with recognizing that intangible factor.
Thank God for progress. It has become less the case that a white person is favored simply because they are white, while the black person is denied just as a matter of course. Problems still remain though, and so does the contempt by people who experience the inequities towards the people who perpetuate them. Inequities I might add that have their basis in the ignorant mindset that created slavery.
Affirmative action in any of its forms of evolution is necessary.
Let's not use the bible for today's moral standards.
I have not made my point clearly. I'm an atheist. I'm using the Bible to put in context what people then would have been expected to know. I'm pointing out that even their "good book" didn't make it clear that slavery was necessarily a bad thing. That is in reply to posters who think our founding fathers should have had some kind of omniscience.
A man must be judged in the context of the times in which he lived.
Ohhhh cruuuuuel worrrrrrld! I feel so terrible now! Wahhhhhhh.
I've been saved! I've been saved! No more will I expect black people to be responsible for themselves. No more will I be rude to blacks who use ebonics when they speak to me. No more will I expect irresponsible black people to behave like responsible black people do.
Poooooooor things! They had slaves in their history! Oh cruel Gawd! How could this be?!? How can we expect them, after generation and generation and free public schooling and opportunity and controlling the failing governments of black majority areas, to care for themselves?
Hurry up everyone, let's all run out and grab a black person and take them to our wonderful white homes and show them how to be responsible people! They can't handle doing it themselves! Right LK? They're not smart enough. (In case you don't know, that's the implication. That's why liberals are degrading to black people.)
Of course there is going to be contempt and it is justified. Those were obviously times of incredible ignorance and a barbaric mindset, not far removed from prehistoric times and the behavior of the neanderthals. I personally have nothing but contempt, not only for the very ignorant people of those times who felt slavery was right, but those who didn't who did nothing to stop it. But what of today? What residual effects of this ignorance are a source of contempt?
Today, whites enjoy an unearned privilege. They ascended in this society, protected by laws, practices, beliefs that overwhelmingly favored them and worked to the detriment of every black person from birth. This meant that whites could for instance get a college education when blacks couldn't and have doctors in the family for generations long before any black person could do same. It meant that the best, highest paying jobs were available to whites as a matter of course while blacks were only allowed to work remedial, low paying jobs if at all. Wealth and land were
more easily obtained by whites, and having such a position of controlling the land, the government, the businesses, the laws, the enforcement, the schools, and so forth whites progressed without having to endure the continued subjugation, persecution, discrimination, and hardships that blacks did in every aspect of their lives. An inequitable way of life existed and still continues today to a lesser degree. Thank God for the efforts of people who fought and continue to fight against the race-based inequities.
The race-based inequities are still perpetuated by whites who pretend to believe that racism no longer exists. For instance, many Republicans believe that any form of affirmative action is "reverse discrimination." They conveniently ignore the reality that many whites today still discriminate against blacks based on race. They want to pretend to forget the past atrocities because they enjoy a favored position because of them, a position they don't want to give up since it was obtained without effort. They don't care that qualified, versatile, brilliant blacks may be denied opportunities that they are entitled to simply because a white person doesn't like the color of their skin. Such is a source of contempt.
Affirmative action is necessary because race-based inequities continue to exist. The intent has always been to afford those who have traditionally been denied opportunities by racist whites to be given more consideration. At the same time, those whites who discriminate must be identified, removed, and prosecuted. A better description is "Affirmative Opportunity." It seeks to remove the barriers that have traditionally (for hundreds of years) been in place to deny qualified blacks equal opportunity. Incredible to read about some spoiled, rich white kid whose parents were doctors, who grew up in the rich suburbs and went to private schools cry me a river because he was beat out for admission to a top school by a black kid from an impoverished, single-parent household in the ghetto. Both had 4.0 averages. Both had top SAT scores. But the black kid had traveled much further and endured far more than the white kid and is more likely far more qualified. Take two kids from well-to-do families, one black, one white, and the result is the same. Both have top averages and top SAT scores, but the black kid is given less consideration in this society simply by being black and on some very personal level, has had to overcome discrimination that the white kid can't even dream of experiencing. Even this rich black kid is more worthy. Nothing wrong with recognizing that intangible factor.
Thank God for progress. It has become less the case that a white person is favored simply because they are white, while the black person is denied just as a matter of course. Problems still remain though, and so does the contempt by people who experience the inequities towards the people who perpetuate them. Inequities I might add that have their basis in the ignorant mindset that created slavery.
Affirmative action in any of its forms of evolution is necessary.
You have provided a wealth of knowledge, yet it will fall on death ears for most-unfortunately. They do not care to know what happened in the past and what is happening currently to black americans-get ready for the unruly written attacks.
They have no compassion nor empathy for our history-yet we should learn the history of America which speaks primarily to their history-not ours. Many choose not to know our history and could care less. The ignorant comments coming from those who do not have any knowledge about our history is very sad and reeks of something that is very evil. Evil that speaks to the ancestry blood that existed during slavery days. There is no doubt in my mind that they are descendants.
Continue to post Alexus and enlighten and remind all of us about the past and the present history. I for one enjoy your posts immensely. I am not speaking about everyone on these controversial threads, but you will know them (the descendants) by their mean spirited comments.
Intimidation is no longer present, that died a long time ago. Hurt and pain from their comments-died when I was six years old. I am not moved by the ignorance nor the evilness that spills from their black hearts-quite actually I feel sorry for them.
First of all YES slavery was practiced in African nations, please do not confuse black with African because blacks were born in America. It was a very different type of slavery there than it was here. They had slaves because of wars. Basically POWs.
We were brought here and then enslaved under horrindous conditions. They stripped us of our culture and our identity. Most balcks do not know what part of Africa they are from. Whites whipped us, raped our women, killed our children, starved us, and seperated families.
Then when we were granted our "freedom", we were still not cosidered human beings. We had to fight to vote, we had to fight segregation, we had to be scared of lynchings...
So you forget because you do not want to know what your people did to us. But I can not and will not forget what happened to my people. Now that does not say that I am non-progressive, but how can you tell somebody to forget something like that? Shame on you and shame on your ancestors who did that.
First, I'm no biblical scholar, I do believe in God, but I know that God didn't write the bible, man did. So I am not relying on those words to guide my opinions.
Second, the fact that many of the founding fathers proclaimed their opposition to slavery leads me to my belief that they did know the wrongness of their action or inaction. They were, for the most part, enlightened and educated men. There is difference between being wrong and being unacceptable. Since slavery was accepted, they were able to compromise their beliefs for what they believed to be the greater good.
Great post and remember if the other poster is viewing or reading the King James Bible-well I rather not say!!
Study to show thyself approved unto GOD!! Now do we believe that GOD would have inspired a man to write a verse such as this? What people fail to do is read the entire passage, because it also tells you to take care of your slave very well for the work that he has done for you. This rarely happened.
There are some stories that speak to the masters that did treat their slaves well because they believed in following the scripture has it was written in its entirety. Yet, there are also those who practiced it and once they realized or recognized that they were guilty of an atrocity against other humans they chose to repent and give land to their former slaves. Then there are those who felt justified in their actions and those are the spirits that still exist today. The ancestors may not be physically present anymore, but their spirits have taken up other vulnerable and willing bodies that will continue to let those spirits of racism exist for eternity-while we has humans are here on earth.
Can you imagine treating someone different based on the color of their skin? I tell children to look at the animals, flowers, trees, and all their vibrant colors. Now what would make us think that GOD wanted humans to have the same color, hair texture, etc. Well, this teaching works well for children, and they are innocent until the corruption begins which is usually orchestrated by the parents who continue to teach that one color is far more superior than the other. To tell them about their inherited wealth and their unearned rights is one thing, but to speak on the color of someone's skin has being unworthy is a tragedy.
These images on this post are not the worst ones I have seen in my lifetime and I have seen many. It is healthy for me to view these pictures, because it keeps me grounded and allows me to realize that my pain for my people and so many others that are suffering throughout the world is great, yet knowing that my pain can never be compared to those shown here on these pictures. There is no comparison-yet the pain lives on.
Ohhhh cruuuuuel worrrrrrld! I feel so terrible now! Wahhhhhhh.
I've been saved! I've been saved! No more will I expect black people to be responsible for themselves. No more will I be rude to blacks who use ebonics when they speak to me. No more will I expect irresponsible black people to behave like responsible black people do.
Poooooooor things! They had slaves in their history! Oh cruel Gawd! How could this be?!? How can we expect them, after generation and generation and free public schooling and opportunity and controlling the failing governments of black majority areas, to care for themselves?
Hurry up everyone, let's all run out and grab a black person and take them to our wonderful white homes and show them how to be responsible people! They can't handle doing it themselves! Right LK? They're not smart enough. (In case you don't know, that's the implication. That's why liberals are degrading to black people.)
WINNER: Stupidest thread of the month.
obviously you haven't read through the thread,specially what I wrote.But I suppose when the people who say their confederate flag is a symbol of their southern pride not a symbol of race you agree eh?I suppose you think it is alright to fly it from a government building or on government property?
But you jump and assume that I made this only a black vs white thread.I am begginning to take being called a "liberal" by you as a compliment.You didn't happen to read my part where I said blacks practiced slavery also did ya?You are so eager to slam a "liberal" that you jump ahead.
WINNER;stupidest poster of the month goes to one thousand
obviously you haven't read through the thread,specially what I wrote.But I suppose when the people who say their confederate flag is a symbol of their southern pride not a symbol of race you agree eh?I suppose you think it is alright to fly it from a government building or on government property?
But you jump and assume that I made this only a black vs white thread.I am begginning to take being called a "liberal" by you as a compliment.You didn't happen to read my part where I said blacks practiced slavery also did ya?You are so eager to slam a "liberal" that you jump ahead.
WINNER;stupidest poster of the month goes to one thousand
you truely are a moron sometimes
Yes!! Indeed Africans had slaves too, but they did not treat them like the slaves were treated here in America. Africans are also guilty of selling us out as well to the white slave masters, so please do not think that I am not educated enough to know who did what back then. People still had a choice pertaining to their actions, and we must also know that the Africans assumed that they would treat us as they did their own servants. They did not call them slaves. They were ignorant about this strange fellow who did not share any of their ethnic/or cultural lifestyles or spiritual beliefs.
I believe they did not know that their own people would be treated as animals. There are some stories about African Kings apologizing about this tragedy, and it has also been noted that they no longer participated in the sale or trade of us once they were informed of our vicious journey here to America and how we were being treated. Once they found out that we were committing suicide before we got here and learned of the horrific cramped conditions that we were bound to while coming to the Americas- many traders decided not to continue to participate in any transactions with this strange fellow-now turned evil and wicked-at least this is what has been recorded in some history books. They did not know they were bargaining with the devil in disguise.
WINNER (and still champion): Most childish and belligerent post of the...hour.
Gotta hand it to ya, though, you didn't mention Locke or Smith.
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