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With all due respect, you as an Asian can not tell Blacks to get over it. Because of the Slaves work, this country was able to grow and prosper.Your family wasn't brought her on slaves ships across the pacific in horrifc, subhuman conditions. Asians did not live in the South and told to sit in the back of the bus and drink from seperate fountains. So YOU have NO RIGHT to tell blacks to get over it. Chip on their shoulder...ignorance!And Jews can hide their religion...blacks can not hide the color of their skin. You need to learn a lot about race in this country.
wow man. I would look into the past treatment for asian Americans here. Not only in the turn of the centruy were they treated as sub-human. But during WWII, they were actualy PUT IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS. If you are an American, this is a discussion for you.
My family through its past never owned slaves, as a matter of fact, we had three family members fight in the civil war to help end slavery, they fought for the union. Does that mean that I dont have a right to comment on this? I dont think so, I do have a right. Every American has a right.
They also intimidate parents both teaches and the administration-I am not sure why some behave this way, but it is a well known fact.
Very true. I have been on the receiving end of that and it is frustrating. If some people don't experience it they would not believe some of the slights that are inflicted upon parents that are trying to be involved.
Who mentioned all whites? It could not have been all the whites and blacks in the world? COME ON PEOPLE!! Whoever was present during that time and no I do not know the number of people or all of their names!!
You did... you told someone to butt out because it had to do with whites and blacks. I personally take offense to that... if we're talking about those affected by slavery within the US, it should be between those that actively chose to hold slaves, and those that were slaves themselves.
Ethical blindness. The same people that say "let the past be the past" and want us all to forget what slavery was, would want us all to ignore things like Darfur or Katrina today. Or any other important issue where you can decide "hey, I'm going to be part of the solution, not part of the problem". "Let the past be the past" is nothing but a not-so-subtle acceptance of the status quo and the legacy of slavery.
Can you imagine what would happen if somebody walked up to a Jew and told them "Hey, forget about the Holocaust". Oh yeah, that happened and I believe her name was Marge Schott and she was humiliated in front of the nation, and rightly so.
Racism exists in the white community as well. Colorism...the belief that lighter is better...was a theme that I grew up with and still feel as a dark skinned white person. Remember the advertising slogan "Blonds have more fun", and all the blue eyed blond models in the 50s and 60s. As an adoptee, I was kept "out of the sun because I was getting too dark" and "had my hair dyed blonde" as a 6 year old, so I could be "white enough". Racism exists within the white community against darker skinned people of the white community. Although I am now in my 50s, I have heard twice in the past year about "those scary black eyes, where you can't see the pupil". I thank god for the acceptance of latino or middle eastern people. A person of any race who has been discriminated against because of their lightness or darkness by their own people, knows the pain I have felt. I still remember my father using a washcloth to "clean the sullen complexion off". Unfortunately, it was as deep as my heart. Discrimination is about not being accepted for the color of your skin, that you are somehow damaged, and not up to par. It is of course a superficial judgement, perpetrated by ignorance, but still painful, nonetheless. Couple that with a past that included a societal policy that it was okay to use you for work, and given only your basic needs, and the pain would go even deeper. The only thing that I can say, is stick up for yourselves when you need to, and don't be oppressed by untrue media or societal messages. Use the injustice to rise above the rest, and hold your head up in the knowledge that you will never hurt another human being that way, regardless of their color.
When running a race do you look at the person beside you and then adjust your speed or do you apply everything that you have to win the race? Stop worrying about the other person and ask yourself what can I do to make an effective difference in race as a whole!
Ethical blindness. The same people that say "let the past be the past" and want us all to forget what slavery was, would want us all to ignore things like Darfur or Katrina today. Or any other important issue where you can decide "hey, I'm going to be part of the solution, not part of the problem". "Let the past be the past" is nothing but a not-so-subtle acceptance of the status quo and the legacy of slavery.
Can you imagine what would happen if somebody walked up to a Jew and told them "Hey, forget about the Holocaust". Oh yeah, that happened and I believe her name was Marge Schott and she was humiliated in front of the nation, and rightly so.
telling someone to let the past be the past is not an acceptance of the status quo. It is an acceptance of the past, and looking for the future. If you dwell on the past, you cannot move forward into the future.
Learn from the past, but move into the future. What good is it going to do our society as a whole if we keep fighting about things that happened in the past? We will not move forward, we will stay in a place of arguement. We had severe racism, it is better, not completly gone though. We should not move forward and work at bettering our society now, and try to stamp out what we can.
This will not be solved in one or two generations, this will take hundreds or even thousands of years to flush out of society. we can only try to accomplish what we can in our lifetime. And sitting still and arguing about what has happened in the past is not a way to push ourselves forward.
I don't think it is going to take as long as some people do to bridge the racial divide. I don't think we're talking about hundreds of years here for things to change. It's not going to happen tomorrow, but it might happen in 50 years or so or even sooner. MLK was only shot 40 years ago. That was really a short amount of time considering how things have changed.
I'm 31. I NEVER thought I would see a black president in my lifetime. In 1988, that just seemed ludicrous. Yet, here we are. I'll probably vote for Obama -- I haven't decided yet, but he's probably got my vote. Who knows? He might be the first of many black presidents I vote for over the next several decades.
There are problems in the black community that many white people are frustrated about, along with black people. Does that make sense? It frustrates me too that we haven't closed the acheivement gap in schools or in income level. But, it's not really my place to tell African Americans what they should do to fix their own problems. I can be supportive. I can be an advocate. I can raise my daughter to think people are people -- judge them by their actions and character, not by their appearance. And I'm doing that to the best of my ability. But there's only so much I can do.
Bill Cosby's message resonates because he said that lower income African Americans have to keep up their end of the bargain. They have to take personal responsibility and take advantage of the new opportunities that have been afforded to them. Ultimately, I have what I have in life because I went to college, got good grades, got a job that pays the bills and then some and then made a commitment to my wife to stick with her and do what it takes to keep the family together as we raise a child together. I grew up in a sketchy neighborhood. I did drugs when I was younger. I have friends who did a lot more than I did -- some dead, some in jail. My brother never got his act together -- an ex con violent druggie who blames the world for his own mistakes and missteps. I decided I wanted something better for myself.
I think it's great that African Americans are proud of their past and want to talk about it. Good. I agree with the poster who said that African history is American history. You're right. Let's teach it. White children would not understand what it meant to be an American if they didn't have a good understanding of the African American experience and contribution to this nation. But please don't use your past as an excuse for the present. Don't blame racism for every ill facing the black community. Racism has nothing to do with the gangs, drugs and broken families. That's on you. You have to fix it if you really want it fixed.
You did... you told someone to butt out because it had to do with whites and blacks. I personally take offense to that... if we're talking about those affected by slavery within the US, it should be between those that actively chose to hold slaves, and those that were slaves themselves.
I surely did mention the first part of your statement, but I did not say all whites were involved with slavery and that is what I was answering to. Make sure you properly assess what I said before you respond, and I do not care about you being offended, you cannot always hear what you prefer to here. I am not silencing my voice, but if one is intelligible or has no historical knowledge about the subject matter then they need to remain silent and listen and learn. I need not talk to the actual slave masters being that their spirit is alive and well today-the same for those who have a slave mentality. The behaviors continue!!
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