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Well, like I sort of alluded to earlier, Jews never forget the holocaust. Now what if the holocaust lasted in multiple countries for hundreds of years -- at least 10 to 20 generations.
Would it be okay to tell them just to get over it?
I think the issue with black people and slavery is that America became the wealthiest nation in the world because of it. A war had to be waged stop it. Then there was an additional 100 years of Jim Crow and institutionalized racial oppression until the 1960's. Then you have the assassination of most black leaders, civic disenfranchisement, drugs, and I could go on and on -- even to how black people are generally perceived by most people. All of those things were orchestrated and I think the slap in the face is that many non-minority Americans are like, "What's the problem? That's a long time ago. I don't see an issue. Nobody owes you anything..."
The issue is that most of the negative issues that black people face collectively is directly related to slavery, Jim Crow, etc. It was so entrenched in our society that it is almost impossible to say what the conditions of black people would be like had entire systems of government had not conspired to keep them as low and powerless as possible for centuries.
I think the real sticking point is that to this day, in 2019, many people feel like "oh well, it's not my fault. Get over it." I'm not saying black people should do, ask, or take anything from white people. But it is these opinions that lead me to believe that most white people don't really realize how much a living hell it was to be black in America (before and after slavery) and who made their lives a living hell -- and why.
You know they say that those that forget/ignore the past are doomed to repeat it. I agree that it is up to black people to solve the problems within their communities, but I think it would be foolish to not recognize the root cause for many of the ills that still plague large portions of the black community to this very day.
You mentioned our "ancestors", but technically, you can find the kids smiling in postcards of innocent black men being burned alive or pregnant women being hanged as old men walking around today. Even though legalized slavery, as it existed before the Civil War ended, it was a few generations ago. I have a friend who works in a nursing home who tells me about one of her patients who wistfully reminisces about the days when you could "do whatever you want to a ni**er" and nobody could/would do anything about it...
Interesting perspective. No, we don't EVER tell Jewish people to 'just forget' the holocaust.
I just stumbled upon this podcast discussing the question, "How bad was slavery in America?" The answer was so thorough and covered so many common responses that I had to share it...
Everything you need to know about what it was like to be a slave in America has been written by an actual ex-slave named Frederick Douglass. Has the OP heard of him?
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