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The bold is not true. Black people in America created our own churches in the 1700s. The people who did so were not slaves. They formed churches for themselves because they didn't want to be disrespected by white people when they were going to worship. Our churches also were the community centers that spurred the anti-slavery movement and nearly all the early AME and AE/AEZ practictioners were involved in Underground Railroad activities and directly involved in helping slaves to escape bondage. They were community centers for black Americans and they were not created or held over from slavery. Black churches and fraternal organizations were the first African American institutions created in this nation and did not typically include white people as leaders/organizers. They had both religious and socio/political activities and goals that were specific to African Americans. I'm not a Christian but I value and revere our historic churches and the work they did to allow all people of African descent to thrive in America. Their creation and sustenance is not based on slavery and them being segregated was a way for black people to organize for our communtity's uplift - which is a tenet of African American culture - community uplift/service. We typically helped our own people cause no one else helped us without trying to vicitimize us. From the black church spawned schools (cause black children could not be educated in many schools even if they were free), militias (contrary to what people are aware of, especially in northern cities, black people created militias to protect themselves from white mobs who often attacked and killed them just because they were black) and many other necessary tasks.
I agree with you that today everyone is basically the same, but often people of the African diaspora don't know much about the history of African American institutions or culture. We are a unique "tribe" of sorts and we have a unique culture that is based upon service to our people. Our churches were created for this purpose.
Your right, I said holdover from slavery but meant more as a holdover from segregation, which I consider itself to derive from the slave context. I know most churches in the U.S aren't a 100 years+ old but many are 50+ years old in terms of the actual church and not necessarily the building and that what I meant from holdover from slavery. It was poor word choice on my part. I know a significant part of AA history and churches just because it's required reading in many of my HS and college classes and I also research American which is African American history in my spare time. I also recognize the Black church's influence in helping build a stronger black community.
While it's clear to see that Black and White Americans are different, when compared to other cultures their not that different because 1. shared language and 2. very mixed geographically has erased many of the early cultural differences. It used to be in the U.S before the 1930s someone from Maine could have a hard time just understanding some from Georgia, even though they spoke the same language and their are still glimpses of this today. But shared language/ religion/semi-shared geography/ shared food and even shared traditions for the most part has lead for these two groups to be synonymous with the "American" stereotype. Their are differences in culture and religion but outside of certain other cultural aspects Black Americans are essentially Canadians in America, when compared to White Americans. Canadians --> White Americans --> Black Americans differ from each other equally IMHO.
This country was not built by illegal aliens. That's pure nonsense! This country was mostly built by our own citizens and legal immigrants.
Whites have melted into our identifying culture. Most speak English as their primary language for example even though their ancestors were from Germany, Poland, etc. Not so much with Latinos.
There you go again... never said the country was built by illegal aliens. I specifically said Legal immigrants which contributes to this country's diversity, culture, and society. I'm against illegal immigration because it does skirt our processes in place which favor immigration from those that would contribute.
I certainly understood your question... I just question your intent. You seem to have a problem with Spanish speaking peoples specifically... Hispanic and Latino for the most part speak Spanish. Your attitude towards them is very exclusionary even though there are plenty of other immigrants to pick on. And no.... there are plenty of eastern europeans (including Polish) that do not speak English... you are wrong on that. There's a reason why there tends to be areas that are predominantly welcoming to these people... because it gives them a chance to settle and time to learn the language.
What makes you think that only Whites melt into our identifying culture? I don't have the culture of my native ancestral home. Most 2nd and 3rd generation children of immigrants don't....
The stats were relevant regardless of my opposition to non-assimilation. The stats were incorrect. Only 2% of mixed race in a Texas town?
You claimed to be Asian before but in the post where I just quoted you, you implied otherwise. Busted?
Do not conflate interracial marriage (their children would classify as "mixed") as indicator or non-indicator diversity....
That's messed up.
One of the reasons why we left Texas was we were tired of the judgements made against interracial marriages and their children. I recall a black (him) and white (her) interracial couple about my age. People referred to her as "Oreo". Nothing like that has ever happened here in NJ. There are plenty of interracial couples here; very common.
It was only recently that interracial couples were legally protected... Loving vs Virginia in 1967!!! On one hand it is messed up that it took so long to protect those rights. On the other hand it is a clear indication of progress when it comes to race relations. The Lovings went through a lot of personal hardship at the hands of an a discriminatory government which included jail time and being expelled from their home and state.
Actions (in this context, your views on display here) speak louder than you own words.
Many people who are discriminatory (not saying you are) will often claim they are not.... "because my friends are black."
I don't think you are xenophobic (yet) nor racist (yet). However, you do come off as someone who finds diversity threatening... even spoken foreign languages in public seem to set you off. Which is just another way of saying you are uncomfortable around it.
No, people are just more whiny about everything and also feel like their opinion is soooo important that everyone must know it at all times. This presents the biggest issue because American are generally Loud and opinionated but thinned skinned. So everyone wants to have license to offend but cannot take being offended.
We also have more way to ensure we can reach maximum offendedness (I know not a word) and we also remain offended all the time because we live on social media and forums like this one. Before the internet the best I could do was scream something stupid in a park or crowded area which nearly everyone would ignore. Because in REAL LIFE we understand people are nuts and should be ignored. We don't do that online and take everything as if it was a PERSONAL ATTACK on my personhood.
And the Hard Right has joined in on being just as snowflake so now everyone is over the top sensitive.
Your right, I said holdover from slavery but meant more as a holdover from segregation, which I consider itself to derive from the slave context. I know most churches in the U.S aren't a 100 years+ old but many are 50+ years old in terms of the actual church and not necessarily the building and that what I meant from holdover from slavery. It was poor word choice on my part. I know a significant part of AA history and churches just because it's required reading in many of my HS and college classes and I also research American which is African American history in my spare time. I also recognize the Black church's influence in helping build a stronger black community.
While it's clear to see that Black and White Americans are different, when compared to other cultures their not that different because 1. shared language and 2. very mixed geographically has erased many of the early cultural differences. It used to be in the U.S before the 1930s someone from Maine could have a hard time just understanding some from Georgia, even though they spoke the same language and their are still glimpses of this today. But shared language/ religion/semi-shared geography/ shared food and even shared traditions for the most part has lead for these two groups to be synonymous with the "American" stereotype. Their are differences in culture and religion but outside of certain other cultural aspects Black Americans are essentially Canadians in America, when compared to White Americans. Canadians --> White Americans --> Black Americans differ from each other equally IMHO.
I agree. White and black Americans are connected in many ways that other cultures are not, including sharing and speaking our nation's common language.
If you look at race relations on a line graph & the higher you get the better race relations are. I'd say that the last 5-10 years have been basically a straight line. Both races IMO are guilty of this.
But one thing that does seem noticeable is that for years you saw less & less racist white people. And I think that trend would continue. However, now you're seeing more hatred towards white people & that is making the direction this country was going come to a complete stop.
Actions (in this context, your views on display here) speak louder than you own words.
Many people who are discriminatory (not saying you are) will often claim they are not.... "because my friends are black."
I don't think you are xenophobic (yet) nor racist (yet). However, you do come off as someone who finds diversity threatening... even spoken foreign languages in public seem to set you off. Which is just another way of saying you are uncomfortable around it.
Oh, you're way too polite.
If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like one, it's a pretty good chance it's a duck.
There you go again... never said the country was built by illegal aliens. I specifically said Legal immigrants which contributes to this country's diversity, culture, and society. I'm against illegal immigration because it does skirt our processes in place which favor immigration from those that would contribute.
I certainly understood your question... I just question your intent. You seem to have a problem with Spanish speaking peoples specifically... Hispanic and Latino for the most part speak Spanish. Your attitude towards them is very exclusionary even though there are plenty of other immigrants to pick on. And no.... there are plenty of eastern europeans (including Polish) that do not speak English... you are wrong on that. There's a reason why there tends to be areas that are predominantly welcoming to these people... because it gives them a chance to settle and time to learn the language.
What makes you think that only Whites melt into our identifying culture? I don't have the culture of my native ancestral home. Most 2nd and 3rd generation children of immigrants don't....
I think you need to get out and travel more.
Re-read your own post you weren't very clear on whether you meant legal or illegal immigrants. I only have a problem with Spanish speakers because so many of them are here illegally or their ethnic group doesn't seem to want to assimilate linguistically into our country. Once again, I am aware that there are other illegal aliens here but not in near as many numbers as those from south of our border are. They all need to be deported though.
No, you are wrong. It might have been the case 100 years ago but most from Polish and other Eastern European countries do speak English in public today. For one thing there has been very little immigration from that part of the world for decades now. It's a fact that those from those areas of the world are white and when they first came here they made every effort to assimilate into our society. Not so with they type of "immigrants" we are getting today.
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I'm against illegal immigration because it does skirt our processes in place which favor immigration from those that would contribute.
