In your opinion, should African Americans forgive America for slavery? (millionaire, million)
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Actually African Americans should be grateful their ancestors were brought to this country by any means. The alternative would have been that they remained in their respective native countries and seeing the state of many of those countries today AA's are much better off.
At the same time that slavery was popular there were as many as 640,000 black slaves and at the same time there were about 100, 000 white slaves. The white slaves were indentured and had no value except as that of their debt. However, black slaves were considered property and treated as such which was much better than there white counterparts. Many of these white slaves were Irish and British but I don't see those groups asking for reparations or apologies. If there is a group of people American owes a debt it is the American Indian.
Pretty much everything you said I don't agree with. You mean to tell me I wouldn't be able to make it to America today unless my ancestors were slaves. If you can't see how horrible that is, then there isn't much else I can say. Many people come to America and all over the world through their own will. Where do you live? Do you now see the incredible amount of foreigners that move to America today?
P.S. African Americans weren't the ones that brought up reparations first. It was promised to them. And yes there were other slaves throughout history, but this isn't about them is it?
I don't think the USA should be forgiven, but I absolutely do not think that slavery should be held as a grudge by any modern American for anything they do. These days, there are lots of other things to get peeved about. I get angry when I watch or read stuff about slavery or Civil Rights Era but the only real salve is right action, right word, right now. And that does not involve anything of a vindictive nature. There are many ugly parts of the US history, and very painful parts. To acknowledge them is one very important thing. I don't want to see race wars in America so I would rather that people absorb, process and transform the pain from the past and move on. Racism and prejudice are still present throughout the American landscape. Sometimes it needs to be fought. Sometimes it needs to simply be ignored and pitied.
I've had a lifetime that has forced me to learn much about the need to forgive others. I was born into a place that was not safe for me to live... yada, yada, yada...
One thing I know about forgiveness is that if you "forgive but don't forget"... you haven't really forgiven.
Forgiveness is always more for the person who needs to forgive than for the person / entity that has harmed us.
Unforgiveness and it's fruit in our lives is like poison.
Last edited by World Citizen; 03-26-2010 at 06:20 PM..
Blacks have suffered discrimination from day one and continue to do so.
Many Black people today have a very loose definition of what qualifies as "racial discrimination". To many Blacks, it is "racial discrimination" when a White cop gives a Black driver a speeding ticket.
I thought African-Americans had already forgiven America for slavery. If they have not forgiven then they should not stay in America. I would not want to stay in a place I blamed for that grievance. Maybe that would be something they could request, a way to be relocated in another country they do like. Anyone who wants to relocate can request it freely and America can help them relocate. FREELY is the important word here.
Reps to the last few posters on this subject.got me thinking and that is always a good thing and why i come back here. my thinking has been changed more than once.
Today, whites enjoy an unearned privilege as a result of slavery. Simply having white skin in this society affords one greater consideration and certain advantages that blacks don't have. Blacks continue to be negatively impacted. If this unearned advantage can be removed, then I think it's possible for black people to forgive this country. How that is done is another debate.
Black people will never forget and are reminded of the residual effects of their inferior designation by many whites every day. To suggest that they forget means that you are indifferent to the devastation that such evil has wrought on successive generations of descendants of slaves.
I say Reparations first, then maybe forgiveness.
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If you can't see how horrible that is, then there isn't much else I can say. Many people come to America and all over the world through their own will. Where do you live? Do you now see the incredible amount of foreigners that move to America today?
Reparations, then forgiveness
