wade
Save The Humans
First off, their are no benefits strictly because of your race. 50 Cent doesn't get checks at the beginning of the month just because he's black and his ancestors suffered slavery. People who get government assistance get it for financial reasons, or because their suffering has otherwise been validated for other reasons. Where this is all forgotten, I don't know. As for your ancestors being murdered by colonials, that's a terrible point. Unless your father was hosed down and attacked by police dogs for fighting for his freedom as an individual, you really can't compare. Slavery has been gone for some time, but racism and segregation are issues that have only even been evaluated since the 1960's. I'm not expecting anyone here to change their opinions because of my post, but I at least urge people to try and understand things under the surface, and in a much deeper context. For starters, study up on your civil rights history. Read the biography of Martin Luther King Jr.
I think deep down people like to debate this issue, because of a feeling inside that they have the will to overcome, in their minds, this "invisible" plight still left from slavery. We all just want to blame a group of people for not getting what we want out of life. Suddenly welfare is the reason your depressed, because all your "hard-earned" cash is being wasted on what some consider lazy minorities. This philosophy is nothing new. "Their taking our jobs!."; "Their the ones bringing all the drugs into this country!."; "Look at the crime rates, minorities commit the most crimes!.". It's just another tactic to pawn your dis-satisfaction with your life on an easy target. Would if we could gain the capacity to think deeper, we might start asking the serious questions; "What job's are the ones being taken?.", Who's buying and using most of these drug's?.", "Why are minorities targeted by law enforcement at such a higher rate?.".
I'm sure if more people would be objective in this topic and actually tried to learn about our not so distant history, we would be better for it. Just my opinions, but that's what this forum is for I suppose!.
Ricky, that’s a good post. You made some well thought out points that I don’t agree with entirely but I can see you have given it some good thought.
All down through history people have done some terrible things to each other. It is so prevalent through out history that I’m afraid that being horrific is part of human nature. I saw a show on discovery that suggested that modern man may have used Neanderthal man as slaves. In Africa tribes from one nation raid the tribes from other nations and take their young men for slaves. American Indians did the same thing. Romans enslaved the Jews.
I think it is safe to say that humans have done some things that we wish we hadn’t. But fact is, we don’t practice slavery today and would go to war to prevent others from doing it. As bad as slavery is, I can’t spend the rest of my life feeling guilty for something neither I nor any of my ancestors participated in. I think we need to take slavery off this table as it is not an issue today. We don’t need to fix that problem any more.
I think to tell TME that she can’t compare the tragic events that happened to her ancestors to others is shallow and short sited. To say you can’t feel my pain the way I do is a lame argument. Her ancestors were probably feeling pretty picked on just before they died. They probably would have liked some government assistance.
You are right that we need to be careful when we use big words to encompass more than we intend. To say black people are lazy or Mexicans are responsible for the drug traffic is very wrong. But it is equally wrong to say that black people are at a disadvantage and require help. Equally wrong to say that white people should provide that help. If you go on any campus in this nation you will find many many black people who would be very insulted if you insinuated that they wouldn’t be there if not for government assistance or some other special consideration. The blacks I have met on university campuses are very hard working, dedicated young people who are very proud of their accomplishments in being where they are today.
I saw a study that said that 75% of the people involved in fatal car crashes had eaten carrots sometime during the previous week. Why aren’t we doing something about carrots?
It’s easy to read statistics the way that supports our beliefs. All Mexicans are not responsible for drug trafficking but the fact is most of the drugs in America are coming across the Mexican boarder and we would be foolish to ignore that fact. Why are so many arrests made on minority people? Well maybe it’s because so many crimes are committed by minority people. That’s not a big leap. Is this because the police are raciest? Are you suggesting we should make more of an effort to arrest white people? That is the solution Affirmative Action would suggest. I don’t see that as a solution.
That bottom line, Ricky, is that the world is a much better place than it was. The fact that you and I are having this discussion is testament to that. We are not perfect but there isn’t an “invisible” hatred holding anyone back. There are unenlightened individuals that are not up to speed yet. But to constantly shine the light on them is more detrimental to your cause than helpful. People are tired of poor me. Rodney King was a poor example of humanity. It sparked a huge civil right movement. But that was then, in today’s news people see all these black people in New Orleans saying why didn’t the gov give me more, sooner?
It’s time to move on Ricky.
I don't know what the future may hold, but I know who holds the future.
Ralph Abernathy
Holy crap, did you see how much I wrote. I wish my english teacher could see this. I think I spelled everything right too.