Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM
Did you even see the question I asked (now two times)?
Did I say whites had it worse?
So giving people a helping hand is "keeping them down"? So by that logic welfare should be eliminated so they can be empowered. Is this what you are proposing?
If this is true, then in this generation Caucasian is no longer a dirty word.
I think you are trying to have it both ways here. We can't say some words change and some words don't. Regardless of the roots of "negro" you are saying it is now an offensive word. So by the same logic, regardless of the roots of "Caucasian" I am saying it is not an offensive word. Most of the world would agree with me.
I am not going to apologize when I say articles like this "woe is us" drivel do nothing to help race relations or empower blacks in America. If anything an article like this disempower blacks because it is a laundry list of excuses for why blacks shouldn't be successful.
The hypocracy, discrimination, prejudice, segregation, hatred and animosity among the races is the same in society today as it was during the time of slavery.
Seriously? Can anyone actually say this and keep a straight face?
The pain and the memories are still very real to many African Americans.
Of slavery? How does that work?
the majority of blacks in America live in extreme poverty
I am not sure where her statistics come from. This seems a little more accurate:
Sharp Reduction in Black Child Poverty Due to Welfare Reform
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No, I suppose I didn't see your question. Can you ask it again a third time?
I thought that you were implying that, because there were more whites on welfare, that yes - whites had it worst, and therefore the "situation" for blacks isn't "as bad." If that isn't what you were implying, then I'm so sorry. But then, what do you mean by saying that there are more whites on welfare? What's the point that I'm not quite understanding?
Unfortunately - as I said before - I don't know enough about welfare to give an educated opinion on whether it should be eliminated entirely. I've simply heard the interesting theories on how welfare was created as a system to keep non-whites down.
I want to present a hypothetical situation: say there's a child who has been raised in a society where it's fine to be racist. This child has been taught that all other races (besides his/her own) is inferior. This child has been brought up to believe that ethnic slurs are entirely fine. For this child, and for this child's generation, yes - it's completely fine to use the word "caucasian" as well as "negroid" and "mongloid."
This child may not have known any better, but that doesn't mean that it's any less racist. That's the society we are in now. "Caucasian" brings the idea that white people are superior. If absolutely no one knew that fact, then maybe it would be an acceptable term. If history had somehow been buried, then maybe "nigger" and "Jap" and "crackers" would be used freely as well.
History hasn't been buried, however; and it's my opinion that we need to hold on to history, to ensure that crimes against humanity won't happen again.
No one is asking you to apologize. Where I come from, it's completely useless for someone to apologize. And I want you to take what I'm about to say seriously. I'm not being sarcastic. I'm not trying to get underneath your skin.
I did not ask you to apologize, and yet you assumed that's what you ought to do. You assumed that you ought to feel guilty for this. Does that mean that you actually do feel guilty?
If you do, I really suggest you eliminate that immediately. No one is asking for guilt. What the hell is guilt and the blame game going to do for us here, in 2009? Absolutely nothing. Instead, why can't we just work together to heal and eliminate racism? Sure, that sounds hippieish, but it's what this society needs right now. Some don't agree - some who can afford to blend into society without having to be constantly reminded of the color of their skin, and the negative stereotypes that come along with it. Those are usually the ones who like to say, "There is no problem."
But how can there be no problem when there's an entire group in society who says that racism still exists today, and that they're suffering from it? It's easy to call them paranoid. It's easy to say they're "pulling the race card." It's easy to ignore them. For me, that means that the group of people need to shout even louder.
MMM, you gave your honest opinion on the article. Thank you for that. But you declined to note the state of the schools, the neighborhoods, the children. You declined to note the psychological impact of black people today, to the point where children do not think they're beautiful because of the color of their skin. You declined to speak of the "one drop" rule, and the many stereotypes that men and women and children feel they ought to fulfill in order to be considered "black."
I know that it wasn't in the article. But it's out there - on TV, in the newspapers, in books - in life.
/ramble