[MMM]

Originally Posted by mercedesjin

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?

If blacks are "disabled" by slavery (your words) then why are there as many whites as there are on welfare? If whites don't have the slavery excuse, then what is their excuse?

Originally Posted by mercedesjin

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.

That's the second time you said that. I think it might be better to source that very powerful accusation.

Originally Posted by mercedesjin

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.

So certain words are allowed to change meaning, and certain words are not?
Who gets to decide what words are allowed to transform generation to generation, and what words must be chained their own history?

Originally Posted by mercedesjin

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?

Many people say "I'm sorry but I think that is wrong". That is disingenuous and a poor use of English. That's why I said "I won't apologize." I am not sorry. That's just a semantic point. You are race baiting again...searching for something that isn't there. I am not sorry because I do not feel guilty.

Originally Posted by mercedesjin

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."

I am sorry you wasted your time addressing an assumption about me that is false.

Originally Posted by mercedesjin

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.

Ah yes, the shouting. It's been doing so much good lately to fuel good communication about health care reform.

Originally Posted by mercedesjin

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."

A page and a half into that article the writer had lost all credibility with me.

I think it is worth repeating, it is a laundry list of excuses for blacks to keep themselves exactly where they are.

Where is the laundry list of plans to get out of that mess? Those are the articles we should be sharing. Japanese-Americans were imprisoned just for being Japanese...almost all of them...and yet that is a group that hasn't wallowed in their own tears. And many of the Japanese who were imprisoned in internment camps in WWII are still alive today. THEY can talk about the painful memories of being locked up and without freedom, of losing their homes and businesses (George Takei is one famous example). But for blacks today to wrap themselves in the "painful memories" of slavery is nothing more than self-pity.

You constantly brush-aside Belyvis's notion of taking control of your own fate, but that's exactly what the Japanese-Americans did. That's exactly what millions of blacks have done in this country, including our president.

So if you don't take control of your own fate, you leave it in the hands of others.

You can shout all you want, but action and self-direction have gotten people, individuals and groups, a heck of a lot further.