After reading some things on this site (current events posts, arguments on the boards, in groups, etc), i have to say that sometimes i really hate the fact that i'm black.
What i'm finding in general is that people here (and in life in general) really don't understand when i have a problem with some kind of benignly racist attitude, or when they jokngly say that i'm "the whitest black guy they know) just because i speak well, or assume, when i'm walking down the street that i'm going to jump them based solely on the fact that my skin is dark. Ok, so, a lot of that has nothing to do with the people on this site, but you get the idea.
One thing that i'm finding is that no matter how politically progressive the contributing members of this site claim to be, when it comes to issues of race, people just don't understand how being black in this country affects things in my life. And i don't just mean "being a minority" because there are plenty of minorities in this country that have no problem getting jobs (for example) because of the color of their skin. For instance an asian person will be more likely to get a job doing computer graphics because people automatically assume that "Asian people are smart," while "black people are ignorant and lazy." While members of this site know that these assumptions are totally baseless, i'm noticing that these assumptions still seem to play a part in their general thinking. In fact, i'm noticing for the most part that "black" attributes are generally looked down upon, whether physical, mental, psychological, you name it. And all of these things that are attributed to being black are completely assumption-based, with some exception given to the physical because of genetics.
There's been a lot of talk lately about having the government apologize for its role in the slavery of africans. I personally, think this would be a great idea. But i can't help but notice how many people on this site object to such an idea, and do so vehemently, claiming that it's only a "token gesture" and that "it wouldn't change anything." But even a token gesture counts for quite a bit. If someone steps on your toe and doesn't say "oh, sorry" what would you think of them? You'd probably say "asshole!" or say/think any number of colorful things about them. On the other hand, if they did apologize, you might not know them from Adam, but you'd view them far more positively. How is it not the same for the government? They apologized for the Japanese internment camps during WWII, so then why would they not apologize for 400-plus years of slavery of black people? If the american government can apologize and take responsibility for such a relatively small thing like the interment camps (and i'm speaking terms of time, not scale of psychological damage, though that could be argued as well, if you take a look at the differences between black american and asian american culture) then why should they not do the same for the slavery of africans?
There's an argument that such a thing would be a slippery slope into the government paying some kind of reparations for its role in slavery. Why is this a problem? The Japanese internees were paid reparations. We should be as well. But of course there's the question of the logistics and practicality of such a thing. How about some real government money being allocated to improving schools and law enforcement in poor black areas? After all, no matter what our income is, we all pay taxes; that would be the least they could do.
There's another argument that it wouldn't make a difference. Um HELL YEAH it would. Especially in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, black people across this country feel pretty hated and ignored by the government. Even if it was just a token gesture, it would be a very big first step in equalizing the wrong that has and continues to take place in this country toward its colored citizenry. At the very least it would open up dialogue between those of us who feel ignored, and so many others who don't see why it's necessary because it's "all in the past." Sorry, it may be history but it's not anywhere close to ancient and the racism that inspired it is still alive and well today, no matter if you personally happen to like black people or "judge people based on their actions." Bully for you and the black people you're friends with, but there's an entire nation out there that is wondering why they're not being heard, and as as result have become bitter and apathetic because they feel that nobody's listening so they might as well not bother.
Anyway, i'm ranting. If you want to now how this rant came about, look here and see how the discussion unfolded.
What i'm finding in general is that people here (and in life in general) really don't understand when i have a problem with some kind of benignly racist attitude, or when they jokngly say that i'm "the whitest black guy they know) just because i speak well, or assume, when i'm walking down the street that i'm going to jump them based solely on the fact that my skin is dark. Ok, so, a lot of that has nothing to do with the people on this site, but you get the idea.
One thing that i'm finding is that no matter how politically progressive the contributing members of this site claim to be, when it comes to issues of race, people just don't understand how being black in this country affects things in my life. And i don't just mean "being a minority" because there are plenty of minorities in this country that have no problem getting jobs (for example) because of the color of their skin. For instance an asian person will be more likely to get a job doing computer graphics because people automatically assume that "Asian people are smart," while "black people are ignorant and lazy." While members of this site know that these assumptions are totally baseless, i'm noticing that these assumptions still seem to play a part in their general thinking. In fact, i'm noticing for the most part that "black" attributes are generally looked down upon, whether physical, mental, psychological, you name it. And all of these things that are attributed to being black are completely assumption-based, with some exception given to the physical because of genetics.
There's been a lot of talk lately about having the government apologize for its role in the slavery of africans. I personally, think this would be a great idea. But i can't help but notice how many people on this site object to such an idea, and do so vehemently, claiming that it's only a "token gesture" and that "it wouldn't change anything." But even a token gesture counts for quite a bit. If someone steps on your toe and doesn't say "oh, sorry" what would you think of them? You'd probably say "asshole!" or say/think any number of colorful things about them. On the other hand, if they did apologize, you might not know them from Adam, but you'd view them far more positively. How is it not the same for the government? They apologized for the Japanese internment camps during WWII, so then why would they not apologize for 400-plus years of slavery of black people? If the american government can apologize and take responsibility for such a relatively small thing like the interment camps (and i'm speaking terms of time, not scale of psychological damage, though that could be argued as well, if you take a look at the differences between black american and asian american culture) then why should they not do the same for the slavery of africans?
There's an argument that such a thing would be a slippery slope into the government paying some kind of reparations for its role in slavery. Why is this a problem? The Japanese internees were paid reparations. We should be as well. But of course there's the question of the logistics and practicality of such a thing. How about some real government money being allocated to improving schools and law enforcement in poor black areas? After all, no matter what our income is, we all pay taxes; that would be the least they could do.
There's another argument that it wouldn't make a difference. Um HELL YEAH it would. Especially in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, black people across this country feel pretty hated and ignored by the government. Even if it was just a token gesture, it would be a very big first step in equalizing the wrong that has and continues to take place in this country toward its colored citizenry. At the very least it would open up dialogue between those of us who feel ignored, and so many others who don't see why it's necessary because it's "all in the past." Sorry, it may be history but it's not anywhere close to ancient and the racism that inspired it is still alive and well today, no matter if you personally happen to like black people or "judge people based on their actions." Bully for you and the black people you're friends with, but there's an entire nation out there that is wondering why they're not being heard, and as as result have become bitter and apathetic because they feel that nobody's listening so they might as well not bother.
Anyway, i'm ranting. If you want to now how this rant came about, look here and see how the discussion unfolded.
VIEW 9 of 9 COMMENTS
nice rant Marcus.