I will say as someone whose family got here relatively recently, I do not understand Southern American attachment to Confederate figures and Confederate iconography. I understand pride in Southern heritage, and pride in your family; but using Confederate iconography to express that pride just seems ill-advised to me. We should remember history, we should learn from history, but that doesn't mean we should prop up our mistakes, either. That said, where I get defensive is in the insinuation that all Southerners who support such iconography support institutions like slavery, Jim Crow, are racist, etc. Some are definitely racist, there are some racists in pretty much every group in America. But that doesn't mean they all are, or even most of them are. The way I see it, is that it's a lot of bad communication and people talking past each other, and in this case Southerners should probably use better symbols to convey their pride than that of the Confederacy. People reasonably associate that with a lot of terrible things.
I appreciate your response and opinion. I will tell you that growing up Jewish was not as easy as you might think. When I joined the Navy during the Vietnam War I was the only Jew in my entire battalion at boot camp. I was standing in line to use the bathroom when a kid from Alabama kept looking at my ass. I asked him what was up and he looked at me with a straight face and said I am trying to find your tail. "Don't all Jews have tails" he asked. From that day on I didn't go around accusing everyone I met from Alabama of being an anti-Semite. I just knew there were a select few uneducated bigots out there and knew education would be the key to awareness. Believe me Jewish oppression has been around a lot longer than just one generation. Mans inhumanity to man has been with us since the beginning of time. I hope you do not feel I am trying to belittle your story in any way. I found it inspirational. It is more of a testament of how far our country has come not about how racist we still are. If you really feel reparations are due to this generation for the sins of the past than I suggest you seek it from the African Nations whose Black kings and war lords rounded up their own citizens and enriched themselves by selling them to the White slave traders. I submit to you that just blaming White people is not the answer. There is no right answer to the end of racism it is everywhere and shows itself in many ways. I really don't think you can deny there is a bit of reverse racism going on. I understand that the people that perpetuate it feel they are just correcting a previous wrong and trying to open up the eyes of a new generation. I suggest to you that it doesn't and never will. Racism is racism in any form. By the way my family never got one penny of reparations from the German government nor did we ask for any.
I said nothing about ignoring the historical treatment of some segments. We should be reminded of what was done so we dont repeat the same mistakes. But, at SOME point, the concepts of affirmative action and race based admissions have to end. Thus far, I have seen no plan or schedule to end such practices.
While I disagree with some of your point, I don’t think you’re wrong. I hope that makes sense. You’re posts are refresheningly honest and IMO much needed in this forum.
It is very hard to compare slavery with Nazi Germany mostly because one lasted a hundred years and many nations participated in it. The other was less than 10 years and was universally denounced by the entire world. Both were wrong and both Germany and America have acknowledged there previous sins. I only shared my family history with you so you would understand that racism can raise its ugly head in many ways. One is not better than the other. The world quickly addressed the sins of Germany after WW2. Black slavery was not as easy of an answer for the world because so many Nations participated and it is always easier to criticize someone else's sins rather than look at your own. I submit to you that education is the answer not violence, reparations, and name calling. They will only exacerbate the problem. By the way thank you for making this a civil conversation.
There is another difference that builds on the length of time it was allowed and/or encouraged: slavery and racism became a fundamental building block defining a culture. Southern US society has always had more of a hierarchical nature (dating back to who initially settled there, which were more likely to be minor aristocrats who benefited from a hierarchical system). Slavery allowed the implementation of such a hierarchical system, as they had access to slaves that more poor people did not, providing a nice barrier of entry to prevent people from rising to the top economically/socially. Then, when slavery was cut off, racism and Jim Crow became valuable for all white people (even those left out by the slavery system) because it assured that a white person would never be at the bottom of the social structure of the South, no matter how screwed up their life became. That is how you ended up with the weird result that some of the poor whites held down by the slavery system (because they couldn't afford slaves) became some of the primary advocates for the racism that developed from slavery (as they could benefit from never being on the bottom of the social scale). Trying to get rid of that social structure is something that creates a lot of resentment to those who benefit from such a system.
Because we're not near a point where they should end. This country has done very little to actually remedy the harm it has caused to Black people.
The system we have in place currently isn't exactly working for everyone either. It called growing and evolving. You can take pieces from all different systems and improve the current one in place. Equity isn't communism bro.
There is no way to try and meaningfully reduce the opportunity gaps without offering race-conscious policies.
I don't disagree entirely. Because the effects of racism here are generational, I still think minority students should benefit the most but I do also agree economic class should be a considering factor.
With all due respect. This country has come a very long way. I was around in the sixties, incredible civil unrest, extreme racism and the Martin Luther King days. This country has made huge strides since then. Is there a long way to go....yes. Progress takes time, lets not back track and discount our progress. Let us rather focus on moving forward.
I feel like a lot of these policies are written because certain folks do not think African Americans can overcome on their own. History has proven that they can do anything they put their minds to given the opportunity. I don’t feel like America has a lack of opportunity but a lack of achievement. You simply can’t grant achievement successfully. I think to end the racial divide you have to stop talking about it.
I don't think anyone thinks they are incapable -- I think people think the barriers many of them have to face are unfair and shouldn't exist. Those policies are meant to remove those barriers.
Finally I would tell you that there is still plenty of anti-Semitism still to this day in Germany. Do you really think that Active Legislation and reparations did away with it. They just sent the racists back where they belong....in the shadows.
True, but attempted systematic or policy improvements eventually results in steps back. Just because you have an intention to improve the system, doesn't mean the end result is better. Not exactly, but if the end-goal is perfect equity, and that is always the end-goal, communism will be the means to achieve that end somewhere down the road.
We still live in a very segregated society. The hard work is not done. The U.S. Is Increasingly Diverse, So Why Is Segregation Getting Worse? I really don't even know where to start with a post that is so fundamentally wrong. The solution is for white people to stop using the word and for those who do to suffer social and personal consequences for it. White people using the n-word more often and without consequences is a "solution" that only benefits white people.
Confederate iconography is reasonably associated with slavery and predated Jim Crow. Confederate iconography is not necessarily slavery iconography, however (depending on what exactly we're talking about). If we're just talking about the flag or military leaders for example, it's a whole lot broader than that.
No, Black people cannot overcome what this country has done and continues to do to them on their own. It has created an insurmountable opportunity gap. We have a duty to work to remedy the harm we did. If you think the solution is to just not talk about these things, we're not going to find middle ground here. You can, however, deny achievement and make achievement far more attainable.
