As a West Indian I shall start there. How we came about with our freedom was *totally* differant from Americans. The Brits first of all realized much earlier that what they were doing was crap and cut it out across the empire (Granted they ended up relying on the Chinese and India instead, but that's another story). Thus after releasing the african slaves they made efforts to bring them into society. Meanwhile Black Americans had a bloody war over economics and state rights fought over them. A war that many were not happy about and forever scared the American psyche. A scar which would perpetuate itself in the disenfranchisement of black individuals all the way up to modern times. Then to further exaserbate the problem what was the process of the black individual in america leaving slavery? The Jews had Moses and a burning bush. What'd the black American get? A memo. That's right, the Address wasn't much more than a memo. No 40 years of guidance to the creation of a culture or the establishment of the black individual as part of a people. He was let loose and stuffed away into the other side of the tracks. Such a thing leaves a scar in the minds of a people. They were back in the ships except they weren't crossing the ocean, they were just bidding time as they passed through the ocean of the years of life, from the cradle to the grave. When you're forced to always see oppurtunity, yet you're kept from actually being able to seize such you kind of get bitter and angry. Thus for about one hundred years White America (yes white America, because that's who was in charge) fostered a culture of poverty and lets face it, anger and mistrust... a culture that not only dwells in such, but on it and glorifies it as well. In today's open society, black americans can express that anger, just as well the klan guy can express his. that's the glory of this country. Yet as time goes on, and those wounds are able to breathe, and get some air and thus heal, many are able to see how stupid such anger is and are able to turn away from it. When a black calls a white individual cracker, is it right, no. Is it as bad as a white person called a black man nigger. No.
"That's not fair!" you say. Really? Well, let me see. I don't remember blacks using such terms to keep a white man "in his place". In fact, I don't think that there was a time when the black man was dominant in society to the point that he ever put whites "in their place". Besides terms such as Redneck, Honky, and Cracker were originally terms to describe scotch-Irish individuals who were from certain geographical regions. They were means that they used to describe themselves and blacks seized those names and terms to identify "the enemy", individuals who were normally the first to hurt them or put them "in their place".
Sorry about doing a post like this in your comments but I just had to make a few points clear. There's more to it that you'll never understand unless you were raised with such cultural concerns. Every culture in this society has had a unique experiance that carries through subliminaly throughout it's generations. Unfortuantely I can definately say we wont get our act together till Meshiach comes.
"That's not fair!" you say. Really? Well, let me see. I don't remember blacks using such terms to keep a white man "in his place". In fact, I don't think that there was a time when the black man was dominant in society to the point that he ever put whites "in their place". Besides terms such as Redneck, Honky, and Cracker were originally terms to describe scotch-Irish individuals who were from certain geographical regions. They were means that they used to describe themselves and blacks seized those names and terms to identify "the enemy", individuals who were normally the first to hurt them or put them "in their place".
Sorry about doing a post like this in your comments but I just had to make a few points clear. There's more to it that you'll never understand unless you were raised with such cultural concerns. Every culture in this society has had a unique experiance that carries through subliminaly throughout it's generations. Unfortuantely I can definately say we wont get our act together till Meshiach comes.
Reply
Leave a comment