Originally posted by Kokopellian:With that said. It's wild to me is that we Americans are so quick to judge and point fingers at other countries histories (The Holocaust), but we conveniently "forget" our own stink.
That's the thing ain't it. It's HISTORY. As in, 'in the past'. I think it is not only right, but our duty to do what we can to point out abuses that are happening NOW. Yes, we've had our transgressions, but that does not mean we should turn a blind eye when such things continue to happen elsewhere in the world.
Forget your history, forget your past, forget where you come from..... You won't know where you're going.
Focus on the future here and now, sure.... however, history is what defines us. We learn from our mistakes, transgressions, and accomplishments all the same. Our history is the main reason race relations are what they are today.
I know very well to remember history. I'm not saying we should discount it at all. I was referencing your post that you find it 'wild' that we judge other countries, but forget our own transgressions. I, for one, do not forget. Also, I do not judge other countries based on their HISTORY unless they allow heinous practices from the past to continue today. Killing of female children in India, slaughtering of people in Africa, beheading of innocents in the middle east. That stuff is happening TODAY. Just because we have our own checkered past would not be justification for ignoring the events I have cited. They must be addressed where-ever & when-ever they are encountered. Our nation, having been through similar, can be a guiding beacon for the rest of humanity. We've walked the path on some of these issues, why not show others the way?
We've learned our lessons well in this country - and in a relatively short period of time as nation building goes. We continue to learn, & I think that the Bill Cosby arguement that black American culture is holding back the black community has as much relavence as the suggestion that various forms of racism continue here. Yes, racial attitudes of the past may continue to influence thinking to some degree in todays world, but there is something to be said for personal ambition and wanting to take part in building the nation you seek. In fact, I would suggest the attitude of many black leaders serves to strengthen a sort of self imposed segregation as well as intensify racial animosity. Dr King had it right, I think. His great vision & message has since been perverted and/or distorted.
Celebrate your heritage, as I celebrate my own, and I will even celebrate with you, but let us BOTH be American FIRST and do what we can to make our nation great.
