The White Guilt Thread

[One Step Ahead]

I'm sorry, wait a minute I didn't do anything.  Nope I take it back I don't care.

Well, I was going to accept your apology for thinking that you needed to apologize. However, you must burn in hell. I will not give you a free pass.  Tell me something that you did and I'll forgive you. I have that power. Ask HBCU for forgiveness. You can do it. you are white so you must have done something wrong.   

HBCU, I had a dirty thought about a black girl and an indian girl one time does that count?

yes. indeed it does. say you are sorry and I will forgive you on behalf of the AA community.

I'll only apologize if you can find the Africans who sold your ancestors in the first place and have them repent too.  And after you apologize for Oprah's Book Club, Bobby Brown and the UPN network.  I think it can be a very cathartic experience for us all.  

Let's stay on task. This is the "White Guilt Thread". We all know the history of slavery and that Africans sold their own people into slavery. But, Africans are not on LSD. African-Americans and white people are. Soooo....Apologize to HBCU for YOUR involvment for past sins. Sing amazing grace.  

Sorry, I never had any guilt, although if I did it would have been wiped out by the fact a black dude with a 3.0 and 155 can get into Harvard and I'd be iffy with a 3.8 and 165.  And Chingy, he sucks, apologize for him. 

strangely enough I know I guy with an LSAT score even lower than that who is heading to Harvard Law...he also happens to be white.  Imagine that.

[One Step Ahead]

In the early history of this country and in Ireland, yes the Catholics were oppressed, savagely so.  I'm not saying that Irish Catholics have not contributed to racial bigotry in this country, quite to the contrary.  I was just making a separate point.

Apparently no other group has ever suffered as much as African Americans so we should all just stop trying to pretend. 

suffered in this country as much as African Americans and Native Americans.  correct.

[Abevigoda]

In the early history of this country and in Ireland, yes the Catholics were oppressed, savagely so.  I'm not saying that Irish Catholics have not contributed to racial bigotry in this country, quite to the contrary.  I was just making a separate point.

Apparently no other group has ever suffered as much as African Americans so we should all just stop trying to pretend. 

I was not comparing the two so quit acting like I was or saying one group suffered more than the other, so quit acting like I did.

[elegantpearl01]

Where do we sign up for the 40 acres and a mule?

[Abevigoda]

Can't we all just get along?

[One Step Ahead]

once I get my reparations.  NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE.   

[One Step Ahead]

Sorry, I never had any guilt, although if I did it would have been wiped out by the fact a black dude with a 3.0 and 155 can get into Harvard and I'd be iffy with a 3.8 and 165.  And Chingy, he sucks, apologize for him. 

  Who is that Negro with the low LSAT?!

I think y'all need to apologize for Anna Nicole Smith while we're apologizing for Chingy.

And E, tru dat.

OK, I will, but I think she is more than annoying enough to affect us all equally. 

Ha. Chingy probably annoys me more than he does you, so we get a pass on that one?

Stop trying to pull Abe into your web of flame.  He's cool and is bringing up interesting points.

We can send Chingy and Anna both off someplace to live the rest of their days together.  I don't know what Abe's deal is.  I was trying to give him some help with his European-Catholics being persecuted thing and he seems to have gotten upset. 

He's upset because you implied that he was comparing the experiences of Irish Catholics to African-Americans, and he wasn't.  You also implied that because Black people acknowledge racism against ourselves, we are unable to acknowledge it in other people.  He pointed out that Irish Catholics were oppressed in America.  I, an African-American, definitely acknowledge that.  No one was comparing the two.

Um, no I didn't imply that.  I made a joke because your friend E seemed unable to process any other type of racial or cultural discrimination unless it was viewed in context of the African American experience.  She then reiterated this with her comment that no other group has been discriminated against like African and Native Americans.  

I never once said that Abe was making a comparison between anyone, because I don't think it serves any purpose to do so.  Individual experiences are going to vary, and it does little good to look at enormous sections of various outcasts throughout history and say this group had it worse or had it better than this other group.    

The only person making a comparison was your girl E.  

you seem to be unable to understand E's sarcasm, but then again you are a lurker so I guess I shouldn't expect much from you.
point 2--why is my name all up in your mouth? do you see me having a side convo with abe talking about how "his boy" Fuego was straight up trippin' ?

I would be more than happy to go through the discursive process of studying which group had it worst in this country, but in the end that accomplishes little.  Several groups have been marginalized in our history, some perpetually so that it makes some sense to distinguish them.  

[Abevigoda]

Well, I am going home and since I'm sans computer this will have to be it for me.

[elegantpearl01]

No one is trying to demean the experience of any other group. However, it's a historical fact that slavery in America was one of the most dehumanizing and demeaning chapters in human history. The Motherland was stripped of some of it's best and finest and the continent is STILL suffering the effects of slavery.  African Americans and Native Americans are still dealing with the effects of slavery, look at our economies, schools, crime, alcholism, drug rate. We are still subjected to racism. Any other minority group can come to this country and be treated better than Black Americans. Whether they be Asian, Hispanic, etc.

How many groups came to this country, were sold as chattel, raped, worked from sun up to sun down, whipped and treated as less than animals? Our families were torn apart and the black community TODAY still suffers from the division of the family that occurred during slavery.  

Native Americans were also forced to leave their home lands, treated as savage and ravaged by war and disease all in the name of Manifest Destiny.  The Asian population that came to the West Coast to work the railways was also treated badly, but they were not treated like slaves.

I did my Senior Seminar Paper in Law School on Reparations. It's interesting how America has seen fit to compensate other groups except for the descendents of slaves.  I think that Black Americans whose ancestors toiled this soil deserve a piece of the pie. So we have no reparations, affirmative action, minority scholarships, etc. I guess the general thinking is after 100s of years, we are supposed to be on a level playing field???  Give me a break.

[elegantpearl01]

Any other minority group can come to this country and be treated better than Black Americans. Whether they be Asian, Hispanic, etc.

How many groups came to this country, were sold as chattel, raped, worked from sun up to sun down, whipped and treated as less than animals? Our families were torn apart and the black community TODAY still suffers from the division of the family that occurred during slavery.  

I think you would get an argument from other minority groups that came and are coming to this country.  I think you'd especially get an argument from hispanics on that first point.

In general every group has had trials and tribulations to go through, and each group is going to think their own is just as important as the next.  The Asians who built the railroads, the Irish and Italian immigrants who turned America into an industrialized nation, and of course the blacks who fought in the Union army and in every war since I'm sure all feel they deserve something for their mistreatment. 

Difference is Africans were bought here against their will. Difference is no one sold those other groups like they were dogs. No one raped their women repeatedly. No group suffered from lynchings and Jim Crow.

You can choose to ignore the history, but read some of the accounts taken from slave narratives...quite chilling stuff.