Parents in Utah school opt their children out of Black History Month

[OldWiseGuy]

Of course it's true that a lot of people have been prone to ignorant racist generalizations like that.

It's all part of the mix of knowledge.

 

[Direct Driver]

Of course it's true that a lot of people have been prone to ignorant racist generalizations like that.

Isn't that what "black history month" itself is? I take people as individuals, not as black, white, etc. The exception is sex. I definitely treat men and women differently, except in professional situations. And that is justifiable because they are very different in how their brains work. i.e. I'm not going to ask a woman, "As a kid, did you have a crush on Barbara Eden"? And my reasoning is completely because of her sex.

 

[durangodawood]

I don't and I don't think many whites do. Slavery was a historical fact. That it still affects the black community is sad.

What? You just said "sounds like an annual guilt trip for whites."

 

[BNR32FAN]

The problem may be deeper. As a "tail wagging the dog" thing, since it happened during "black history month", should this be taught as history in future "black history" months:

Are you trying to suggest that this was as significant as black slavery in American history? Black slavery impacted the entire country not one single trampoline park your assertion is ridiculous.

 

[Direct Driver]

It made me think I was better I guess.

This is an excellent demonstration of how children (and all humans, for that matter) don't all process information exactly the same. It's why some people love rap and others hate it. Though I'm white, I didn't even relate to either side. I saw it as people enslaving other people, and I saw it within the context of all of human history. i.e. just one example.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Isn't that what "black history month" itself is? I take people as individuals, not as black, white, etc. The exception is sex. I definitely treat men and women differently, except in professional situations. And that is justifiable because they are very different in how their brains work. i.e. I'm not going to ask a woman, "As a kid, did you have a crush on Barbara Eden"? And my reasoning is completely because of her sex.

I agree. I would never compliment a man on his looks.

 

[Direct Driver]

What? You just said "sounds like an annual guilt trip for whites."

Actually, for many that is exactly what it is. Some people not only have a hard time not taking on the problems of the world, but they often have a hard time not feeling somehow responsible.

As Jordan Peterson says, if you want to change the world, start by cleaning up your own room.

 

[Direct Driver]

I agree. I would never compliment a man on his looks.

So, let me ask...Ginger or Mary Ann?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

What? You just said "sounds like an annual guilt trip for whites."

I meant it is an attempt to lay a guilt trip on whites.

 

[durangodawood]

...Slavery was a historical fact. That it still affects the black community is sad.

The country did a lot for the 100 years after slavery to ensure that the status of black people would remain diminished. Combine that with everything about slavery itself, and is it any surprise that today ave black household wealth is 1/10 that of white households?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Are you trying to suggest that this was as significant as black slavery in American history? Black slavery impacted the entire country not one single trampoline park your assertion is ridiculous.

This kind of aggressive black juvenile behavior is common across the country.

 

[durangodawood]

I meant it is an attempt to lay a guilt trip on whites.

Sounds like a lot of mind reading going on here.

We can dispense with that and just talk about the merits of teaching the actual history.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

So, let me ask...Ginger or Mary Ann?

I had occasion to compliment a woman on her looks just yesterday. "Trisha" was her name.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

The country did a lot for the 100 years after slavery to ensure that the status of black people would remain diminished. Combine that with everything about slavery itself, and is it any surprise that today ave black household wealth is 1/10 that of white households?

I have said that my focus on black history is the period from the 1960's to the present. A 'seminal' period of time for them that many have taken advantage of, but many haven't.

 

[Direct Driver]

I meant those cultural differences that aren't apparent to most. Differences that affect long-term success.

Yes. If you come from a "backwards" culture, you are starting from behind. Not to put too fine a point on it, but virtually all of the black people I worked with in IT that were actually good at their job were raised outside the US. That is not about race. It's about culture.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Yes. If you come from a "backwards" culture, you are starting from behind. Not to put too fine a point on it, but virtually all of the black people I worked with in IT that were actually good at their job were raised outside the US. That is not about race. It's about culture.

Eggzackly.

 

[BNR32FAN]

Same here. But I just saw it as ancient history. I was a kid in 60's grade school. Anything that happened before I was born was something other people did. I didn't relate it to me at all.

Interestingly, going forward to my adulthood, when I moved to the Southeast from the Northwest, and having studied post Civil War history, I actually see that in small ways the south is STILL recovering from the civil war, regarding infrastructure.

But those that feel guilt, or oppression based on the treatment of races in the past is living in the past. If you would like to be successful, the formula is quite simple:

1. Learn from the past.
2. Live in the present.
3. Plan for the future.

Living IN the past is a recipe for disaster.

Ive lived in Texas all my life and racism here is dead. Yeah it’s not 100% gone but what race can say that 100% of their race are not racists. There will always be a small percentage of stupid people in any group. I would say that out of all the people I know probably around 1-2% are racist but I’ve lived mostly near metropolitan areas so that could also be a factor.

 

[durangodawood]

Eggzackly.

OK... next question is: what about USA culture is causing this huge disparity?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Sounds like a lot of mind reading going on here.

We can dispense with that and just talk about the merits of teaching the actual history.

Most above the age of 15 or so are pretty familiar with the history of black slavery, so the annual rehearsing of it is for the younger folks.

 

[Direct Driver]

Are you trying to suggest that this was as significant as black slavery in American history?

Nope. Incorrect inference. I'm saying all events are a part of "history". History is actually a string of individual events. In fact, how you view history is dependent on how much importance you put on those individual events.

A simple example: A person that loaths slavery in US history more than any other act in the entire history of mankind focuses on those unbelievably vicious slave owners that quite literally treated their animals better than the slaves. Meanwhile, those that make the argument that it is actually a long lasting part of human history may try to make the argument that the lives of many slaves in some homes in the north (and south) before the civil war were actually better than the lives of many blacks in many neighborhoods in urban areas in the US today.

Fact is, both are correct. That is why history is so squishy.