Come on, he was trying to make a clever rhyme and couldn't come up with anything else that rhymed with "white" and sounded good. Don't read too much into it.
It was a carefully worded speech in front of millions of people.Come on, he was trying to make a clever rhyme and couldn't come up with anything else that rhymed with "white" and sounded good. Don't read too much into it.
It was a carefully worded speech in front of millions of people.
yea, i mean, i hope it was...millions upon millions of people watched it...
I think we are all acting a bit (just a bit ) superficial towards this matter.
I prefer to call a spade a spade.
Which time?
This time?
Jim Crow laws - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I'm sure you're not suggesting that there aren't any blacks older then 43 around.
I had heard much of the misery and wretchedness of the Irish people, previous to leaving the United States, and was prepared to witness much on my arrival in Ireland. But I must confess, my experience has convinced me that the half has not been told. I supposed that much that I heard from the American press on this subject was mere exaggeration, resorted to for the base purpose of impeaching the characters of British philanthropists, and throwing a mantle over the dark and infernal character of American slavery and slaveholders. My opinion has undergone no change in regard to the latter part of my supposition, for I believe a large class of writers in America, as well as in this land, are influenced by no higher motive than that of covering up our national sins, to please popular taste, and satisfy popular prejudice; and thus many have harped upon the wrongs of Irishmen, while in truth they care no more about Irishmen, or the wrongs of Irishmen, than they care about the whipped, gagged, and thumb-screwed slave. They would as willingly sell on the auction-block an Irishman, if it were popular to do so, as an African. For heart, such men have adamant—for consciences, they have public opinion. They are a stench in the nostrils of upright men, and a curse to the country in which they live. The limits of a single letter are insufficient to allow any thing like a faithful description of those painful exhibitions of human misery, which meet the eye of a stranger almost at every step. I spent nearly six weeks in Dublin, and the scenes I there witnessed were such as to make me "blush, and hang my head to think myself a man." I speak truly when I say, I dreaded to go out of the house.
In front of the door-way, and within a step of it, is a hole three or four feet deep, and ten or twelve feet in circumference; into this hole all the filth and dirt of the hut are put, for careful preservation. This is frequently covered with a green scum, which at times stands in bubbles, as decomposition goes on. Here you have an Irish hut or cabin, such as millions of the people of Ireland live in. And some live in worse than these. Men and women, married and single, old and young, lie down together, in much the same degradation as the American slaves. I see much here to remind me of my former condition, and I confess I should be ashamed to lift up my voice against American slavery, but that I know the cause of humanity is one the world over. He who really and truly feels for the American slave, cannot steel his heart to the woes of others; and he who thinks himself an abolitionist, yet cannot enter into the wrongs of others, has yet to find a true foundation for his anti-slavery faith.
I am sick and tired of ignorant, racist people claiming that simply because I am white, my ancestors were party to the subjugation of blacks. My ancestors weren't even in this country.
They were in the same state as the black slave in America. Don't take my word for it, though. Let Frederick Douglas say it:
So being serious, when I hear things about "whites" in general being responsible for the plight of the blacks I get pissed.
Anyone who thinks that my being white means I have some sort of ancestral obligation to make up for this countries subjugation of blacks can either go read some Frederick Douglas or go **** themselves.
:mrgreen:
Thanks Tucker.
One step beyond though, even if your ancestry was "Responsible" for any of the **** that went on here. You are not accountable. **** is anyone supposed to move on if innocent people are blamed, ridiculed, guilt tripped, etc.
Why does the time frame only matter when it comes to "African American" suffering?
That's the point I was trying to make initially, I can see how at the time I posted I wasnt able to clearly present it.
Everyone else is expected to get over tough issues yet we are expected to act apologetic to black americans why?
I know for a fact that you and I have not experienced any of the bad times in American history.
I also would not hold a grudge against anyone because of what happened before I was even born. I expect that others should do the same, unless we need to dwell on irrelevance.
To be fair here I think Indians (feather, not dot) have had it worse than blacks.
"Native Americans"
An old guy back home used to call them "Prairie Niggers"
For the same Reason Jews don't care about **** the Spaniards did to them 500 years ago but will bring up the Holocaust which happened 60 years ago. For the same reason Armenians don't really care about the transgressions against them in the 1500s but will bring up the Armenian genocide like clockwork. For the same reason Americans don't really care about the attack that sparked the Spanish American war but will bring up the USS Cole and 9/11. Nobody really cares about **** they weren't around to see and isn't fresh in the memory of most people. My grandparent and to a lesser extent my parents were around for segregation and I'm old enough to remember people in my family talking about how all levels of government stood by as black people in the U.S. were killing each other in the 80s and to a further extent the 90s. Wanna try this question again?
You have yet to present anything coherent or worthy of debate. All you've done is play ignorant.
Everyone else like WHO? The Holocaust survivors who bring it out like clockwork every year and our government and citizens happily take part in it even if most couldn't spell the name of an concentration camp? The Japanese who got reparations? Who are you telling to get over it? America has a very selective memory for who its told to get over it and how.
Really? Proof? Wait. You don't even know me. Read above.
I find it funny how all those who have no dog in this fight argue the 'get over it' like they actually understand what it's like to live in a country for a selective memory for whom it tells to 'get over it'. Like America has made some exception for blacks. Like it never paid reparations to any group or like it doesn't expect us all to feel bad about the hardships of other groups.
It appears we have come full circle to my last post in this thread.
The point I was making is the fact that blacks were obscenly oppressed in this country by a bunch of old white people. That cannot be changed. And I totally understand why some can't "just make it go away" and move on. It's very easy for me to say it because I'm white. But until I walked a mile in a black man's shoes, I truly cannot understand.
However, I think an humble acknowlegement with an accompanying heartfelt apology is the best we're ever gonna do. It's like I said. "You can't put toothpaste back into the tube."
OR..... folks can just stay pissed off about it forever and continue to follow the "blame whitey" game plan and see how much ground they can cover that way. That approach certainly won't be inspiring me to feel any love.
It just makes sense to me to do whatever we gotta do to make the people closer in the heart.
I heard his speech. I thought it was racist as hell. Scuze my language.
I don't see how they could stop being pissed off.
If it was me, I'd never. The fact that they can smile in our faces and be nice to us, take care of our children, tolerate us in any way, shape, or form makes them bigger people than I'll ever be.
I remember when I first found out "everything".
I'd always known about racism on some level; for as long as I'd been alive, I'd been hearing stories about slavery, Jim Crow, the civil rights movement, Selma, etc. But.
I first really put it all together, asked the right questions, got the real, unvarnished answers, understood everything... when I was eleven or twelve. And oh my god, I was so angry.
I would think about it at weird random times, sitting in school, riding in the car, and I would just start shaking and gritting my teeth. I wanted to kill someone, to destroy things.
I was so ashamed to be white.
I felt like nothing I ever did could vindicate me.
Hmm. And you're not ashamed to be human? Have you looked into things that we--humans--have done throughout history? Does it make you want to kill someone or destroy things?