Why does it have to be this way? When are we going to decide to remember the past and learn from it and then let it go? I hate racism. Nothing good comes from it. It helps no one and everyone who chooses to be racist is ruining themselves. I saw portions of it on my mission in South Africa and it was never good. I remember one time when one of my mission companions, who is black, called me racist in jest, but it still bugged me a little. He and I grew to get along well and became good friends. Sometimes we still talk. I loved and still love the people of South Africa. They taught me so much, and we did not sit there and talk about race all the time. We talked about what we enjoyed and loved as individual humans. The people that became my friends in South Africa did not care what color my skin was and I did not care what color their skin was.
Like I mentioned in class it still feels like racism exist because people would rather dwell on the past and use it to there advantage in any argument they make. I can not be blamed for what my parents or grand parents did and so it is the same for what our ancestors may have done. I'm not them. My parents and grandparents are in no way racist. I am my own individual and I am making my own choices. If someone wants to get mad at me, make sure I caused the problem and not some body else. I hope to the best of my ability that I haven't offended anyone with this post.
I know I'm not perfect and I judge wrongly sometimes. It's part of being human, but I do my best to become better. I try to overcome being judgmental and learn so that I can better myself and those around me. I don't feel like I have grown up in a racist society but I know that racism exist in our society. My only hope is that the next generation learns from our mistakes and remembers them but does not dwell on them.
I agree with you. Sometimes I think we dwell on the past too much. But, I also think that part of healing isn't necessarily forgetting or even ignoring the past. I think part of the problem is that we still get so sensitive when we are talking about race issues. We go into self defense mode when talking about it, because we feel like the other person is attacking us. Instead of approaching discussions about race in that defensive mode I think we need to learn how to approach them from the stand point that the person who is speaking really feels this way. It's easy to say but hard to do. But, I don't think that we can really get past the race issue until we can get to that point.
ReplyDeleteMy family lineage goes back to the deep south in Mississippi. My father is the first person in his family to not be racist and my ancestors were notorious slave holders and even legendary generals in the confederate army. It can be embarrassing knowing that my family comes from a place where the truly believed they were a superior race. However, it has given me a chance to realize how blessed I am to be a witness of how the times are changing and soon people will learn and grow away from what their ancestors thought. We are on the right track at least. I do, however, fear for President Obama's life often. I am worried that our nation wasn't ready for a black president and that many will try to remedy the situation. I hope people continue to learn just as my family did throughout time. We can only hope!
ReplyDeleteI think that we are just afraid to realize that we are different from one another. There is no way that we can be the same with our different cultures. I agree with you, we need to still recognize the past, but focus more on the future and not dwell on the bad things that have happened in history.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said in this post. It's frustrating when I'm blamed for something that I didn't personally do. If I am to blame then by all means get mad at me. But when frustrations are taken out on those who are not at fault then a no-win situation is created. Both parties are mad, which creates further tension and confusion.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this post as well. It's frustrating that we are responsible for the actions of our anscestors. It almost makes me not want to surround myself with black people (that sounds horrible) but I'm just afraid they will take that postion and hate me before I even open my mouth. In that respect I think I need to be a little more open and give people the benefit of the doubt as I would hope they do with me.
ReplyDelete