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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 15,124
Legend
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Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 15,124 |
Quote:
No, I never said "I feel" I was actually stating something I have been told by older blacks who are against interracial relations.
King
And I call them out on it too, King. But first, I also let them know that I understand why they might feel that way.
As a "50-something American Citizen," I can see that in my own lifetime, I'm:
the first generation removed from universal racial stigma
1 generation removed from institutionalized segregation
2 generations removed from a time when lynchings weren't treated as crimes- much less homicides in many parts of the country
3 generations removed from a time when Blacks were considered 3/5 of a Human Being
4 generations removed from systemic, ethnically-based slavery.
If a person can- like author Alex Haley- trace his family's roots back to the moment of abduction from Africa, it's pretty easy to see why this might still be an 'issue' for him. Heck, If he's 80, and heard stories about his own grandparents being held in captive subjugation, that would be enough.
_________________________
So- I let them know up-front that I understand. BUT- I also tell them that the things that socially separate us as a species are much more superficial than the things that bind us, one to another.
That assertion got put to the test, years ago:
I'm sitting in the barber's chair, and this very subject came up. A guy who was probably 10 years older than I am now, went off about his granddaughter dating a "Whiteboy" at her Jr Hi dance. A huge discussion ensued, while I just listened. Finally, I was called out... because I was the only one who hadn't spoken up (...and possibly because I was, by my appearance, the "2-Ton Beige Elephant In The Room." hehehe)
I asked the Brother: "Is he a Christian?"
"What? I don't know- I suppose...."
"If he was a Christian and a good person, would that matter more or less to you than if he was Black?"
Dude couldn't give me an answer.... but it totally changed the tone of the conversation after that. When I left, some of his former cheerleaders were asking each other questions about which was more important. A dialogue had started... and that's all I could have asked for on that day.
KingO, My Man:
This stuff is still in our daily existence as Americans because:
1. it strikes at the heart of what it means to be Human.
2. it deals directly with our adherence to the teachings handed down to us by Christ.
3. it pits Human weakness against the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, which formed the framework for our nation's Constitution:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident..."
Until each and every one of us embraces this tenet of The Declaration, the work of true equality remains unfinished. And it's nowhere more important than in the way each individual American lives his daily life.
Are we a nation of true patriots? -or are we a nation of hypocrites?
The answer to that question lies within the hearts of each of us.
.02
* "Eleven o'clock Sunday morning is the most segregated hour... and Sunday School is still the most segregated school of the week."
-Martin Luther King Jr.
"too many notes, not enough music-"
#GMStong
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 15,124
Legend
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Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 15,124 |
Quote:
My parents have big problems with interrracial couples for some reason. I wouldn't consider them to be huge racists--but I think that they are close-minded when it comes to black-culture...they are much more disapproving of interracial relationships though....
They call themselves old-fashioned with regard to the mixed couples thing...
Have you ever asked them to explain WHY this is such an issue for them?
I mean- really talked to them, and pinned them down on specifics?
If you're not of the same thinking as they, and you haven't yet had that talk, it might be time to do so. You might get to know Your Parents a little better than you have up to this point. Knowlege be a good thang, Derd.
You're a bright young man. I trust you to process what you hear, and make up your own mind about who they are... and who you are, by comparison.
just sayin'....
"too many notes, not enough music-"
#GMStong
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