I understand the frustration of some of you, but you're going to have to deal with reality. We are all products of our history. And history means more than "during your lifetime."
For generations, every position of power in every institution in America was filled by WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, for those of you who don't know). Every single board room, school administration, city, county, state, and federal government position, ANYTHING which wielded any power at all, was an exclusive "Whites Only" club, celebrating "White Power". It has taken protests, martyrdom, legislation backed up by the National Guard, enormous social disruption, and much conscience-examination to change that over the last 50 years or so.
You (and I) and all other Whites enjoy much wealth and social position directly as a result of the oppression inflicted on others by your predecessors. The various ethnic and other minority groups you protest about have been told they were sub-human, powerless, and unwelcome for centuries. What harm is it to you if they want to join together and boost each others' self-esteem? The world is still a rather hostile place for them - still dominated by Whites, still starting out with two strikes against them. Things are much improved, but still a long way from parity.
And, like it or not, "White Pride" still smacks of the KKK. It is a slap in the face to everyone whose ancestors were abused and exploited by your ancestors. It's going to be another couple of generations before the poisons of the past have worked their way out of our society. Until then, you're just going to have to deal with it. Giving formerly oppressed minorities a small head-start is the least we owe them for what has happened in the past. I don't know when the playing field will be completely leveled - maybe never - but I sure know it's nowhere close yet.
Who said we have to use slogans like White Pride or White Power? What's wrong with European Culture [week] or something like that? The point we're making is, it would be a positive thing, not a competitive or slanderous thing. We can celebrate the colorful music and culture of Zaire, but not Austria? We can celebrate the accomplishments of Jesse Owens but not Eric Heiden? Desmond Tutu but not John Paul?
I think the real problem here is that we shouldn't just assign a month or a year for celebrating the accomplishments of those with African or Asian or Hispanic ancestry...we should do it all the time, on a one-off basis. MLK day is better than Black History Month, IOW. All of the great men and women and great cultural heritages we share should all be mixed together throughout the course of the year. There is no need to (nor a real benefit from) designating one 30 day period as the time when we should recognize a particular group. That just denegrates the whole point. It becomes a political statement more than a genuine reflection and celebration.
So no, we probably don't want a "white history month", but we don't need a "black history month" either. We need to break down all the people and things we're commemorating and simply give them their own day or week during the year. Oktoberfest, Zaire-fest, MLK day, Ghandi Day, George Carlin Day...you get the idea.
Comments
For generations, every position of power in every institution in America was filled by WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, for those of you who don't know). Every single board room, school administration, city, county, state, and federal government position, ANYTHING which wielded any power at all, was an exclusive "Whites Only" club, celebrating "White Power". It has taken protests, martyrdom, legislation backed up by the National Guard, enormous social disruption, and much conscience-examination to change that over the last 50 years or so.
You (and I) and all other Whites enjoy much wealth and social position directly as a result of the oppression inflicted on others by your predecessors. The various ethnic and other minority groups you protest about have been told they were sub-human, powerless, and unwelcome for centuries. What harm is it to you if they want to join together and boost each others' self-esteem? The world is still a rather hostile place for them - still dominated by Whites, still starting out with two strikes against them. Things are much improved, but still a long way from parity.
And, like it or not, "White Pride" still smacks of the KKK. It is a slap in the face to everyone whose ancestors were abused and exploited by your ancestors. It's going to be another couple of generations before the poisons of the past have worked their way out of our society. Until then, you're just going to have to deal with it. Giving formerly oppressed minorities a small head-start is the least we owe them for what has happened in the past. I don't know when the playing field will be completely leveled - maybe never - but I sure know it's nowhere close yet.
I think the real problem here is that we shouldn't just assign a month or a year for celebrating the accomplishments of those with African or Asian or Hispanic ancestry...we should do it all the time, on a one-off basis. MLK day is better than Black History Month, IOW. All of the great men and women and great cultural heritages we share should all be mixed together throughout the course of the year. There is no need to (nor a real benefit from) designating one 30 day period as the time when we should recognize a particular group. That just denegrates the whole point. It becomes a political statement more than a genuine reflection and celebration.
So no, we probably don't want a "white history month", but we don't need a "black history month" either. We need to break down all the people and things we're commemorating and simply give them their own day or week during the year. Oktoberfest, Zaire-fest, MLK day, Ghandi Day, George Carlin Day...you get the idea.
[ 03-18-2002: Message edited by: Moogs ? ]</p>