Black History Month

[AndThen?]

I remember my epic post in the last thread. I can't be assed to make it again, but it went along the same lines as this:

Yay, black history month. I support it like I support gay pride week and women's history month. Every month is white history month, history taught in school is basically all European history... we already know all that stuff. So don't be ridiculous "I want a white history month", that's like having a "straight pride" parade. Black history is barely in academia, and was even less so when Black History Month was established in 1926.

That video with Morgan Freeman is interesting. The interviewer is Jewish... and I've certainly been taught Jewish history. The Holocaust, the formation and conflict of Israel, y' know, all that familiar stuff. I do agree with Freeman in that black history ideally shouldn't be relegated to a month... it should be mainstream. This is the eventual goal... but I see no harm in taking a month to recognise and appreciate African/African-American accomplishments in history.

Then again, we don't have a celebrated "Black History Month" in Australia. Or if we do, no one ever hears of it. So it obviously doesn't adversely affect anyone, why are people complaining?

Guys, it's the year of astronomy this year. Yes, that's right, a whole year dedicated to astronomy. Can you believe it?! It's an outrage, I want a year of microbiology. The point I'm making is that it doesn't really matter.

 

[Brawny]

Because the majority of ignorant people in the world are white and need to be set straight.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah1pV0eK08E[/ame]

 

[Napalmbrain]

Guys, it's the year of astronomy this year. Yes, that's right, a whole year dedicated to astronomy.

Now that, on the other hand, is something I can completely support.

 

[AndThen?]

I wasn't going to post because people won't like my opinion on this, but I will anyway. Liven things up, y/n?

I don't have any problem with it. Well... maybe an entire month is kind of overkill, but I can see why someone would want to celebrate something like that. As a repressed minority, I think it's okay for people to say "I'm black and I'm proud!" The reason this is different to people saying "I'm white and I'm proud!" is because basically, white people have been pwning the sh*t out of everyone for ages.

It's like homosexuality (here he goes, amirite?). Gay people have Gay Pride week. Straight people don't have straight pride week (but tbh, I think every week is straight pride week) because they're not the repressed minority. You'll hear people say "I'm gay and I'm proud!" to prove to people that yes, they are part of a minority which is discriminated against, but they don't care: they're proud of their homosexuality. Just like black people face discrimination in a white man's world, they might say "I'm black and I'm proud", to prove that they don't care if they're a "******".

I actually had no idea it was black history month (the black population of Australia is tiny), and it hasn't come up in school at all. I imagine that it'll be a chance for black people to be proud of their history (MLK, etc.) and how far they've come since slavery etc. Also a chance for white people to see the trials and tribulations that black people have faced, because too often someone forgets how hard it has been.

In this sense, I'd be happy for there to be a "Womens' Rights Month", a "Aboriginal History" month P I'd like that) and a "Gay Rights" month, so we can remember the darkest parts of our history plagued with sexism, racism, homophobia, and appreciate how far we've come, and how important it is to keep going.

An argument against my own is that pointing out differences in race, sexuality and gender isn't going to help beat the prejudice and discrimination. Well I think it will. I think that through acknowledging our differences (yes, they are differences, just like eye colour and height are differences), and appreciating that it's okay to be/look/feel a certain way, so we can grow to respect our differences yet take pride in being united.

The title for this thread is completely misleading. Black history month isn't about promoting black supremacy at all, it's about promoting awareness and appreciation.

Happy black history month.

 

[Gikoku Harakami]

Whether someone wants to participate in it or not, will still leave problems in equality.

If you're not going to give everyone they're own day/month, then why bother giving anyone a day/month at all if you're aiming for equality? Why not just have everyday be everyone's day.. universal history from every culture & race, and not just one month that's dedicated to one race of people.. Otherwise you'll get protests, and people making their own parades because they don't get a day or a month to honor their race/culture's history.

Other minorities speaking up with "What about us? .. We were treated just as badly as them, had important speakers and inventors... and we don't get our own period of appreciation?"

I myself personally, am not that bothered by it.. But I do see it as one more thing that makes us less equal. Raise the awareness of everyone's history to an equal level, a special day or month for one certain group of people, is not really necessary.

 

[Brawny]

^ Yeah, because I really care who invented the potato chip...

 

[Sixty]

I don't know of anyone who objects to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

 

[Gikoku Harakami]

I don't know of anyone who objects to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

There's people out there who object to it to an extent.. King, I'm sure, was not the only activist against racism and and a speaker for equality.. maybe the most successful one, but not the only one.

Bruce Lee didn't get his own day... did Ghandi get his own day globally? What about Harriet Tubman? I personally am not bothered by King having his own day, but these are things people will bring up, sometimes regardless of who the person is.

 

[Brawny]

I don't know of anyone who objects to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Exactly. An entire black history month means we should have a Micheal Jackson Day and an O.J. Simpson Day.

And for the record, I'm against a Gay Pride Week as well.

And I haven't even gotten any hugs off Hug a Korean Day, so I'm not assed about that either.

 

[AndThen?]

And for the record, I'm against a Gay Pride Week as well.

Well you would be, with it being a celebration of sin and all.

 

[Sixty]

Well you would be, with it being a celebration of sin and all.

Pretty harsh. :/

 

[Eagles]

Great posts Davey, I have to agree with you.

 

[Brawny]

Well you would be, with it being a celebration of sin and all.

Spoiler

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah1pV0eK08E[/ame]

 

[T3kNi9e]

While I get what you guys are saying, some of you are sounding extremely racist with some of your comments, their are definitely better ways to voice your opinions; some of you are being downright disrespectful and I think chances are it's because it's the internet and no one is scared to speak their mind no matter how racist it sounds.

For example Brawny saying: "I don't understand how we've shaken off our stereotype and they haven't. I think it's because we can speak English.."

That is extremely disrespectful and i'm damn certain you wouldn't say that to my friends. Why? Because you know saying that minorities can't speak English is racist.

I do agree Black History Month is hurting more than it's helping because it's actually adding to the division. You think young kids born in these times even know about racism? They do not know it until they are taught it. You see white supremacy folk on TV teaching their kids to be racists and now they absolutely hate Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Jews, etc. simply because their parents taught them that. Then when kids are in elementary school they start to learn about black history month and it starts to make a divide because now it seems like blacks are underneath the whites.

I agree 100% with Morgan Freeman and I even once saw some show on TV talking about Spanish Week or some bullshit like that and it pisses me off that Hispanics people would want some stupid week devoted to the Hispanics. That just makes us seem lower than others.

There are ignorant folks from all walks of life and this thread alone proves that. You can voice your opinion without actually feeding to the fire (being racist yourself).

 

[Brawny]

Well what else is the reason that Asians now get grouped with whites for any studies pertaining to how different minorities are?