Am I the only person who doesn't like Black History Month?

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

*snip*

Uh...Why'd you just quote me without adding anything?

Out of curiosity.

well that was odd, when i quoted it didn't put my text in the bottom, it put it underneath the video, must have clicked in the wrong spot on accident =\ i'll go fix it now.

 

[YuheJi]

I disagree with Black History Month, for the simple fact that if you're not going to give every other race a month of history then, well...

People of every colour have been enslaved or "endentured servants" or some other variation of slave at some point in our race's (the human race) history, slavery that happened to some now-dead people shouldn't define people who are alive now.

Well, there is also a Latino History Month, and a Filipino American History Month, and a Women's History Month, and an Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and that's all I can remember off the top of my head.

 

[Bobbity]

Personally, I think that the only way to get past the differences caused by race is to ignore them. Going on about how badly your distant ancestors were treated just causes bitterness and does only harm.

 

[darkbshadow]

I say take away all the XYZ History Months. If we as a country feel that there needs to be a month to explain the history of great Black Americans then the school system is doing something wrong. Change history courses to make sure they include ALL Great Americans. There should be no reason to have that sort of separation.

Also i believe there needs to be a Culture/Heritage Month. For i believe it is a good thing to know where you've come from. When i was a kid i might have known about my Italian Heritage but wasn't told much about my German or Irish Heritage. So dedicate a month where the school system encourages kids to ask about there family's past.

 

[magnuslion]

"Am I the only person who doesn't notice that, in the U.S., eleven months of the year contain nothing but White Person Days?"

That's what your question sounded like to me.

You should really read a LOT more before you try talking again. Just a little friendly advice.

You are Implying that the rest of the year is dedicated to celebrating white culture. You are incorrect. I recommend thinking before you post trying to sound like you know what you are talking about. Being liberal does not mean that you are automatically learned.

 

[Jake0fTrades]

Samurai's weren't their own ethnic minority.

No, but the culture of ancient feudal Japan (where Samurai's originate from) was essentially wiped out in favor of westernization by Japanese reformers. So yes, the culture that Samurais came from was pretty much screwed over in a way that could arguably be worse than slavery. At least Black culture still exists.

 

[DarkRyter]

I have no idea what that is. It sounds kind of dumb.

It's a month in America (other countries call it February) where they teach us the history of the color black.

We all learn the basics. It was invented in 1867 by Jean-Jacque Noir, and was adopted by roaming germanic hordes who spread it all across Asia. It was lost for a hundred years, until it was rediscovered in 1984 by Jim Watergate (of watergate fame) who released it to the general public as a new dance craze.

 

[FoolKiller]

No... I hate it too. I think it, like many things in our society, are a bad attempt at a solution to a problem that exists. As with many of those things, I like the idea behind it but not the execution of it.

It's sloppy, poorly thought out, and creates a racist gap where there isn't one.

 

[open trap]

I have always thought it was a stupid idea, and "unfare". It always annoyed me seeing all these things on tv or in school about Black History month when most of the people around had nothing to do with what is being celebrated.

 

[Jake0fTrades]

Samurai's weren't their own ethnic minority.

No, but the culture of ancient feudal Japan (where Samurai's originate from) was essentially wiped out in favor of westernization by Japanese reformers. So yes, the culture that Samurais came from was pretty much screwed over in a way that could arguably be worse than slavery. At least Black culture still exists.[/quote

Uh...no. The non-rebelling samurai were largely integrated into the new imperial army after the Meiji Restoration and given positions of responsibility. To say it was "arguably worse than slavery" is a just a completely ignorant interpretation of history. They weren't bound in chains and worked in the fields, they weren't kidnapped from one continent and shipped to one another.

Seriously, I know people are lazy, but fifteen minutes on Wikipedia can open a lot more information about actual history than a couple of hours in Total Warfare.

Fucktard.

I have never played Total Warfare. And cursing is not in any way necessary, as it only hinders your credibility. Those who WILLINGLY renounced their customs to be integrated were fine, yes, but the remaining Samurai who wished to retain their customs were not treated so kindly.

 

[Ogargd]

I prefer white history month, where I feel ashamed for all the bad things my race did to others =P

 

[zelda2fanboy]

I've never really enjoyed Black History Month. Being half african and raised by my single parent black mother, I was always encouraged to get involved with the culture. But for some reason every Black History Month a good majority of africans I know will use the sentence:
"I/We (or any other group terms) went through the slave trade."
It just really infuriates me how a 15 year old boy thinks that just because he great great grandfather went though frankly barbaric events he also went through them too.

Annoys me a little bit, too. I have no grounds to say that seeing as how incredibly white I am, but so be it. It's like "Hey, these people fought and died so black people today could be accepted in society. Now let's point out how different they are!" And isn't every month black history month? All of American history is intertwined with African Americans, especially the last 150 years or so. Hell, the first man shot in the American Revolution was black. And where the hell is Native American history month? "Here's where we celebrate the rich heritage of a culture we completely decimated."

Also, not only blacks were slaves. Many white people came to this country under indentured service contracts, meaning they would owe an astronomical debt to the person who brought them here that was impossible to pay off. They would call this person "master" and they would basically be owned for the rest of their life, getting beaten, getting sold off to other assholes... all along side the African slave trade that was going on at the same time. Doesn't diminish what they went through, but noteworthy.

 

[Kryzantine]

You would think that a black person would understand the real meaning of Black History Month.

Black history month is not so people can take credit for what their ancestors did. It's to acknowledge the suffering and persecution that african-americans suffered in the past couple of centuries. It's to honour the leaders that made equality a reality. It's to show pride in the progress that african-americans have made, going from a slave race to being president.

And yes, I think every race that has been slaved and achieved freedom should get their own month. However, no race in North America has suffered slavery as recently or as harshly as black people.

No race may have suffered slavery as recently or as harshly in North America, even the United States?

First of all, we don't have a month to celebrate Native Americans, who we almost eradicated off the face of the earth. Last I checked my book, genocide was a worse deed than slavery.

Secondly, I contend that Asian-Americans and Mexicans suffered near-slavery, severe persecution and worked in harsher conditions than black slaves after the Civil War. Until around 1950, Asians and Mexicans were the damned devils in America.

I don't understand your reasoning behind Black History Month. If we wanted to honour the leaders in this nation's history that have made equality possible, then we should have a month devoted to not just blacks, but women, Asians, Mexicans, Cubans, perhaps even the Irish. And not separately, either. Call it Equality Month or something. But to be fair, that just disparages the notion even more, implying there is a month where we can celebrate the equality of the separate groups within this nation, and not do anything for the other 11 months, or heaven forbid, start up a bit of discrimination against those "minority" groups.

I have found that the best way to make friends with blacks, with Asians, with Mexicans, is to not acknowledge the colour of their skin, or the language they speak. To judge a creature by his natural features, in this day and age, is to set him on a lower pedestal. If we are to judge each other as human beings, we should do it through our personalities, our minds and our spirits. We should celebrate men like Martin Luther King Jr, and Malcolm X, not because they are black, but because they called for change; and in Malcolm X's case, he was an individual that in the latter part of his life, saw what America could become and preached it.

Naming it Black History Month only serves to emphasize the racial divide it is trying to avoid.

 

[Ris]

What is 'Black History Month'?

I'm pretty sure it isn't something we do in the UK because calling someone 'black' is, I believe, is deemed politically incorrect.

I'm curious to know what you think is the politically correct term? I'm also from the UK, and I've never heard of it being un-PC.

I've known of some people who have been very OTT on political correctness and stated that using the word goes against it.

Personally I don't think it is myself.

Huh. It's the term used by the BBC, in government and by other various institutions. Did these people say what term you're supposed to use? I'm not nickpicking, I'm genuinely fascinated.

What is 'Black History Month'?

I'm pretty sure it isn't something we do in the UK because calling someone 'black' is, I believe, is deemed politically incorrect.

I'm curious to know what you think is the politically correct term? I'm also from the UK, and I've never heard of it being un-PC.

I came from the Midlands, moved down south.

In Birmingham, black people are proud of being 'black'.

Unknown to me, I called black people 'black' down south. Apparently they shoot you for that. I don't know what Londoners would prefer themselves to be called, but in Birmingham, I think they would knock you down for calling them 'coloured'.

With respect, your comment sounds a tad phobic. "They shoot you for that"? "They'll knock you down" ? Please tell me that this is simply poor wording. I'll grant you that some areas of London have a problem with gun crime and that some of the perpetrators are black, but I don't think that excuses making the sweeping statement that offending a black person results in you getting shot or hit.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Well, there is also a Latino History Month, and a Filipino American History Month, and a Women's History Month, and an Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and that's all I can remember off the top of my head.

I shall disagree with all of them, as there simply isn't enough time in our lives to cover the history of every single variation of the human race in a month.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

I suggest everyone just does what I do and take the month to celebrate Turn A Gundam, which prominently features the term "black history" (kuro rekishi in Japanese) in a completely unrelated context. It confuses the hell out of people and robots drawn by Syd Mead always deserve attention.

I only really get annoyed when people start talking as if they lived through all those past injustices and deserve special respect for it. My great grandparents lived through the Armenian Genocide, which wiped out most of our family and was, last I checked, worse than slavery, but I don't pretend that gives me bragging rights.

 

[steampunk42]

ya know...i rarely notice it...but its not like im racist. and i dont think you are either just for not likeing it.

 

[Frozengale]

Well if we want to do it to make amends for Slavery then we also need to celebrate... every race ever. Pretty sure every group of people have had to go through slavery at one point or another. Not to mention it was blacks that sold blacks into slavery in the first place. Yes it was wrong for whites to own blacks... but does no one else see the irony in all this? Also why don't we have an Irish History month? Sure we have St. Patty's but that is only a day. Irish were treated worse then blacks to a degree when they first arrived in America.