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

[JUMBO PALACE]

Black history month is ridiculous. Every day is history for everybody.

Just because SOME whites had slaves does not mean that I should feel bad about it, and that African Americans should still get to complain about it.

 

[Rhiehn]

I absolutely agree. I think Black history month is racist, because it refers to those with black skin as if the color of their skin makes them different from the rest of society.

 

[C2Ultima]

Well, I can't really understand why there should be a black history month. That suggests that african american history is something that needs to be separated and recognized individually, as separate from any other type of history. There's not any white history month, or Native American history month, or asian history month.

 

[Mr. Eff_v1legacy]

I wouldn't say I hate it. But the double standard really irritates me.

 

[Therumancer]

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.
It also annoys me that their aren't any history lessons based around any other cultures apart from black history month. (that i know of.) Yes, all cultures get celebrated in one way or another but most are done collectively. An entire month is given to Black people.
Although I do see that they deserve this month, don't you think it would be a good idea to let other cultures who have gone through slavery or even been wiped out completely have their few minutes of fame a year?
Yes it was racist, Yes it was terrible, Yes this is probably whites making up for what they did.
But just think... Samurais had their way of life destroyed after guns were legalized in Japan. Now they live on in the occasional crappy film. I think they deserve at least their own day if not a month or Norse Pagans... they got their religion condemned by Christianity and are no longer classed as a religion in the UK or Europe excluding their countries of origin (norway, denmark)
I know haters will hate but please do. I want to see your point of view.

I generally agree with you, and extend my dislike of this to all forms of political correctness.

I also find it kind of messed up that human civilization started in the fertile crescent region, and largely spread out from there. For thousands upon thousands of years white people were the uncivilized ones, who were being enslaved by the darker skinned peoples, including dusky and olive skinned mediterrenians. Yet we see a comparitively short period of white dominance and we should feel horribly guilty for the time period when we took and kept slaves. The United States isn't even that old a country, yet because of the fact that we let it get our goats politically we seem to wind up making a bigger deal about it and apologizing when we're really not the ones who should be taking the brunt of this.... of course to be honest it tends to down to our very open and liberal society, and people elsewhere in the world who tried these kinds of things would be laughed at, or worse. Not to mention the simple fact that slavery exists in one form or another throughout a lot of the world, I've kind of felt a lot of these guys going on about slavery might want to take it up with the people who still practice it, rather than making noise about it here.

To be honest I think Black History Month should probably be replaced by "let's be thankful to white people" month. No, really. White people have been victimized by slavery more than probably any other group, and yet when we got our turn to pretty much define civlization we didn't practices it long at all, and most (but by no means all) white countries throughout the US and Europe abolished it. We might not always succeed, but our nations also at least TRY and support human rights and end things like slavery throughout the entire world.

See, when I start hearing about all this "evil white people" stuff coming from blacks, and acting like we OWE them something because of their ancestors, or look at attitudes that amount to racial payback, I can only say that the people involved are bloody lucky we don't think that way or else we never would have abolished slavery, I mean after all we could instead have been relishing the role reversal from the time period when the white anglo-saxons were largely a bunch of barbarians leaping around in furs and victimized by just
about everyone more advanced than they were.

It's not a popular point, but understand that Africa was not always quite the mess it is now. Egypt was a massive world power for a VERY long time, and if you remember it being mentioned in things like "The Iliad" and "Odyssey" countries like Ethiopia were advanced enough where the ancient greeks saw them as lands their gods might visit (I believe that's where Posiadin was supposed to be visiting when Odysseus blinded Polythemus, and needed to be called back from, but I could be wrong in remembering the exact referance). A lot of those nations were broken or destroyed, but at one time there were thriving civilizations. That's where all those ruins and really ancient artworks come from, as well as the foundation for fantasy stories dealing with Tarzan finding lost cities or whatever (cities that had avoided destruction and isolated themsevles from the outside world for thousands of years by using magic, alien technology, or something similar).

On some very basic levels that didn't really start to change until all the stuff with Xerxes vs. Greece happened (the beginnings of which were dramatized in movies like '300'). Greece fell, we saw the rise of Rome (and all through this Egypt was going strong), Rome pretty much dominated everyone, became decadent, fell to barbarians, and then us Anglo Saxons rose to become a dominant power. Before all that, we were pretty much the world's whipping boys.

That's a very, very basic version of events, so in the end my basic attitude is "get over it". I don't exactly expect a "be thankful to white people month" mind you, but if we really wanted to be fair on the subject, in the overall sweep of history we pretty much invented most of the ethics and ideaology that has been used to end slavery and promote human rights. I'd prefer people just drop the whole thing "Black History Month" should just become another month... or if we MUST have it, focus on actual Black history as opposed to the tiny bit of history in the US that can be used for political leverage and build hard feelings. You know, go back to the civilizations throughout the fertile crescent region and things like that.

 

[tzimize]

Well, there's the entire KKK. I'm sure they're not too keen on it.

xD

OT: It seems stupid. Thank god I dont live in the USA

 

[Double A]

One of the biggest (if not the biggest) Louisianian slave owner was a black man.

Also, I agree with Morgan Freeman. If you keep bringing up an issue and blaming someone for it, all you're doing is prolonging the conflict.

 

[Conza]

Well, if Morgan Freeman thinks it's a bad idea, then it probably is .

Ultimately, no one here is qualified to say whether or not there should be a history month on a topic, unless they have a claim to it, and I don't have any claim to African American history.

However. If I did have a claim, to another topic which had a month devoted to it, I'd be pleased, to see that it was in the public eye, especially in a scenario where my ancestors were persecuted, or how they triumphed over an injustice or an evil. I think the positive reinforcement initiative of this idea, is to keep people thinking about it, because it's not resolved, it's not over.

Don't we wish it was though? But I guess, if we do just stop talking about it, the problem will just go away, happens for every other problem doesn't it?

Enlightenment and education to ignorance and prejudice is the best remedy possible. How will people change their way of thinking, if they aren't presented with any new information, or even the same information they know, from a different perspective or angle?

Like I said I'm not qualified here; but if I was, I'd hope I could see the positive aspects of initiatives like this one, and if I truly believed it was doing more harm than good, I'd try to harness the essence of what could be accomplished, using this as a tool to correct prejudice and ignorance. That is the very least we need to recognise, this aspect of history, like many others, deserves public attention and recognition if we are to continue to uphold values which have resulted, from these positive achievements in history.

 

[Spacelord]

I wonder, where are all the native Americans demanding their own native American history month? Oh, I know: dead. From systematic genocide.

 

[bl4ckh4wk64]

Although I do see that they deserve this month, don't you think it would be a good idea to let other cultures who have gone through slavery or even been wiped out completely have their few minutes of fame a year?
But just think... Samurais had their way of life destroyed after guns were legalized in Japan.

See, that's the problem though. Every race in history, including white people, have been enslaved at some point in time. It's not possible to give a month to each and every race. I completely agree that Black History month is a perfect example of reverse racism, but that's just something you have to deal with in this Politically correct country we call America (not sure if other countries have a BHM, so I'm just choosing the one I live in). I mean, isn't it just deepening the divide between black and white?


Also, just wanted to point out that the Japanese actually have/had a chance to bring back the way of the samurai because after WWII, the restrictions imposed on Japan kept them from basically manufacturing firearms for decades, as well as making them mostly illegal. Although it would be nice to see the Samurai honor code brought back...

I'm still waiting for some sort of recognition to what that fucker Roosevelt did to the Japanese-Americans during the war... We should at least get a damned day...

 

[ChupathingyX]

I have never heard of it before, what is it?

 

[Snowy Rainbow]

Tip for Life: You're never the only person.

EDIT: (To add some sort of content to my post) I agree, Black History month is basically reverse racism. It, from what I've seen, does more harm than good.

There's no such thing as reverse racism. Treating any race differently from another is racism.

 

[deus-ex-machina]

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.

Urgh.

No - I was told by several friends who themselves are not 'phobic' that it's not a sensible idea to use the term 'black' and it was they who told me I would end up being shot. Obviously the sarcasm in my post didn't shine through. Sorry. I thought it was foolish how surprised they were when I said it out loud. Although my general view overall would suggest I am anything but condescending or in anyway selective towards any race. I don't care what colour a person's skin is. Granted, my point about 'coloured' could be misconstrued but it wasn't intended to be a sweeping statement. As 'coloured' relates to everyone and anyone, it is simply a lazy racist term and while you probably won't get hit as I only meant it jokingly (I forget that just because I have friends who would hit you for calling them coloured, it doesn't mean everyone does so I say it more nonchalantly than I probably should) I doubt you would be praised for it either.

Meh, I'm pretty nonchalant about everything nowadays though.

Sorry if I offended you. I was merely scoffing at people's over-exaggeration with regards to the topic of skin colour. When I said people would hit you, I didn't mean to make it seem like black people are any more violent. I came from a rougher neighbourhood. There is no "Well, I say, rather..." - it's more of a "What the..?!" followed by a punch and that's regardless of skin colour.

When I said Londoners would shoot you, that was what friends have said, being well aware of the rougher areas of London as they grew up in them or next to them and yes, that is a sweeping statement but I'm sure they were brought up to be sensible enough not to offend anyone. You say some gun crime is committed by black people. Unfortunately the truth is two thirds of it is committed by black people in London. While black people are also twice as likely to be the victim, it doesn't negate the issue that some people grow up fearing black youths in particular and so perhaps what they said to me had an inkling of sense in their heads. Personally, considering the level of crime in London overall, I make the more sensible choice of fearing all Londoners.

PS: That last bit was a joke.

 

[ReservoirAngel]

If you venture to the American Deep South I'm sure you'll find many other people who don't approve of Black History Month.

 

[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.

Urgh.

No - I was told by several friends who themselves are not 'phobic' that it's not a sensible idea to use the term 'black' and it was they who told me I would end up being shot. Obviously the sarcasm in my post didn't shine through. Sorry. I thought it was foolish how surprised they were when I said it out loud. Although my general view overall would suggest I am anything but condescending or in anyway selective towards any race. I don't care what colour a person's skin is. Granted, my point about 'coloured' could be misconstrued but it wasn't intended to be a sweeping statement. As 'coloured' relates to everyone and anyone, it is simply a lazy racist term and while you probably won't get hit as I only meant it jokingly (I forget that just because I have friends who would hit you for calling them coloured, it doesn't mean everyone does so I say it more nonchalantly than I probably should) I doubt you would be praised for it either.

Meh, I'm pretty nonchalant about everything nowadays though.

Sorry if I offended you. I was merely scoffing at people's over-exaggeration with regards to the topic of skin colour. When I said people would hit you, I didn't mean to make it seem like black people are any more violent. I came from a rougher neighbourhood. There is no "Well, I say, rather..." - it's more of a "What the..?!" followed by a punch and that's regardless of skin colour.

When I said Londoners would shoot you, that was what friends have said, being well aware of the rougher areas of London as they grew up in them or next to them and yes, that is a sweeping statement but I'm sure they were brought up to be sensible enough not to offend anyone. You say some gun crime is committed by black people. Unfortunately the truth is two thirds of it is committed by black people in London. While black people are also twice as likely to be the victim, it doesn't negate the issue that some people grow up fearing black youths in particular and so perhaps what they said to me had an inkling of sense in their heads. Personally, considering the level of crime in London overall, I make the more sensible choice of fearing all Londoners.

PS: That last bit was a joke.

Oh thank god, it was just sarcasm.

In that case I agree with your sentiment. I'm also from the Midlands and White/Black Caribbean (according to official forms, I prefer the less wordy 'mixed'), and I can't think of anyone I know who would be happy to be referred to as 'coloured'. At best it's dated, at worst it's just racist.

I can appreciate your London friends being fearful of black youths and saying things like that... but I hope you treated them to a long, withering look all the same

 

[Tdc2182]

Now, I normally hate "/thread", but...Come on. It's Morgan fucking Freeman. [/thread]

Shit, Freeman sounds pissed.

OT: I... agree. To an extent at least (and let's face it, you best be sharing the same opinion as Morgan Freeman)

I never viewed it as a "white guilt" kinda thing, I viewed it more as an respecting the strides we had to overcome to get here.

 

[linkzeldi]

Black History month is a bit overblown, but everybody deserves a chance to relish in their own history.

 

[Kryzantine]

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

Oooooh, is it Misery Poker time? The blacks didn't have it so bad, really, because X group also had bad things happen to them? Well, X group almost surely did. But unless X group was also traded literally like cattle for several centuries and then the primary focus of Jim Crow laws, social totalitarianism and organized lynching for another century more, just don't go there. That's called trying to falsify history to avoid uncomfortable facts. It's low, and it's craven, and it lessens you. Don't do it.

You don't need to do it, for one thing. Black History Month does not require lessening other's experiences or pretending they didn't happen, and it's therefore not a call for trying to pull the same kind of derailment bullshit in response, or try to downplay anything. Just stop it.

First of all, we don't have a month to celebrate Native Americans

Actually, we do. November. Native American Heritage Month.

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,

How about if black people just want to have a month to highlight their achievements, and talk about their experiences? There some reason they shouldn't? Especially in an environment where every time they do, someone wants to denounce their daring to do so among themselves and with each other and with such people as care to listen as somehow being "reverse racism"? BHM isn't silencing anyone. It's not stopping anyone from talking about their experiences. There's no government mandate stating there's one "history month" and black people got it. It started as a private initiative that caught on, it's not some vast Orwellian institution founded to oppress you, it doesn't partake of supremacist notions of trying to declare one group better than everyone else, it's not some "unfair" perk that was handed to the black community by the New World Order or something. So what in the hell is your problem?

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.

This makes me doubt you have "friends" in any of these categories. Acquaintances, maybe. But friends talk with each other about real life, and in real life, the colour of their skin and the language they speak has affected the experiences of most people in these groups. There's few things more noxious than a false pose of "colour-blindness" that's desperate to blind itself to the actual experiences of people in the real world.

I don't think you're getting my message.

How is celebrating equality by hosting a month celebrating a specific group of people equal in any way? If equality is the goal we are striving for in these culture studies, then we should treat groups regardless of their ethnicity. I am not against the study of black history at all. I feel that having African studies classes, history classes in schools is a good thing if people want to get into that. I don't, I'm more interested in Middle Eastern and Russian studies, but that's just my own thing, and I find certain aspects of black history intriguing. What I am taking issue with is that the US government sponsors this BHM more than other months, that it even sponsors this month at all, and that it claims to be celebrating equality despite hosting a month to essentially promote a minority group.

To address specific points, in the first quote, I was arguing that African Americans have not been the last group of people to suffer the burdens they faced in America, and I pointed to the example of Asian and Mexican immigrants up until around 1950. I am quite aware that Africans have been slaves in America for a long period of time, and obviously, that's a part of history you can't erase. But that should be taught in the history classes, and it is taught in the history classes. I'm certain most high schools have their kids read Uncle Tom's Cabin (I wasn't, actually, though I did read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass[/i for school, Up From Slavery on my own time, and Uncle Tom's Cabin in middle school). But their slavery ended in the 1860s, and discrimination against them eased over a 30-year period after WW2. I contend that Asians and Mexicans suffered from slavery-like conditions after the 1860s. I am not trying to put their plight ahead, I am merely pointing out that historically, the blacks do not have the best case for their own history month. I'm not putting down their accomplishments or plight, I'm pointing out a historical inaccuracy.

On the 2nd point surrounding Native Americans, there likely is such a month. It's just that it's widely undocumented compared to BHM, though I suppose that's only because the media feels it isn't as important, because there aren't as many Native Americans left. Well, shit.

On the 3rd point concerning the achievements of black people, again, that is anti-equality. People should be able to talk about the achievements, the accomplishments and the struggles their ancestors faced, 12 months a year. You do not need a specific month to do this, for any group. If you're going to have an equal society, you can't favour one minority over another through these months. So what is my "problem", exactly? That I understand what an equal sign means?

The 4th point is around where I decided to even write up this post. At this point, it's just a personal attack.

Yes, I fucked up the phrasing in my OP. I can see now, yes. Acknowledging that there is an inherent difference between humans is merely human; it would look odd to assume a complete cultural familiarity in the instance of meeting someone of a different culture. And stupid.

What I meant was, there is absolutely no reason to mention racial difference. For instance, I sat next to a black guy in one of my Spanish classes and made friends with him quickly. Not once did I tell him he was black. Oh sure, I acknowledged some characteristics of his. But I never brought him down over those. I never talked about it with him. I treated him like I treat my Chinese friends, my Russian friends, my Mexican friend, my Bolivian friend. Considering that all of us are in the same environment, our interactions should be on a similar level.

Now, your post could have easily done without the personal attack at the end. In fact, your last point wasn't really constructive or useful, it was literally just your doubting that I have friends. That's a low blow. All I'm saying is that I don't judge people by the colour of their skin.

 

[kickyourass]

Personally I don't really see much of a point to 'black history month' as I think 'black' history should be taught year round along side all the other histories. That said I can't really think of a reason to get all pissy about it. Yeah it's pretty stupid when you think about it, but it's mostly harmless as far as I can tell.
I mean, I think that the last time someone really talked to me about it was when I was back in middle school.