Five reasons why African-Americans don’t just ‘get over it’
June 19th, 2008 by Riley FirthTuning into talk radio can sometimes be a mind-numbing task that significantly lowers one’s IQ, but I occasionally throw myself in front of the train and risk my intellect to see what folks out there are talking about. Unfortunately, when I turned my radio on this morning, people were talking about why black Americans should just “get over it.” The caller apparently believed that since slavery ended, everything is now hunky-dory and the black community has no reason to talk about it anymore. I realize it can be hard for gun-totin’, deer-huntin’ rednecks with Confederate flags flying in their pickup trucks to understand, so I put together a little list of why African-Americans don’t just get over it:
1. Holocaust survivors get Israel, while freed slaves get sharecropping.
I’m not going to bother with the stale, old argument about which was worse, the Holocaust or American slavery. I don’t think it’s fair to compare the two – one was genocide, while the other was 400 years of stripping human beings of their rights and using them as farm animals. However, the response to the two would sure as hell piss me off as a black man.
Let’s get this straight. The Jews get a national homeland, stolen from the Arab people who had lived there for centuries, while the freed slaves got sharecropping and debt slavery on the same plantations where they had toiled as slaves. I realize the two happened in two totally different times with two totally different social consciousnesses, but I can damn sure see why this might tick off your average African-American.
2. Decent education is less available to people in majority black communities.
In the South, slaves were rarely allowed to read – this is a common tactic for keeping slaves. Keep them ignorant and afraid, and they will follow commands. Unfortunately, this did not die with slavery. White, privileged Americans tried for the next 100 years to keep black people ignorant.
First, we segregated our schools to keep those terrible, awful black kids from mingling with our ‘wiser’ race. This was a fine method for ensuring that education for both ethnicities was anything but fair and equal. Integration presented challenges for those who wanted to keep holding black people back, but clever redistricting often sent all the kids from majority black neighborhoods to a vastly different school setting then their white counterparts. This still happens today, everywhere from inner-city New York City to the rural south.
Furthermore, there is quite a bit of evidence that kids learn better from teachers of their own race, as they have more upon which to relate to their teachers. That’s a real tough goal when the vast majority of teachers are white. This is part of a vicious cycle, unfortunately. White people on average receive a better education, and thus they are more apt to become teachers, only exacerbating the situation.
3. White people in the workforce still earn more, on average, than their black coworkers.
According to information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, white workers earn more cash for their work than African-Americans. This could be the result of less-qualified minority workers, but I’d say see reason number 2 for information on why this may be the case.
4. Black men still make up the largest number of American prison inmates.
A 2003 Bureau of Justice census reported roughly 46% of prison inmates are black men. I’ve often heard the argument that “maybe they commit more crime.” Sure, that’s probably true. Once again, see item 2. A lack of education often leads to a life of crime.
5. And finally… RACISM STILL EXISTS.
The Jasper, Texas incident happened in only 1998, for a recent high-profile hate crime. For a more personal account, there are towns in my home-state of Louisiana where black men are warned to not be pulled over if they drive through because they will be harassed, searched, and given excessive fines by the local law enforcement. A particularly telling case of present-day racism, also from my home-state, is the Jena 6 incident, where six African-American teens were given excessive charges, as adults, for a fight with a white classmate.
Conclusion
I would not argue that racism still exists in the way it did even twenty years ago, even here in the south. Nor would I argue that African-Americans should be revolting, or overthrowing the bonds of white oppression. But to suggest black people should just “get over it” is ludicrous. Nor should Jews “get over” the Holocaust. Does this mean they should be constantly angry at the so-called “white race” over these injustices? Of course not. But getting over it implies forgetting what has happened and no longer discussing these injustices, and it is never a good thing to forget the evils of the past. We can remember the injustices of the past without carrying a burden of hate and bitterness, and we can prevent future injustice by discussing the errors of human history. The darkest times in human history should be remembered better than the golden days. Otherwise, we’re bound to repeat the same old mistakes, again and again.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:53 am
“In the South, slaves were rarely allowed to read – this is a common tactic for keeping slaves. Keep them ignorant and afraid, and they will follow commands. Unfortunately, this did not die with slavery. White, privileged Americans tried for the next 100 years to keep black people ignorant.”
This is the exact same thing the school system does for every child, not just black people.
Check out: http://www.spinninglobe.net/againstschool.htm
June 20th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Funny you mention Jena 6.
Ask yourself: what if it was 6 whites beating up a black?
June 20th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
I generally like your blog and you make some useful arguments. While I don’t disagree with the overarching message, I just want to check on something:
“Let’s get this straight. The Jews get a national homeland, stolen from the Arab people who had lived there for centuries”
You’re saying that African Americans should be jealous of the Jews cause they got a scratch of desert that THEY had also been living in for thousands of years in order help prevent the extinction of a race. Just to be clear, it was a useless piece of sand that nobody wanted and turned it into a thriving modern nation.
I’d prefer to avoid going into the incredibly complicated middle east conflict right now, but let’s just say that pretty much everyone can agree that your terse statement oversimplifies the hell of a complicated situation and blatantly shows off your clear ignorance of the situation and Pro-Palestinian/Hamas bias.
You might want to avoid these offensive and non-convincing arguments in the future…
June 21st, 2008 at 8:22 am
Read Bork’s “Slouching Towards Gomorrah” to get a slightly different perspective on why people play the victim card. Not that there are not some cases of racism, but you’re ignoring an awful lot of anti white racism. Ever been to DC? Myself I like the “personal responsibility” thing that went around for a while, didn’t seem to make much of a difference. My take - as long as there are free handouts there will be whiners willing to do just about anything to get them. I know a woman who used to be all about helping poor downtrodden Mexican migrant laborers, got a degree and got a job in a welfare office. She was so disgusted by the abuses she saw - and she said there were a lot of them - that she quit and changed professions. Sure this is one example, and hearsay on top of that, but I think if you look around you’ll have to admit that human nature being pretty darned similar in any race you care to look at, freebies promote laziness and actually hurt the receiver, it is ALWAYS better for people to do something, anything, to earn their stuff, if at all possible. Too bad Ron Paul isn’t getting elected, it’s a real shame. He would have had a very positive impact on this issue, not Clinton, not Obama, not Bush3… what a shame.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:04 am
Some excellent points here, and really, I can’t say I disagree with any of them.
@Freak, you’re absolutely right. Maybe in my next blog I’ll discuss some of the issues I have with the American educational system.
@H, yep, racism goes both ways. This is not an easy issue to resolve. In regards to the Jena 6 incident, I think there were bad guys on both sides - which is why it was such a complicated issue.
@yf35, I don’t think African-Americans should be jealous of the Jewish homeland. I did oversimplify the issue - because I’m not talking about the Middle East conflict or the problems with giving Israel to the Jewish people. The real issue here is that anyone telling the Jews to “get over” the Holocaust would be labeled anti-Semitic in a heartbeat, but for some reason people like Rush Limbaugh can get away with telling African-Americans to do the same.
@Mike, you’re right. There is a lot of anti-White racism. I’ve felt the impact of it myself. Yes, there will always be folks looking for a handout. So what? Should we ignore white-on-black racism because, hey, it happens the other way? I’m just failing to see where you’re going with this. My feeling is that racism is wrong and should be attacked in any circumstance - white on black, black on white, red on yellow. It should NEVER be forgotten, and never be ignored, and certainly African-Americans shouldn’t just “get over” slavery because there are bad apples out there who hate white people.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Sorry I wasn’t clearer, I’m trying to be tactful with a potentially very upsetting subject for some. It’s been a while since I read Bork’s Gomorrah book but I think he put it something like, it’s easier to play the victim than to be thrust onto even a level playing field and have to compete, you against the world. Especially when you don’t have a lot of role models or a good support structure (e.g. relatively intact multi-generational family system). Another one is that you can get anything if you whine enough nowdays, convince people that you’re a (poor, defenseless, innocent) victim and you can get jobs, grants, degrees, and let’s not forget sex. Of course the author had to dig back into history and bring up slavery instead of discussing the issues of today, myself I think that was a huge and regrettable mistake. I’m 3/4 Italian and 1/4 French Canadian, my Italian ancestors literally came to this country in a boat, were quite poor, and were not strangers to discrimination. Do I feel victimized because of what it did to them? Absolutely not. Reading a little history as I ahve done, it appears to me to be quite clear that EVERY race, nation, culture, or sizeable group by any other name has taken advantage of any other group they were able to, at some time in their history. Italians have a lot of blood and stupidity on their hands, historically speaking, not to mention having a basically corrupt government. Correct me if I’m wrong but African history isn’t any better, torture and slavery were not unknown in Africa prior to interaction with foreigners. If they had laughed at or kicked out or killed the foreigners who wanted to buy slaves history would be quite different. And who isn’t sick of hearing Israel whine about the holocaust so they can get their 2-3 billion a year from us, then have us fight their wars? OOps, that was OT, sorry. To sum up, I have known very cool black people and I have known very hostile black people. I think it is a huge mistake to perpetuate the idea that people NOW deserve handouts because of slavery. Not that I don’t support help for anyone who can’t afford it to get an education, equal pay for equal work, etc. it’s just that there are so many special interest whiners who bleeding heart liberals convince that they deserve handouts, it seems completely stupid. Personal responsibility is the way to go. Ron Paul talks about welfare and personal responsibility and the power of communities to help themselves and to me he makes a lot of sense. Anyway I think I’ve done enough damage for one post.
July 13th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
What I want is to know when I walk out in the world, no one is going to assume I want a handout because of the color of my skin. I want to walk out into the world and be given the same opportunities as any other person, no matter what their color is. I want to be able to move into whatever neighborhood tickles my fancy without having to wonder if all of my neighbors will move out because I am one of “those people.” I want to be able to state that I have advanced degrees without someone assuming I got them on some “let’s give this woman a degree so she’ll get out of our faces” tip - but instead because I am intelligent, hardworking and dedicated to educating myself and those around me.
It is very easy to simplify the issues, but when it boils down to it, it is hard, even if you are the recipient of hostility from blacks, to understand how it is to live in a society that is based upon racism and perpetuates it in every single aspect of your life - from food to housing to entertainment to education to finances, etc.