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Originally Posted by dbth
Terrific perspective added , I would counter 2 points.
The immigrant cultures that overcame discrimination had 2 distinct advantages over blacks.
#1-Strong culture of a strong family unit , never underestimate the value of an active father.
#2-White skin.Assimilation is much easier when Europeans and Latinos had the same skin color as the masses.Blacks have an inherent handicap in assimilation in their skin color.
I will agree that it takes individual desire to rise above any oppressed or depressed cycle, self made or otherwise.Sometimes those individuals need help.
A benevolent society should offer a helping hand to those that need , while not addicting the needy to the handouts.
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Hi,
I think that the points you make have some validity, but were
more true in years gone by than they are today.
With respect to point #1, family units were often broken apart under the agrarian slave system prior to the 1870's, and one can even make the same point with the migration of Black fathers to the industrial north in the 1st 1/3 of the last century in search of employment. But, the past 30 years in particular have brought much awareness to the Black community about the importance of men accepting the father's role in the family unit. So I think it's a bit of an overworked excuse now. If they choose to ignore their role, can they still claim ignorance? Can we continue to blame historical precedence over personal choice?
On point #2, basically the same thing. People of Mediterranean, Scandinavian, Italian, Germanic and Eastern European heritage often possess identifying characteristics which can be used to discriminate. The current US population also contains millions of people of color aside from Blacks, again with very distinguishable features. Women too cannot help but bear distinguishing characteristics (God love 'em)
. If one chooses to think ill of them, there's nothing anyone can do.
Political Correctness and Civil Rights legislation cannot legislate one's mind, only one's actions. Legislation can only ensure that opportunity is not denied. So long as we continue to focus on the differences, these issues will continue to exist. Only when we find the common ground of being Americans will these differences fade to insignificance...
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99
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