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Poll
Should Whites be made to sit at the back of the bus ?
Yes 55%
No 44%

Votes: 9

 Reparation and reconcilation - the time is right.

 Author:  Topic:  Posted:
Jul 13, 2001
 Comments:
Recent events in South Africa have shown us how with a bit of give and take from each side, it is possible for a once racist regime to make amends. It is possible to redress the imbalance between the races caused by years of institutionalised racism.

Why is this important ? Well America has a very long history of racism. which continues to this day. Perhaps its time we made amends. Perhaps its time America had its own "Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act ".

Either way, if we don't do something about our racism, the results do not bear thinking about.

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"40 Acres and a mule" - That was the modest aim of the American Negro when he was given his freedom from the injustice of slavery. Not too much to ask you might think. But you would be wrong. African Americans today are still dealing with the legacy of hundreds of years of slavery, followed by over a century of being treated as second class citizens only fit to travel at the rear of a bus.

It is fashionable today to claim that now African Americans have the vote, that everything in the garden is rosy, and that we have put the centuries of white racism behind us. While this view provides comfort for many "white" people, the facts tell a different story.

There are millions of examples of casual everyday racism of "white" America. One that sticks in the mind is Rodney King Here was a man who was savagely beaten by white racist police officers, for the simple crime of being black.

Who could forget the travesty of justice that was the farce of OJ Simpson's trial ?

But it is not just high profile African Americans who are the subject to the institutionalized racsim of white corporate America. The average African American in the street gets it as well.

The question remains unanswered. America still holds collective guilt for the way in which Black Africans were enslaved and brought to this country. It ALSO is responsible for the total failure to provide any reparations whatsoever to the unfortunate victims of its racism.

The ideal solution is unfortunately unlikely to find much support among the average citizen of America. But I feel that introducing a law such as that introduced in South Africa, could go some way towards mitigating some of the very real anger felt by African Americans toward their "white" European oppressors. And it might well prove to be cheaper in the long run for the taxpayer. The prospect of having to sit on the back seat of a bus should not bother too many white Americans, since by virtue of their unequal wealth, they will rarely find themselves travelling on public transportation. On the other hand, think what a boost African Americans would feel to see whites confined to the back of the bus - it would send them a very real message that America is serious about compensating for all those years of racism.

White Americans would do well read this website. It appears to offer the only real hope for the white man of understanding why he is so universally hated and detested by most people of color.

What do others think ?


very interesting... (none / 0) (#10)
by motherfuckin spork on Fri Jul 13th, 2001 at 10:22:21 AM PST
I live in Cincinnati, which as many of you know, has just had (and is still having) some "racial issues", specifically regarding blacks and their treatment by police.

Now, I will openly admit that I do not live downtown, and yes, I'm a pure-bred suburbanite. And, yes, there are not a lot of "colored" people living in my neighborhood (there are indeed some, but not many).

I work with people of almost every ethnicity imaginable: the pharmaceutical industry is that way.

What bothers me is the whole deal with caring about what race someone is. Personally, I don't believe in races. We have different ancestries, different ethnicities, different upbringings, but were all people.

Yes, I've said it before: people are dumb. Right there is the heart of the problem.

So, before I completely lose my train of thought, let me conclude this nonsense with this: I don't give a damn what color someone is... I don't give a flying rat's ass where you are from... all I care is how you act, how you behave, howyou treat others, and how well you do what you do.

You want to end racism? Pull people's heads out of their asses: blacks, whites, greens, reds, yellows, purples, the whole lot of us - its all in our heads.


I am not who you think I am.

I fear... (none / 0) (#12)
by Anonymous Reader on Fri Jul 13th, 2001 at 10:31:44 AM PST
... that racism will never be ended. It is an entirely natural thing to be racist, and to dislike that which is different. I would argue that almost everyone is a racist, whether they admit it or not.

The problem isn;t so much stamping out racism, which is endemic, but making people have self knowledge and some understanding of ethics. The state is best equipped to enforce this, as the article says.

With America's history, it is certainly something to think about.


the "state"? gimme a break. (none / 0) (#13)
by motherfuckin spork on Fri Jul 13th, 2001 at 11:08:30 AM PST
trying to use the government to enforce ethics is nonsense. You could use government to nudge things in the right direction, but it cannot be mandated by a government. The ethics must come from somewhere else...


I am not who you think I am.

 
Agreed (none / 0) (#11)
by bc on Fri Jul 13th, 2001 at 10:26:53 AM PST
Racial harmony in our society is of the utmost importance. Ideals of justice are not enough, we must be proactive and encourage that the rightful and understandable grievances of the blacks are dealt with properly. Introducing bussing laws and such would go a long way towards allievating these feelings, whilst not really actually discriminating against anyone.

What about hispanics and Native Americans though? We need some sort of Hierarchy of races. Natice Americans and blacks would be at the front, thanks to their terrible treatment, and then we could have hispanics and asians in that order, before the whites, at the very back.


♥, bc.

Of course... (none / 0) (#14)
by Anonymous Reader on Fri Jul 13th, 2001 at 11:15:04 AM PST
Blacks helped the whites to hunt down and destroy Indians. I think they owe a little something as well...


Native Americans deserve their own 'exclusive' bus (none / 0) (#15)
by dmg on Sun Jul 15th, 2001 at 01:48:01 PM PST
Since they were here first, and suffered the most at the hands of the white (and black) man, the least we could do is run a bus service exclusively for native Americans (and anyone with at least 10% native American blood).

This bus service could be subsidised by a 1c increase in federal income tax, and the busses could be better than the 'normal' busses that you or I would ride on (if we ever became poor) in that they would have a 'native american' theme. Native cloth on the seats, a section to securely hold livestock (up to the size of a small pig) and peyote would be freely available from the driver.

All in all, this gesture would be quite cheap, but could be just the morale-booster the Native American needs to get back on his feet after centuries of oppression.

time to give a Newtonian demonstration - of a bullet, its mass and its acceleration.
-- MC Hawking

 

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