[friendociate]

We all remember the famous speech of Civil Rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The "dream" that sticks out in my memory of the speech (not that I was alive for the live presentation, but in recordings you hear like Christmas Music (in America) starting on 'the day after Thanksgiving Day') is "... my little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character ..."

But is it 'Content of their Character'-month? Maybe it should be, because indeed-we-do celebrate the higher quality of character key figures used to rise above the discrimination that USED to exist in America (oh, you'll hear all over the news that 'statistically' Blacks are less-favored than their White brethren; but ... no, nobody is being told out loud, "You can't have this job or -buy-or-sell this product-or-service because you're Black." And I don't think there are any more "No Blacks Allowed Here"-areas, no seperate water-fountains for Blacks, etc.)

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that 'the only reason racism still exists is because the story-tellers won't quit talking about it!''---same way a lot of problems work (one interpretation of the old saying "Speak of The Devil, & The Devil shall appear!')

For instance, I don't have many friends offline. Oh, there are many 'people I know when I see them' who don't "hate" me (and who probably know me too ); but I don't live anywhere near them and haven't SEEN them (except maybe in writing online) for a decade or two. And I blame my brain-injury. Blaming my brain-injury, it's almost like I give people AN EXCUSE to cast me out of their groups!

It's a passive-aggressive habit I have, called "rumination." Yes--like cows chew their cud (they regurgitate their food, chew it and swollow it again)--people say terrible things about themselves to EXCUSE the people who mistreat them (e.g. "Oh, fine! Go ahead and leave me here babbling to myself like a senile old ..." etc.)

And--though we consciously know we don't really mean all the terrible things we're saying about ourselves--our subconscious minds can't understand "sarcasm," so they hear what we're saying as if it's a sincere accusation.

That's why I don't like comedians who do 'Because We're Black'-jokes---I'm sure many people think that Blacks in America ALL love fried chicken & waffles, lack the ability to swim, and all sorts of other stereotypes ... simply because 'they've heard it several times (on TV and in movies).'

So how much of "racism today" is just 'cultural rumination'?

[cmoneyspinner]

Yeah. I get where you coming from. Personally, I think America has "black history" but it has nothing to do with a person's skin color. However, it is sad that history classes in the USA were so selective about the "content" presented to students. They should have just written the history by recording the event and naming the people involved. "Give credit where credit is due."

It's so silly. By the way, there was an argument over whether Cleopatra was black. Now I hear she wasn't even Egyptian. She was Greek.
viewtopic.php?f=262&t=35377&p=996320&hilit=Cleopatra#p996320

Is Black History contrary to MLK's "dream"? Yeah.
But I sometimes if any of the history of man is even true?

[Fergal]

Personally, I think America has "black history" but it has nothing to do with a person's skin color

That's interesting cmoneyspinner can you please expand on that and explain it a little?

[cmoneyspinner]

That's interesting cmoneyspinner can you please expand on that and explain it a little?

I kind of think the Native Americans could expand on it a lot better than me. Particularly, the Cherokee Nation. "Trail of Tears" https://www.history.com/topics/native-a ... l-of-tears

[Jem Smith]

Racism doesn't go away when people don't talk about it. Think about it. There wasn't less of it when we talked about it less and just didn't acknowledge it. How do you expect to fix systemic problems (which definitely still exist) without talking about them?

For example, in medicine, there is a long held belief that people of colour don't feel pain as much as white people and that therefore they don't need as much anaesthesia. Doctors believed this (as recently as 2016 a survey found 40% of surgeons thought this) and consequently black patients often didn't get the pain relief they needed. How do you teach young doctors otherwise without talking about how it's incorrect and comes from a racial bias?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843483/
https://www.aamc.org/news/how-we-fail-black-patients-pain

[cmoneyspinner]

Racism doesn't go away when people don't talk about it. Think about it. There wasn't less of it when we talked about it less and just didn't acknowledge it. How do you expect to fix systemic problems (which definitely still exist) without talking about them?

You need to send this to POTUS hopeful Nikki Haley.
She seems to think racism does exist but it doesn't, both at the same time.

[MysticMoons]

Nikki haley doesn't stand a chance in hell!
Trump 2024 baby! We're going to make American and Prices great again!

I MLK was awesome he stood up against evil and Tyranny people could learn a lot from him!
He was a true warrior that stood for truth and freedom. he was not going to take their crap

[cmoneyspinner]

Nikki haley doesn't stand a chance in hell!

I think the people in Nevada gave her a wake-up call. People can usually read the situation. But she had to be SHOCKED into reality.