February is Black History Month

@White Mage said:

@Bruxae said:

@White Mage said:

@Bruxae said:

Morgan Freeman said it the way it is, stop calling people black or white men/women, and lets all just be .. men. Or women.

Observing color isn't the negative

No, the belief that the two skin colors make different kinds of people to the degree where the distinction has to be made is.

Though a distinction shouldn't "have" to be made, there is still a physical distinction

Only an aesthetic one, im not against defining someone as black or white when its relevant, as in history, medicine etc, but celebrating things like BHM only serves to make black people seem more different from other colors then they are.

Then we might aswell have white male month or asian female month, its just stupid.. Yes, blacks have been treated unfairly in the past but that wont go away from slapping a big flashing bandaid on it, it will go away with acceptance and moving forward.

Edit: If aesthethics matter so much, why dont we label eachother as big nosed and small nosed individuals? or medium, lesser then medium but not small.. Why is skin color the magic line where people shall be seperated into another group and not be just people? Other then the fact that they originate from a different country, there really is no difference.

@cameron83: just in case you havent noticed black history month is about black history in general not just black american history. its good that you want everyone to be color blind and accept people for who they are, but its just a dream and its not going to happen. Oh and thanks for calling me an ignorant fool for having a different opinion, it makes you sound very mature.

@VercingetorixTheGreat said:

@Eternal19 said:

@VercingetorixTheGreat: no its not its focused on white americans and you know it. I dont know why people are so butthurt about us african americans setting aside a month to celebrate our history. Because they dont teach it in schools and you know it.

Because how many founding fathers were African American or Asian or Hispanic? Nothing against African Americans or any other race but most of early American history was made by Europeans.

What public school do you go to??? They teach it in public schools.

My school has an AP European history class, but no AP Africa Class, no AP Asia class.they dont teach black history in schools. And the stuff that they do teach is the stuff that went on in the 60's in america

I'm going to post something productive in this thread.

Many people ask, why is Black History Month in February? Shouldn't it be in January, since MLK Jr's Birthday was in that month. Slavery was abolished in April 1862. 13th Amendment was ratified in December of 1865. So, why February?

Well here is why it is in February:

According to Biography.com, "Every February, Americans celebrate Black History Month. This tribute dates back to 1926 and is credited to a Harvard scholar named Carter G. Woodson. The son of former slaves, Woodson dedicated his life to ensuring that black history was accurately documented and disseminated.

"In an effort to bring national attention to the contributions of black Americans, Woodson organized the first annual Negro History Week in 1926. He chose the second week of February in honor of the birthdays of pivotal black supporters Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln."

Well, there ya go folks!

@VercingetorixTheGreat: Amen. Just equalize the history cariculums so that all races and ethnicities histories (if World History class), or these same groups contribution to America (if American History class. Naturally, there'll be opposition from both sides. Dumb a$$ racist neo conservatives who want to pretend that only European/White American contributions count, or ultra Left Wing guilt ridden (over things they never personally did) will try to insist that each minority needs special, and individual recognition as repayment for all the wrongs done them.

Morgan Freeman is the MAN...move on and stop talking about it...don't forget or ignore the past, just stop TALKING about it and move on. :)

@Bruxae said:

@White Mage said:

@Bruxae said:

@White Mage said:

@Bruxae said:

Morgan Freeman said it the way it is, stop calling people black or white men/women, and lets all just be .. men. Or women.

Observing color isn't the negative

No, the belief that the two skin colors make different kinds of people to the degree where the distinction has to be made is.

Though a distinction shouldn't "have" to be made, there is still a physical distinction

Only an aesthetic one, im not against defining someone as black or white when its relevant, as in history, medicine etc, but celebrating things like BHM only serves to make black people seem more different from other colors then they are.

Then we might aswell have white male month or asian female month, its just stupid.. Yes, blacks have been treated unfairly in the past but that wont go away from slapping a big flashing bandaid on it, it will go away with acceptance and moving forward.

Edit: If aesthethics matter so much, why dont we label eachother as big nosed and small nosed individuals? or medium, lesser then medium but not small.. Why is skin color the magic line where people shall be seperated into another group and not be just people? Other then the fact that they originate from a different country, there really is no difference.

Knowing our history does actually help us to move forward. When we are given equal attention for our accomplishments, th and it's nice to see a bit of emphasis given to the contributions of black americans as well. It's not People are different, and there's nothing wrong with that. I love my heritage, and I don't see the issue with celebrating it. I'm not looking at white people and demonizing them for the sins of their ancestors. I'm looking at the accomplishments of the ones who came before me, and feeling proud about it. It's not just my race. It's my heritage/culture.

Negroid, Mongoloid, Caucasoid....people are physically different. And different colors/genetics give different advantages/disadvantages. As long as one doesn't claim superiority, I don't see why it's such a big deal to so many people.

I'm astonished by how many people don't actually know our history. I just got through watching Oprah and Jamie Foxx talk about Django Unchained.....and they mentioned how people thought that Quentin was trying to be "over the top" with his depictions.....I literally shook my damn head

We were treated barbarically, and we've come a very long way since those days. It's beautiful, the progress we've made in such a "short" time. My grandparents were alive during the days where black people were getting hozed by firemen, and my great grandmother...well...lets just say that, if you've heard the song "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holliday, then you know some of the things my great grandmother was exposed to as a young black girl of those times. I'm proud that my ancestors survived. I'm glad that my great grandmother survived, and I'm glad that my grandparents survived. Our history deserves to be shared and spotlighted, but it isn't. Shallow mentions of what happened don't do it justice. Jamie and Oprah mentioned the holocaust during their interview...........I find that fitting.

@White Mage said:

I'm astonished by how many people don't actually know our history. I just got through watching Oprah and Jamie Foxx talk about Django Unchained.....and they mentioned how people thought that Quentin was trying to be "over the top" with his depictions.....I literally shook my damn head

We were treated barbarically, and we've come a very long way since those days. It's beautiful, the progress we've made in such a "short" time. My grandparents were alive during the days where black people were getting hozed by firemen, and my great grandmother...well...lets just say that, if you've heard the song "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holliday, then you know some of the things my great grandmother was exposed to as a young black girl of those times. I'm proud that my ancestors survived. I'm glad that my great grandmother survived, and I'm glad that my grandparents survived. Our history deserves to be shared and spotlighted, but it isn't. Shallow mentions of what happened don't do it justice. Jamie and Oprah mentioned the holocaust during their interview...........I find that fitting.

I can dig this.

@BiteMe-Fanboy said:

I'm going to post something productive in this thread.

Many people ask, why is Black History Month in February? Shouldn't it be in January, since MLK Jr's Birthday was in that month. Slavery was abolished in April 1862. 13th Amendment was ratified in December of 1865. So, why February?

Well here is why it is in February:

According to Biography.com, "Every February, Americans celebrate Black History Month. This tribute dates back to 1926 and is credited to a Harvard scholar named Carter G. Woodson. The son of former slaves, Woodson dedicated his life to ensuring that black history was accurately documented and disseminated.

"In an effort to bring national attention to the contributions of black Americans, Woodson organized the first annual Negro History Week in 1926. He chose the second week of February in honor of the birthdays of pivotal black supporters Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln."

Well, there ya go folks!

thank you. : )

@Eternal19 said:

My school has an AP European history class, but no AP Africa Class, no AP Asia class.they dont teach black history in schools. And the stuff that they do teach is the stuff that went on in the 60's in america

Africa (at least Northern Africa) gets a lot of attention in history classes.

But the main reason African history is not taught like European history is that history DEPENDS ON PEOPLE WRITING IT. Nothing against African's but generally the history of Africa (or atleast Sub Saharan Africa) was not recorded until fairly recent times (except for Egypt, Carthage, North Africa).

Nothing against Africans again in fact I would attribute this mostly due to not having much land suitable for agriculture.

It is the same reason there is no AP Native American history class.

Happy Black History Month again! : )

Reading the works of the late DWAYNE MCDUFFIE from MILESTONE MEDIA

@mrdecepticonleader said:

@Glitch_Spawn said:

Yeah I agree with the fact that Black History month and all other times of celebration involving certain races should be done away with. They're pointless and annoying. I'm Irish Catholic but I'm not proud to be because it's not something I accomplished. I was just born that way. Be happy to be black, white, red, yellow, or green for all I care. That's cool, but taking pride in something that isn't your doing is pretty arrogant.

Well said.

It really doesn't have to be a whole month. Unless you're scheduling something to happen each and everyday in the month.

While I'm glad it showcases people that would be relegated to the backs of textbooks, the way Black History Month is often handled makes it more racist than it should. Sounds strange, but it limits the recognition to a specific time frame, while at the same time devaluing other Heritage months for the sake of advertising February.

That's one reason I think that Asians never get a peep in the news over accomplishments they gave to society, or even prominent Hispanics (I don't mean the illegal alien appreciation that California revels in. But hardworking civilians who immigrated that happen to be Hispanic in origin and ancestry.)

If one month gets advertised, they should all get advertised. Nobody gets special favors just because of melanin levels in the skin.

@Vance Astro:

It's the worst of the sins, following murder. Pride is to feel power over that in which you have no control over. Earning is one thing where you can feel achievement (capitalist in me talking), but pride is when you take credit for what you had little to do.

Being proud is to feel a certain respect for yourself, but not to the point of being a glory hog. But it can lead to pride, which does turn you into a glory hog.

It's weird in how the Bible showcases it. Like Moses being denied the promised land for putting on airs.

@Deadite said:

@mrdecepticonleader said:

@Glitch_Spawn said:

Yeah I agree with the fact that Black History month and all other times of celebration involving certain races should be done away with. They're pointless and annoying. I'm Irish Catholic but I'm not proud to be because it's not something I accomplished. I was just born that way. Be happy to be black, white, red, yellow, or green for all I care. That's cool, but taking pride in something that isn't your doing is pretty arrogant.

Well said.

It really doesn't have to be a whole month. Unless you're scheduling something to happen each and everyday in the month.

I actually think I brought something like that up before.

@Vance Astro:

It's the worst of the sins, following murder. Pride is to feel power over that in which you have no control over. Earning is one thing where you can feel achievement (capitalist in me talking), but pride is when you take credit for what you had little to do.

Being proud is to feel a certain respect for yourself, but not to the point of being a glory hog. But it can lead to pride, which does turn you into a glory hog.

It's weird in how the Bible showcases it. Like Moses being denied the promised land for putting on airs.

Pride is synonymous with self-esteem and self-respect. I am black and therefore of what I am, I am proud. Pride as it's described as a sin is synonymous with conceit, excessive love of oneself to the detriment of others and arrogance, which is not the way I mean I'm PROUD to be black. So I'm not really understanding why you're crossing the two or what this post is even supposed to mean.

@Necrotic_Lycanthrope said:

the way Black History Month is often handled makes it more racist than it should.

Is it just a coincidence that they picked the shortest month of the year to remember the blacks?

@King-Stranglehold da first said:

@Nelomaxwell said:

@King-Stranglehold da first:

Yeah I remember watching those videos. But check this out...Some interesting new was released on December that King Ramses III was E1b1a (now called E-M2). I believe you heard of it, but if you have not than here it is...

Anybody who knows anything about e1b1a knows its mostly found amoung Sub Saharan Africans most notably West Africans, Central Africans and South Africans from the Bantu migration.

Now everyone is asking how the hell did E1b1a get into Ancient Egypt?

Well...One should note that e1b1a is found in the Sudan at 20%. And it is NOT RECENT.

Also presence of severe sickle cell found in the mummies would strongly suggest its (E1b1a's, that is) presence is not a result of more recent events.

They found Benin sickle cell in Ancient Egyptian mummies, after all:

"We conducted a molecular investigation of the presence of sicklemia in six predynastic Egyptian mummies (about 3200 BC) from the Anthropological and Ethnographic Museum of Turin. Previous studies of these remains showed the presence of severe anemia, while histological preparations of mummified tissues revealed hemolytic disorders."

- Marin et. al. 1999, Use of the Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS) in the Study of HbS in Predynastic Egyptian Remains."

Here is a map of where sickle cell comes from:

Like the paper says, they had severe sickle cell. And this wouldn't be the only thing challenging a more recent spread of E1b1a to the region. Less severe sickle cell exists (though it's not what they found).

"The Benin haplotype was found in patients with severe disease, either as homozygous or in combination with another haplotype. The majority of Syrians and Jordanians had the Benin haplotype, and severe disease. However, one in three Syrians and one in five Jordanians had a milder disease, and the Saudi-Indian haplotype was identified."

- el-Hazmi et. al. 1999, Haplotypes of the beta-globin gene as prognostic factors in sickle-cell disease.

Also you should know, West Africa has a connection straight to Egypt & Sudan. Africa once had a third great River besides the Nile and Niger Rivers which was infact connected straight to the Niger River through Lake Chad, one of Africa's great lakes along with Lake Victoria. Clearly these acted as significant pumps for people when one considers that the Nile River goes straight to its source in mountainous Northern Ethiopia, the "Mountain of the Moon", which is where the Ancient Egyptians said they came from.

Here is a map of the now non-existent River:

Also King Tut was said to have died of sickle cells and he has severe sickle cells. You can read about it in the links below....

http://news.discovery.com/history/tut-pharaoh-blood-disease.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/king-tut-died-from-sicklecell-disease-not-malaria-2010531.html

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19094-tutankhamen-killed-by-sicklecell-disease.html

Also one should also take note that the Yoruba people claim they descend from Ancient Egypt.

Now on to DNAtribes...DNAtribes study's found the King Tut and other Amarna Mummies were mainly of African DNA(South, Africa's Great lake and Tropical West African).

http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest-2012-01-01.pdf

Here is a chart by them:

This 100% correlates with Ramesses III being e1b1a.

Not only this...But DNAconstruct also says the Amarna mummies are mainly of African DNA.

King Tut:

"Like most of the other genes in the family, it is Central African in ancient origin, but unlike the other markers it has a sparse distribution outside Africa with a worldwide average frequency of 4%. Still, Africans and African-influenced populations (1 in about 10) are about twice or three times as likely to have it as non-Africans."

Source:

http://dnaconsultants.com/king-tut-gene

Akhenaten:

"Named for the pharaoh who attempted to convert Egypt to monotheism, this autosomal ancestry marker like most of the Amarna family group’s DNA is clearly Africanin origin. Akhenaten received it from his mother, Queen Tiye. Today, it is the gene type carried by a majority (52%) of the Copts living in the Pre-dynastic site of Adaima near Thebes or Luxor and the Valley of the Kings on the Nile River in Upper (southern) Egypt. The ancient marker makes a good showing in the Middle East and in Jews as well as parts of southern Europe close to Africa, such as southern Italy and Spain, but it is reduced to low levels in Asia and the Americas (except where brought there by Africans or people carrying some African ancestry). A[b]bout 2 in 5 Africans or African Americans has it[/b]. Among Melungeons, the figure is 1 in 3."

Source:

http://dnaconsultants.com/akhenaten-gene

Thuya:

"One of the autosomal ancestry markers prominent in the Royal Egyptian families of the New Kingdom, this not-so-rare gene is Central African in origin and was passed to Thuya from her forebears, Queens of Upper and Lower Egypt and High Priestesses of Hathor, the Mother Goddess. Thuya passed it to her grandson Akhenaten and great-grandson Tutankhamun, among others, as documented in a forensic study of the Amarna mummies by Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo, in 2010. Today, its highest incidence is in Somalians at nearly 50%. It is found in 40% of Muslim Egyptians. On average, 1 in 3 Africans or African Americans carries it. It crops up in high concentrations in many places around the world such as the Basque region (41%) and in Melungeons (31%, similar to Middle Easterners), but is present at only low levels in East and South Asia, as well as Native America. Its lowest frequency is in the Chukchi of Siberia (3%)."

Source:

http://dnaconsultants.com/thuya-gene

This is all hard proof that the Ancient Egyptians were a indigenous African group.

This was from King Stranglehold Da First. In the black people thread thought it was intresting@VercingetorixTheGreat:

@logy5000: Coldest too, month where everything dies.

@Vance Astro: It's best off not even acknowledging her, bruh.

Canada has Black History month (February), Asian Heritage month (May) and Aboriginal Heritage month (June).

All of these months are in the school's curriculum in the province I am in and it gives an opportunity for all Canadians to reflect on our country's history and present attitude in terms of visible minorities. We played a big part in the Underground Railroad, aiding enslaved people to escape their horrific lives - to be granted asylum in Canada. It's something all Canadians should be mindful of. The same in relation to Asian countries, acknowledging and teaching generation after generation of the work camps set up out west in which Asians -- specifically the Japanese during World War II were held, families torn apart and basically imprisoned for simply being Japanese, regardless if they were fourth or fifth generation Canadians.

Our First Nations people still suffer -- but there has been a massive push to bring forward their plight and holding our country accountable for the unfairness still doled out but more importantly, having an amount of time devoted to Aboriginal History. It is a rich tapestry of trade and human perseverance - a culture tied closely with the land and so a culture deeply embedded in what it is be Canadian.

I do see good points on both sides of the fence in terms of there needing to be a month at all to be reserved in recognizance of a certain ethnicity but in my opinion -- Black History as it pertains to North America is heavily saturated with slavery, suffering, persistance, and human rights, let alone civil rights. While I certainly believe black historical figures should be taught in tandem with others, the very reason they are memorable is because of slavery and racism and prejudice, simply because of the colour of their skin. Morgan Freeman is of the belief that Black History Month should be spread out throughout the year -- no special month in which to cram all pertinent information about black historical events and I agree wholeheartedly. Especially when learning of great African-Americans who have contributed to science and discovery and technology. There is no disagreement there I think between anyone on this thread.

However, claiming it will stop racism I do not agree with. So we are to stop talking about the divide and then the divide will go away? Doesn't make any sense. Racism is still rampant out there -- claims that it is much less than before can be argued, but is it eradicated? Particularly towards the black population? No way. I believe it can/will be but not by ignoring it. When has pretending something isn't there ever worked? There is still much to do -- racism has changed and there are varied reasons for it but until it is completely gone, we can't stop initiatives which helped get it to this point. Taking a month and declaring it to be one in which all Americans (and Canadians) should reflect on the particular hardships this group has suffered historically but more importantly, it's successes and brilliant celebrations in terms of progress is a perfect opportunity to do so.

Until then, Black History Month (and others) are fantastic ideas. Anything that promotes knowledge can never be a bad thing and certainly shouldn't be done away with. Mr Freeman's words are wonderful and well regarded (as they should be) but they are premature. Much still needs to be done before anyone can fairly say racism is prevalent only because it's still being discussed. It's naive and a subtle but dangerous head-in-the-sand manoeuvre. Don't think going backwards in terms of civil liberties is an impossibility. Those who fail to know history are doomed to repeat it.

My two cents on the matter. Not looking to argue or debate with anyone, just sharing my opinion.

Canada has Black History month (February), Asian Heritage month (May) and Aboriginal Heritage month (June).

All of these months are in the school's curriculum in the province I am in and it gives an opportunity for all Canadians to reflect on our country's history and present attitude in terms of visible minorities. We played a big part in the Underground Railroad, aiding enslaved people to escape their horrific lives - to be granted asylum in Canada. It's something all Canadians should be mindful of. The same in relation to Asian countries, acknowledging and teaching generation after generation of the work camps set up out west in which Asians -- specifically the Japanese during World War II were held, families torn apart and basically imprisoned for simply being Japanese, regardless if they were fourth or fifth generation Canadians.

Our First Nations people still suffer -- but there has been a massive push to bring forward their plight and holding our country accountable for the unfairness still doled out but more importantly, having an amount of time devoted to Aboriginal History. It is a rich tapestry of trade and human perseverance - a culture tied closely with the land and so a culture deeply embedded in what it is be Canadian.

I do see good points on both sides of the fence in terms of there needing to be a month at all to be reserved in recognizance of a certain ethnicity but in my opinion -- Black History as it pertains to North America is heavily saturated with slavery, suffering, persistance, and human rights, let alone civil rights. While I certainly believe black historical figures should be taught in tandem with others, the very reason they are memorable is because of slavery and racism and prejudice, simply because of the colour of their skin. Morgan Freeman is of the belief that Black History Month should be spread out throughout the year -- no special month in which to cram all pertinent information about black historical events and I agree wholeheartedly.

Claiming it will stop racism I do not agree with. So we are to stop talking about the divide and then the divide will go away? Doesn't make any sense. Racism is still rampant out there -- claims that it is much less than before can be argued, but is it eradicated? Particularly towards the black population? No way. I believe it can/will be but not by ignoring it. When has pretending something isn't there ever worked? There is still much to do -- racism has changed and there are varied reasons for it but until it is completely gone -- there is much to do. Taking a month and declaring it to be one in which all Americans (and Canadians) should reflect on the particular hardships this group has suffered historically but more importantly, it's successes and brilliant celebrations in terms of progress is a perfect opportunity to do so.

Until then, Black History Month (and others) are fantastic ideas. Anything that promotes knowledge can never be a bad thing and certainly shouldn't be done away with. Mr Freeman's words are wonderful and well regarded (as they should be) but they are premature. Much still needs to be done before anyone can fairly say racism is prevalent only because it's still being discussed. It's naive and a subtle but dangerous head-in-the-sand manoeuvre. Don't think going backwards in term of civil liberties is an impossibility. Those who fail to know history are doomed to repeat it.

My two cents on the matter. Not looking to argue or debate with anyone, just sharing my opinion on the matter.

@Vance Astro:

O_O

You didn't know?

@Vance Astro:

O_O

You didn't know?

@Necrotic_Lycanthrope: I'd argue Pride is not only the worst of sins, but in fact is all sin, the root without which no other sin could flourish. No other sin is possible without valuing yourself above another person, or above God. True -- enjoying one's accomplishment is a different thing which unfortunately shares the same English word, and refusing to be ashamed of who you are is also not necessarily bad either (though I think people do tend to take pride in things they oughtn't, but that's a different story). Embracing one's race is hardly hubris. Embracing one's race as superior to others is.

@lykopis: I think if we had equally recognized months or periods of reflection for other groups (Asian & Aboriginal, for example) then there would be less backlash against Black History Month. In truth, no group has suffered as badly as natives, followed by blacks -- so their prominence in the national conscience shouldn't be downplayed. After World War II (and during), what with internment camps and all -- that's something we also don't do a good job of talking about... And today I feel like there's a lot of unhealthy thinking and speech regarding Hispanics.

I'm not really sure if I have a point...just that I like that you guys have a spread of months.

@Vance Astro said:

@lykopis said:

@Vance Astro:

O_O

You didn't know?

I had no idea. What part of Canada are you from? I used to live in Burnaby & Vancouver, I went to school there for a while.

O_O

I was born and raised in Vancouver -- pretty much spent most of my teenage life in Burnaby!

LOL -- oh wow, all this time and we never knew -- did you go to Simon Fraser? I am in Toronto now though for school although I did want to attend UBC initially. What did you think of my city while you were there?

@akbogert: I agree. Not to say we don't have racism here -- we do -- but it's not a black/white thing, it's an ethnic thing. Just like you said - our First Nations peoples suffered and still do suffer the most (especially in our northern areas) and now -- Southeast Asians, Middle Eastern and African immigrants. It's almost like two steps forward -- one step back. I think doing away with anything which takes away focus from that will only contribute to reversing hard fought for successes in terms of battling racism in all in it's forms against all people discriminated against.

We don't have it where i live. We do have times where we spend more time learning about other cultures in general but not one specific for a month. Sometimes i think we could spend a little more time at schools learning about different cultures but then again, we already live in a very multi-cultural society over here. Classes are mixed so you tend to learn more from your classmates than your teachers.

O_O

I was born and raised in Vancouver -- pretty much spent most of my teenage life in Burnaby!

LOL -- oh wow, all this time and we never knew -- did you go to Simon Fraser? I am in Toronto now though for school although I did want to attend UBC initially. What did you think of my city while you were there?

@Vance Astro said:

@Necrotic_Lycanthrope said:

@Vance Astro:

It's the worst of the sins, following murder. Pride is to feel power over that in which you have no control over. Earning is one thing where you can feel achievement (capitalist in me talking), but pride is when you take credit for what you had little to do.

Being proud is to feel a certain respect for yourself, but not to the point of being a glory hog. But it can lead to pride, which does turn you into a glory hog.

It's weird in how the Bible showcases it. Like Moses being denied the promised land for putting on airs.

Pride is synonymous with self-esteem and self-respect. I am black and therefore of what I am, I am proud. Pride as it's described as a sin is synonymous with conceit, excessive love of oneself to the detriment of others and arrogance, which is not the way I mean I'm PROUD to be black. So I'm not really understanding why you're crossing the two or what this post is even supposed to mean.

@Necrotic_Lycanthrope said:

the way Black History Month is often handled makes it more racist than it should.

Welcome to America...

No it's not. It's been labeled as such in modern society, but it's not self-esteem and respect. It's finding yourself superior to another. The best I can say is you can be proud to have earned an A in a class, but it doesn't mean you are better than everybody else who got a lesser grade.

You can be accepting of yourself for a race, but pride will lead to considering only yourself superior to all others. If I try saying I'm proud to be a Sicilian, I get called out for being mafia. Clearly pride can for some be considered a good thing, but the way it's structured now is that if you're anything but a certain type, you're worth less.

---------

You mean welcome to the world run by idiots. America isn't the only point of racism as everybody likes to label itself as being. South Africa is worse because they still implement Jim Crowe-esque laws that actively suppress the African population. The Middle East is possibly the most anti-Semitic place on Earth since Nazi Germany, yet it gets a blind eye because Israel is "too powerful" according to Europe.

Australia tried to "breed out" the Aborigines by kidnapping children in order to "mate them" and dilute the "lesser blood".

Asia always gets into beefs with each other because one is Chinese and the other is Japanese, or Tibetan etc.

So to say America is the only racist is a bit of a stretch. (sorry if I'm ranting. But my brain is still mush at this early in the morning/afternoon D:).

No it's not. It's been labeled as such in modern society, but it's not self-esteem and respect. 

@Necrotic_Lycanthrope said:

You can be accepting of yourself for a race, but pride will lead to considering only yourself superior to all others. If I try saying I'm proud to be a Sicilian, I get called out for being mafia. Clearly pride can for some be considered a good thing, but the way it's structured now is that if you're anything but a certain type, you're worth less.

@Necrotic_Lycanthrope said:

You mean welcome to the world run by idiots. America isn't the only point of racism as everybody likes to label itself as being. South Africa is worse because they still implement Jim Crowe-esque laws that actively suppress the African population. The Middle East is possibly the most anti-Semitic place on Earth since Nazi Germany, yet it gets a blind eye because Israel is "too powerful" according to Europe.

Australia tried to "breed out" the Aborigines by kidnapping children in order to "mate them" and dilute the "lesser blood".

Asia always gets into beefs with each other because one is Chinese and the other is Japanese, or Tibetan etc.

So to say America is the only racist is a bit of a stretch. (sorry if I'm ranting. But my brain is still mush at this early in the morning/afternoon D:).

@Aiden Cross: where are you from?

@Nelomaxwell: Holland/The Netherlands =)

@Nelomaxwell: Holland/The Netherlands =)

@Nellmaxwell: you would not be correct. :) Asian, black, marrocan, turkish etc, we have people from all cultures and etnicity living here. There's a reason our country is called a 'melting pot'. We do not have the percentage of black people living here as in the USA if that's what you mean?