Not my fault, not my problem
April 1, 2008
This is a half-developed (half-baked?) post published far too early in the morning, so forgive me if I’m a little incoherent.
Most objections to what we call “black issues” or “race issues” in American politics are expressed in terms of fairness and reverse-racism. Affirmative action programs aren’t fair because they continue to privilege some groups over others. Economic programs that focus on black communities are unfair because they’re handouts to people based on race. And programs designed to help black people are racist because they implicitly assume black people aren’t as capable as white people.
Implicit in these arguments is the assumption that since explicit racism has been for the most part purged from our legislation, racism is no longer a problem. The civil rights movement put a stake in the heart of racism in the seventies, and black people just need to let go, get over it, take responsibility for themselves. It’s not my fault any more, so any other problems must be your problems. Right?
People who make that argument fail to see that racism — institutionalized, condoned racism and oppression — has had real, actual, detrimental effects that have spanned generations. It’s also had positive effects for the white community which the white community still manages to take advantage of today, although most people probably aren’t even aware of it.
Getting rid of the racist legislation was the first necessary step. The next step is trying to repair the damage that’s been done.
Posted in Race
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April 1st, 2008 at 8:13 am
We had 246 YEARS of slavery, followed by another 95 or so of LEGAL oppression (and that’s just on this continent). I don’t think 30 or 40 years of “oopsies” makes up for that. You can’t just tell the children and grandchildren of people who were figuratively (or literally) held in chains to “get over it” and expect a polite response.
I, personally, may strive not to oppress, repress or otherwise depress people who are not of my skin hue, but it’s buried so deep within my heritage–not even counting the shared human tendency to distrust those not of my “tribe”–that I have to struggle every day to keep the better angels of my nature front and center. It’s not conscious. It’s inbred and ingrained in our history, our society and our lives.
So, I think I’ll cut a guy some slack for sounding a little angry that he’s had to struggle for every ounce of freedom and respect that I take for granted.
If anyone needs to “get over it” it is us.
April 1st, 2008 at 8:22 am
Well said, Sol.