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HelpRe: So if I were to follow your above statements
in reply to a message by Aine
Thank you for explaining the difference between why the judgement of a Japanese name and the judgement of an African-American name are different. I didn't think of it in that sense. It is different because Japanese oppression stems from their culture (like, Americans oppressed the Japanese because they were Japanese), whereas African-American culture stemmed from oppression. I think I may have changed sides on this a bit. Thanks to you and queenv for that.
"She dances to the songs in her head, speaks to the rhythm of her heart, and loves from the depth of her soul." - Dean Jackson
"She dances to the songs in her head, speaks to the rhythm of her heart, and loves from the depth of her soul." - Dean Jackson
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No worries :)
And while the Japanese were oppressed around WW2 with the internment camps here and things, they haven't been oppressed in nearly the same way as African-Americans have. African-American people have been oppressed and not treated as fully human or part of society for hundreds of years as slaves, then all the way through Jim Crow, and still are to a large degree now despite Civil Rights. Civil Rights only gave them LEGAL rights and brought some empowerment and ended legal segregation and that only happened in the 1960s- there are POC still alive today that had to drink from a certain fountain, attend a certain school, ride in one part of the bus, and who lived in servitude. Lynchings happened regularly in the South up until the 1950s and 60s.
This isn't an "old" problem. It still happens in more insidious ways. Planned and purposeful segregation still happens that circumvents the laws.
It's something we as white people need to recognize- however hard we work, a black person in the same position needs to work much harder. Most black people begin way way wayyyyy behind the starting block we are on due to centuries of oppression. We need to recognize our privilege and do what we can to remedy it. It doesn't take away from our personal accomplishments as we can't help to whom we were born...but either can they. I believe in equality and that means that I need to recognize that I have been "lucky" to be born white by chance and fight for others who were not.
And while the Japanese were oppressed around WW2 with the internment camps here and things, they haven't been oppressed in nearly the same way as African-Americans have. African-American people have been oppressed and not treated as fully human or part of society for hundreds of years as slaves, then all the way through Jim Crow, and still are to a large degree now despite Civil Rights. Civil Rights only gave them LEGAL rights and brought some empowerment and ended legal segregation and that only happened in the 1960s- there are POC still alive today that had to drink from a certain fountain, attend a certain school, ride in one part of the bus, and who lived in servitude. Lynchings happened regularly in the South up until the 1950s and 60s.
This isn't an "old" problem. It still happens in more insidious ways. Planned and purposeful segregation still happens that circumvents the laws.
It's something we as white people need to recognize- however hard we work, a black person in the same position needs to work much harder. Most black people begin way way wayyyyy behind the starting block we are on due to centuries of oppression. We need to recognize our privilege and do what we can to remedy it. It doesn't take away from our personal accomplishments as we can't help to whom we were born...but either can they. I believe in equality and that means that I need to recognize that I have been "lucky" to be born white by chance and fight for others who were not.
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Wow. This is very sad. I didn't realize how severe the oppression was.
I've known less than 10 African-Americans in my whole life. The majority demographic where I use to live was white. Most POC were Asian. The concept of white privilege is a relatively new concept for me, and I only learned about it because of the internet. I'm grateful I moved to Charlotte, so I can see a different racial dynamic and notice my white privilege more.
Thanks for sharing this information. It was interesting and eye-opening.
I've known less than 10 African-Americans in my whole life. The majority demographic where I use to live was white. Most POC were Asian. The concept of white privilege is a relatively new concept for me, and I only learned about it because of the internet. I'm grateful I moved to Charlotte, so I can see a different racial dynamic and notice my white privilege more.
Thanks for sharing this information. It was interesting and eye-opening.
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