Quote:
Originally posted by skywalker:
Well, I'll be damned if I will ever take any sort of responsibility for stuff that was done before I was born. I can't change the past, but I can make the future better.
mark
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But how can we make the future better, unless we acknowledge the mistakes - our mistakes - of the past, and seek to redress, compensate, learn from and avoid those evils? Knowledge and ownership are empowering.
Regarding slavery, I see the wounded side as showing incredible grace in the situation. Every day.
I was living in the south Bronx with some African-Americans for a while. I was the only Anglo for miles. I learnt a lot. I saw a white off duty cop start bullying my black friend. I've witnessed shocking, shocking white to black prejudice, and listened to another black friend wear his victimhood like a badge of restriction.
Some of these guys are still feeling the repercussions of the horrors of the white past.
By collectively owning the situation we can change things. Ownership, taking rather than avoiding blame, is empowering.
Blame implies power.