[Ron W.]

‘I believe a lack of interest in being ‘American’ is causing many of today’s ‘issues,’…’ Wrong… so wrong. To answer this question you must first ask yourself what ‘American’ culture is. Is it Irish? British? French? Portuguese? Is it even european at all? Is it really the culture(s) of the indigenous people who lived here 5000+ years ago? Is it the culture(s) of the Africans who were forcibly brought here 400+ years ago? (not that they were able to keep much of their cultures anyway) Is it the cultures of the Asian peoples who came here in the 1800’s? These United states are the world’s most unique experiment… an experiment like no other in the history of humankind, where a group of people have chosen to live together not because of their race, or religion, or ethnic background… but because of an idea… of a dream. Unfortunately, too many have come to this nation and learned the hard way that they will never be accepted by the (white) majority just as they are… their language (yes they should learn english but NOT throw away their native tongue), foods, clothing, mannerisms, etc. make white folks, for lack of a better word, uncomfortable. That lack of comfort leads these whites to either shun these people or try and change them into something more… palatable… to their sensibilities. This causes the hyphenation… people need to ‘belong’ somewhere, to some group, and when they feel they will never belong to the larger group, they will create their own. When they are made to feel as if they belong and they are accepted, REALLY accepted, just as they are, without changes or alterations, the hyphens will cease.

User Detail :  

Name : Ron W., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 38, City : El Cajon, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Artist, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Ron W.]

I agree with Jennifer that whites need to make more of an effort to understand our situation as African-Americans – and I call myself that because I don’t feel like an American, either. This is why there are Chinese-Americans, Mexican- Americans and other ‘Hyphen-Americans.’ Whites seem to want to sweep all the wrongs they do under the historical rug, from the theft of the New World by the Portuguese, Spanish, British and others to the theft and ‘colonization’ of major portions of Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. ‘Let it go,’ they say. ‘That was in the past,’ they whine. How conveniently they forget that it has been only within my lifetime that blacks in the United States have even been able to freely vote, or that there has been only one generation after mine in which 1) we have not had to endure the fear of not being able to love who we wanted because of miscegenation laws, 2) we can buy a house wherever we can afford to, 3) we can eat anywhere we choose, or 4) shop anywhere we like. It really hasn’t been that long.

And to answer Dave about the slave trade: while it seems true that there were blacks sold by other blacks into slavery, who were the ones doing the buying? Even the best salesman cannot sell if there are no customers. Bringing up this fact is nice historically, but I have found that whites who do this act like the little boy who points at his dog when his mother confronts him about the lamp he just broke. There is no absolution or lessening of guilt here.

One more thing: I think that the road to healing and forgiveness can be traveled by all races much more smoothly if those doing the wrong to others simply stopped. People would have no reason to bring up the past if it were also not the present. When I can look my children in the eye and tell them truthfully that the color of their skin means nothing in this society, and that only the color of their souls does, then I will ‘Let it go.’ Not before.

User Detail :  

Name : Ron W., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 38, City : El Cajon, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Artist, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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