Discussion for article #235920
Meanwhile, anti-semitism in South Africa is on the rise.
Clearly, you’ve learned nothing from living in Atlanta. It’s very difficult to engage people about the past there and the racism has a particularly ugly history. It translated into very everyday situations–like the lack of any public pools in Atlanta (they were closed and filled-in n most of the city and many suburbs).
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The great thing about this is that they are willing to have the conversation, even if that means showing their own sharp differences. Here, any conversation about race brings out a cadre of bigots who scream about “Chicago” and “immigration,” and try to shout down even reasonable statements. What remains are only those few who are willing to go toe to toe with the opposite’s crazies, and then, other than a few snarky zingers, nothing gets solved.
Until Americans are willing to have a honest --and civil-- conversation about race, the country will stay as divided as it currently is.
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A lot of things could be said about this piece (mostly very positive, in my opinion, and Africa is what I teach about), but for now just this: The author is a college junior? How many others who have taught for a lot of years have would join me in saying that sophistication of thought and expression such as this is something to behold in a writer this age? This author’s name is one I’ll be watching for in the future.
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While I laud the author on his thoughts on how to use the openness of the TRC efforts in South Africa to discuss race in America. He must at all times keep in mind, with almost 400 years of BS that passes as American history, the mindsets are too entrenched to cope with truthfulness.
Automatically, the shields go up. “Not me, that has nothing to do with me.” So, already the door is closed. Blacks and whites in SA have no reason to try and deny their issues. They KNOW what the deal is/was. No need to sugarcoat it. The fact that political freedom has not translated into economical freedom is the heart of the problem. It will take time for the barriers to go down there. But there are no delusions on the who, what, where, where, when, how, and why.
Not so here in America. So many lies, half truths, distortions, stereotyping, and sugarcoating, there is way too much to clear up before and serious discussion can occur. I seriously doubt it can ever happen.
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What about the city pools at parks like Dunbar, Pittman, John A White, MLK, Grant, Thomasville, Rosel Fann, etc., etc.? The bond issue that just passed included $20 million for a new natatorium.
To white people: sit down and shut up. For once, this isn’t about you
There may be nuance I’m missing, but the author’s statement that this attitude is a hindrance seems misplaced. It may seem asymmetric that black people should be allowed to voice their opinions and white people shouldn’t, but that is only if you ignore the long history of the dominance of white opinion. Even if it seems unfair in that moment, it isn’t just about that moment.
I’ve heard exactly this argument made in terms of feminism. When women are talking about problems they face, a good rule of thumb for men is to shut up and listen, rather than broadcasting your take on the matter. Most likely, those women you are schooling have already heard your opinion from a hundred other men at various times.
I think there is a mosaic in the US. I grew up in StL and live in Atl and think I have a finger on both pulses.
In Atl, race issues are out in the open and on the table. Race talk is blunt in Atl. Nobody here pretends that the schools in the poor black neighborhoods are as good as those in the white neigborhoods, and very few deny why that inequality persists. The struggle for equity continues. Atl underwent something along the lines of a reconciliation during the civil rights era, when the then white dominated political structure made, in effect, an decision to share power with blacks. That remains an unbroken covenant.
In StL, talk of race is whispered and repressed. StL is no further ahead in race relations than it was decades ago. The explosion of Ferguson was entirely predictable, as has been the reaction by white StL.
I don’t think you are right about Atlanta and race relations. We talk race relations 24/7 in Atl. It isn’t at all difficult to talk about it. What has been difficult is going beyond the talk or making more rapid progress. Still, Atlanta is way far ahead of a lot of places in the US when it comes to reconciliation.
True. The conversation about race in Atlanta is quite open and robust. I don’t believe there’s any aspect of it that’s considered “off the table.” The original article makes some good points but it doesn’t have much application in a city like Atlanta.