Hoeboy's thread on the pride experienced while observing a Latino family led me to requestion the civil rights movements, the feminist movement, and the role racism and the struggle for racial equality has played in the shaping of the moral and social policies of this nation as well as our own modern understanding of reality and the education system's role in passing down these ideas.
Namely, has anything changed since the times of segregation and apartheid and if so what and to what extent? How much work is left to do?
The reason I ask this is because with the recent global developments, people tend to put domestic problems and problems concerning ordinary life for many people out of mind and thus out of existence. In taking a rosy view of the world, people forget the past history and problems that still plague us today. Sure, everyone preaches the same values of fraternity, equality, and liberty but underneath the mindless droning of mass opinion lurks the true intentions driving human action forward and ultimately shaping the world we all live in. I wasn't alive during the civil rights movement and if I had been, I would be in a different country considering my past but I am intimately aware of the problems that were faced by blacks during that time and especially the current manifestations of anger and disillusionment I see in members of US society.
Pluralism and tolerance and the du jour specialties but in seeing the power and influence in the modern corporate and political arenas, I see that fundamentally little has been done. People may say tolerance one day but once the thin veneer of their world is penetrated, once that bubble is burst, once again I see the same agenda of dominance and control that has been in place ever since people have decided to place an absolute value on a relative idea.
Racism may not be as blatant as it once were but my concern is whether it is still a significant issue, significant enough that we take more notice and possibly work a little harder at recognizing its problems.
Another concern I have is just how little understanding the vast majority in the middle class have both of themselves and of the classes above and below them. Most people I know just want to lead a good life, full of routine and order and to have their children inherit a slightly better future obtained through back and soul-breaking labor. No longer is the voice of the black man heard or the rage of his soul understood as the complacency brought by an "I'm ok, you're ok" era manifests itself in the mind of our progeny. But the voice remains, loud and clear, for those who want to hear.
I guess what I'm asking is: how far have we come in overcoming racism, where do problems still exist and has anything fundamentally changed that enables us to understand better ourselves, our past, and our future in relation to each other and the world-at-large?
any thoughts welcome
Namely, has anything changed since the times of segregation and apartheid and if so what and to what extent? How much work is left to do?
The reason I ask this is because with the recent global developments, people tend to put domestic problems and problems concerning ordinary life for many people out of mind and thus out of existence. In taking a rosy view of the world, people forget the past history and problems that still plague us today. Sure, everyone preaches the same values of fraternity, equality, and liberty but underneath the mindless droning of mass opinion lurks the true intentions driving human action forward and ultimately shaping the world we all live in. I wasn't alive during the civil rights movement and if I had been, I would be in a different country considering my past but I am intimately aware of the problems that were faced by blacks during that time and especially the current manifestations of anger and disillusionment I see in members of US society.
Pluralism and tolerance and the du jour specialties but in seeing the power and influence in the modern corporate and political arenas, I see that fundamentally little has been done. People may say tolerance one day but once the thin veneer of their world is penetrated, once that bubble is burst, once again I see the same agenda of dominance and control that has been in place ever since people have decided to place an absolute value on a relative idea.
Racism may not be as blatant as it once were but my concern is whether it is still a significant issue, significant enough that we take more notice and possibly work a little harder at recognizing its problems.
Another concern I have is just how little understanding the vast majority in the middle class have both of themselves and of the classes above and below them. Most people I know just want to lead a good life, full of routine and order and to have their children inherit a slightly better future obtained through back and soul-breaking labor. No longer is the voice of the black man heard or the rage of his soul understood as the complacency brought by an "I'm ok, you're ok" era manifests itself in the mind of our progeny. But the voice remains, loud and clear, for those who want to hear.
I guess what I'm asking is: how far have we come in overcoming racism, where do problems still exist and has anything fundamentally changed that enables us to understand better ourselves, our past, and our future in relation to each other and the world-at-large?
any thoughts welcome