Your ancestors guilt is not yours too... You don't own a thing because your ancestors once did...
History all over the world is often full of movements and existences based upon guilt. This is not just in the United States. It is all over in history, yet my perspectives will focus more on United States history as that is where I am from. The things I am speaking of with regard to the US are still current an relevant. I do suspect similar historical GUILT is pushed upon people in all countries in one way or another.
I don't own a slave.
I have never owned a slave.
This is true of my parents.
This is true of my Grand Parents.
This is true of my Great Grand Parents (I only met one).
I cannot say farther back than that.
I did not run anyone off of their land.
My parents did not run anyone off of their land.
My grand parents did not run anyone off of their land.
I suspect this is true of my great grand parents as well, but I don't know 100% so I won't state it is.
The point is this. I am not guilty of slavery. In fact I've never met a slave in my life time.
I am not guilty of stealing someone's land. I've seen people lose their land due to government corruption and other things, but I've never been party to it. In fact, my grand mother lost some land that way.
So since I know no living slaves, and I encounter people that bring up the slave card as though they need reparations. Reparations for what? I didn't do anything to you. Reparations for ancestors far removed? Okay... how far can we go back, as I believe everyone can find examples of their ancestors being wronged in some way depending upon how far we go back. So I guess if we're going to hand out reparations for suffering and ill treatment to those that never experienced it then we ALL can get such reparations.
An interesting thing about the stealing land. This comes up with Native Americans, it comes up with the La Raza movement, etc. Yet none living experienced that. None living perpetrated that.
In fact those cases had histories of tribal warfare and people stealing land before the events they are speaking of. So do we go back to the animals that it was stolen from? (speaking actual animals, not humans acting like them)
Furthermore, if we want to get on the stolen land bandwagon. I have Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Cherokee ancestry. I am very pale skinned. Yet if ancestors are all that matter I too can be making the claim. Yet inevitably I will be one that they say "You stole our land" when in fact I have never stolen any land.
Did my ancestors? I'm sure some did.
Their actions are not mine. I refuse to pay someone for something I did not do. I will own up to my own choices and the consequences of those choices but I will NOT accept responsibility for actions and choices made by someone else. It's simple.
I know that Feeling even Jan van Riebeeck who landed here by us in 1652 gets blamed for stuff, and most of our in citizens for fathers comes from central Africa ...
I put it down to the world being so complicated, people need to simplify things with race so it's easier to get on top of it. "White people did such and such so because you're white you have privelege!" This kind of thinking is rampant on the Internet.. A poor Slovakian farmer who never left his village can be held accountable for genocide with this logic!
Yep. It is everywhere. :( So all we can do is occasionally point it out so people notice it. If they notice it maybe they'll stop feeding into it. (could be wishful thinking on my part)
even if there isn't recognition of the problem, that concept still needs pushback
maybe the folks pushing the propaganda won't admit the wrongness of their position, but other folk will see there is opposition to the idea; defeating pluralistic ignorance is just as important as convincing the "opponent"
white skin..i watched video of some darkskinned firl and u what she was saying? "there's a lot of words in english, connected with black, that mean smth bad- black friday, black cat, etc.". how you like dis, huh? :D
Do you have a problem with White skin? Are you a RACIST?
I totally agree. As far as slave ownership in Americas past it was nothing compared to what was going on in other parts of the world. Not to mention slavery and human trafficking that is currently going on. All this crap (guilt) is used as a tactic and that is all.
I couldn't agree more. The whole thing boils down to people's inability to accept responsibility for themselves. Thanks for the responsible and accurate post.
Recently i got called a colonialist by a black chick in Vancouver -- i just laughed.
My ancestry is Irish, and hers is most definitely not "first nations" on the Canadian land mass. My point is, neither of us had any skin (color) in that game. It just comes down to people seeking power through guilt rather than work.
Allow me a Nietzsche quote:
The harshest persecutors of the witches, and even the witches themselves, believed in the guilt of witchcraft. Yet this guilt did not exist. Such is the way with all guilt.
Cheers! from @thedamus
Dear god a voice of reason! You must be racist having written this post...
I thoroughly agree with the points made.
Unfortunately, slavery still exists. That's the harsh reality.
Enslaved by the system. Stuck in the rat race.
I hope to see more people find their true freedom.
@incomepal
Heheh... you're the second person to point that out. I wrote a post on race just prior to this one and I intentionally made that distinction in that post. I intentionally left it out of this one to see if anyone would make such a comment.
Two of you have. ;) Congratulations.
Thanks for that. Great minds think alike!
@incomepal
That's great man good post keep sharing :)
I agree with you 100% nobody should be held liable for another's action. Let the past stay in the past, we can't go back and correct what happened. All you can do is make the best of today and plan for a fruitful future. So lets learn from our past but not let it hold us hostage in guilt. Thanks for sharing this lovely post
Well, in Germany we have got similar issue, we call it the "Kollektiv-Schuld". It is related to the so called Holocaust and even todays Generation feel guilty for what happend. It paralyzes their thoughts, their creativity, corrupts their real attitudes and their self-confidence. Therefore I totally agree with your point of view.
Just out of my own ignorance. Is this why Germany is letting in so many refugees?
I am sure that is somehow related, although I can not prove it. It was part of our post war culture to not blame any minority for doesn't matter what they do (also bad things). Nowadays that seems to be a little bit different, society is more sensitive after two years of millions of refugees coming to germany, with few of them creating (also) some major problems. Leftists loosing popularity every single new election (see what happend G20 in Hamburg). Now society has to be very careful not to turn from an unlimited left oriented "Willkommenskultur" (Welcome-Culture) to a total rejection of humanity. Germany is all about stupid people creating mass dynamics that corrupt our Country either on the right or left political side. Hard to balance political trends;) We've got so much luck that our society is still somehow wealthy, otherwise could be much worse in my opioion.
Thank you for writing this. I suspected this was the case, but I didn't want to take liberties with another nation. I bet this is true everywhere to one degree or another.
I'm with you!