Sowell: It's Not Black History Month, It's Sins of White People Month

www.townhall.com | Feb. 26, 2002 | Dr. Thomas Sowell

[Libertina]

Why isn't "Black History Month" in January in congruance with Martin Luther King's birhtday? Instead, the schools are all black history by way of MLK in January AND in February they ignore Lincoln / Washington with MORE "Black History." The only " honors" bestowed upon our country's founding heros are sales at the Bon and Sears. The schools don't even serve cherry pie anymore for goodness sakes! This needs to be changed.

[Dutchy]

And slavery continues in Africa today.....Reports that parents are selling their children for $25.00 to work in the fields or child prostitution....But nary a word in the major media about this....

[BellStar]

Bump TTT,

[stainlessbanner]

The funniest thing I saw this month at work was the Hispanics getting mad at the blacks b/c they had a bigger table and display for the Black History Month celebration. I call it Diversity Wars.

It's really sad how this "celebration" drives animosity between the races. I really don't see it as positive. Every year corporate America braces for the onslaught of propaganda in February. They rub our nose it, they call out whitey for slavery and bring up the injustices of their past while parading socialist black leaders. Not much positive about that.

A better solution is American Month - celebrate the accomplishments of ALL AMERICANS, not just white or black. Let's come together and celebrate our country and our fellow countrymen!

[Doc On The Bay]

"Amerinds," (I am ALSO "part American Indian,") have a "Millenia-old-History" of "Slave-Holding!" (...called the "Spoils of War"...)!

I DOUBT there is a Human Culture free of the Sin of "SlaveHolding," or the "Shame" of Slavery to another Tribe/Culture/Race/Religious Group!

So Some of ALL of our Forefathers were STUPID/Inconsiderate/Insensitive/Unwary/Savage/incompetent/rapacious/ill-advised/Slaves/Masters!!

That was Then; This is Now!

NO Human Culture is free of the sin of Slavery--or the Humiliation of "Being a Slave!" HISTORY HAS MOVED ON------!

ANY Culture which whines about past abuses as Slaves IS NEARLY ALWAYS a Culture which has ALSO "Held & Abused Slaves" in it's past--or EVEN at present!

America FORMALLY ABOLISHED ALL FORMS of SLAVERY ~ 150 years ago!

Considering World History, "Slavery" has been a "Dead Issue" in America for OVER a Century!

ANY ATTEMPT to claim "reparations" for the alleged "abuse" of a Slave in America HAS TO relate to Century (& a half)-old complaints by individuals sold into slavery (or, sadly, Born into Slavery) from a Black Culture ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN the "Slave Trade!"

American descendants of slaves who are convinced their lives would have been better had their ancestors Not been sold as slaves to Americans OUGHT TO BE "addressing their Grievances" to the African & Arab Families who captured & sold their ancestors into Slavery!

After ALL, History shows that Slaves sold to OTHER CULTURES were treated SO MUCH BETTER than those sold in America!

History CLEARLY SHOWS that if "Slaves" in America were treated "to the STANDARDS" accorded Slaves around the World (1900's), there would BE NO "Descendants" to whine about their "treatment!"

Doc

[GTXfan]

How about Native American History Month? They were more oppressed than the blacks. At least the white man gave the blacks food, clothing and shelter.

We did give food, clothing and shelter to the native Americans... only the food was rotten, the clothes had small pox, and the shelter was... well no shelter.

[mafree]

You have become somewhat of a metaphor, to me, for someone who just doesn't get it.

Just what is it that I don't get? Then, I'll be able to better speak to what it is YOU don't get.

That said, I also wanted to make sure you saw another example of Sowell's excellent reasoning.

Sowell's reasoning is excellent most of the time but there are a few flaws in this essay:

First of all, the premise of the essay is really inaccurate- if BHM were about the sins of white people, then the white sinners would be highlighted, not the black person who overcame racism and whatever else to be worthy of mention during BHM. To me, the theme panders to what the likes of you want to hear.

Second, BHM is about achievements, not excuses. The people typically honored during BHM refused to accept one excuse or another as to why they couldn't achieve.

Third, the notion that BHM means not knowing about anyone else's history is completely and totally erroneous. What do you think kids study the rest of the year? Hate to dissapoint you, but yours truly got pretty much all "A's" in American History and World History, and I'm old enough to have studied the non-PC version of those in school.

Tell me again- what is it that I don't seem to get?

[citizen]

bttt for tomorrow distribution.......thanks

[Rebelbase]

Yes, but the Native Americans gave the white man Lacrosse.

[okie01]

"When slavery was instituted in the New World in the 17th Century, it was done by White colonial Britons. America had yet to exist. Also, slavery had a long and proud tradition in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia looooong before Europeans got into the business."

Indeed, slavery is an inseparable part of the ethnicity of Slavs. The word derives from the Greek Sclava, or slave. So named because the Mongols regularly raided the steppes and captured these people as slaves, reportedly by the hundreds of thousands. Major Owens, notwithstanding...

It seems to me that Slavs, as a group, have "gotten over it". Though slavery is the derivation of their ethnic identity, it is but a footnote in their cultural history.

The blacks would do well to study their example.

[okie01]

"Anyone have the statistics on this? I know Brazil ended theirs in 1888, and Saudi Arabia in the 1970's."

It's not exactly the same thing, but the history of serfs in Russia closely parallels that of slavery in the U.S. -- in just about every important historical and social respect.

Czar Alexander II of Russia liberated the serfs in 1861, two years before Lincoln proclaimed emancipation.

[185JHP]

It's not hard at all to deny their claims. They were primitive savages without a written language or the wheel. There was a war of conquest, and they lost. They fought wars of conquest among themselves - we were just better at it. You may not know about their practices of cannibalism, torture, slavery, etc. No one can say "Well, that's it. No more wars of conquest - you all have to live with what you've got." We weren't particularly kind to these savages - but we were kinder than we had to be.

[John Locke]

Actually, in modern times it was black Americans who first abolished slavery - the black Americans of Haiti, in 1808. But I doubt that will be taught during this month.

[leadpenny]

Just what is it that I don't get? Then, I'll be able to better speak to what it is YOU don't get.

I'd be turning soil that had already been plowed on other threads, and you know it. As long as you, and the race hustlers who want to keep people as victims, have the notion that something as ridiculous as bhm is for MY benefit, solutions to the divisions in this country are impossible.

The gap between what you and I believe, on issues of race, is far too wide.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

Beg pardon.... I don't believe the bit about the American flag flying ONLY over slave owners homes from 1776. I am certain I have read refernce to the flag flying durring military movements... durring other times as well. I just don't buy it. I am certain that everyone knows that the "native American" sold his Indian brother into slavery,so is that where we start with the white liberal guilt? Is America responsible for that as well? Does the flag represent Indian slavery as well?

[rbmillerjr]

I'd like to see an "American History Month".

Now that is a novel idea. We applaud you.

[Teacher317]

Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I was just implying that the number of years that Old Glory flew over a nation that accepted slavery were rather few, relatively-speaking. 1776-1865 covers 90 years. Most of the other nations that had slavery practiced it for MUCH longer than that. I'll try to be clearer next time.

(BTW, I didn't know about Native Americans practicing slavery... and I've got some Cherokee ancestry! Any good links?)

[homeschool mama]

Thank you for clarifying that, teach!

[homeschool mama]

Did someone say Booker T. Washington?!

"There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs. There is a certain class of race-problem solvers who don't want the patient to get well."

Booker T. Washington 1911

[mafree]

As long as you think I might be seeking to keep people as victims you are right- we'll never begin to see eye-to-eye because saying things like that proves to me that you hear what you want to hear.