Has Black History Month Outlived Its Usefulness?

NewsMax.com ^ | Feb. 21, 2002 | Barrett Kalellis

[rightofrush]

Reality's a bitch.

[rohry]

Reality's a bitch.

Nope. Reality has been very, very good to me...

[rohry]

By the way, I'm right of Rush also. It's not to hard.

[OldEagle]

I'm OK with Black History Month. Something that recognizes achievement is a good thing. I don't think many would disagree. Is there another side to the coin? Sure there is. Why just black history? And I have been told that African-American is the preferred term.

[rightofrush]

By the way, I'm right of Rush also. It's not too hard.

A damned cite easier than being a being a neo-con.

[rohry]

Thanks for correcting my spelling (to=too)! Unfortunately you guessed wrong about my politics. Good try though! (As if my politics had anything to do with the discussion on this thread)…

[mafree]

I can name plenty but would it convince you or would you continue to persist in your ignorance?

[mickie]

Good question.......my answer is YES!

[mafree]

Alright, begin with the first category - mathematics.

http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/madresearch.html

This site good enough for you?

[bjcintennessee]

I was in second grade (I won't admit to how many decades have passed since), I went home, extolling my day at school including a new friend I had made. Upon discovering that my new friend was black, my mother politely told me that 'we treat them nice in public, but we don't make friends with them'. In later years, when O.J. Simpson murdered his wife, an elderly relative commented "Well that's what she gets for marrying a colored man".

My point is, that the prejudices that abounded in the past are not acceptable today, hopefully because we are more enlightened. Martin Luther King and his successors felt the need for black America to take pride in being black, rather than accept white-America's assessment that they were second-class citizens.

America's history should include any contributions that blacks have made, but this should not be distorted. It has been over fifty years since the civil rights movement, and this was a battle that could not be won over-night. It is both a major to realize how far blacks have advanced during this period, partially because of affirmative action and other programs that helped to level the playing field. But affirmative action and other programs have reached the levelling off point so that now reverse discrimination is a major concern.

I feel the same about black history month. It has become devisive and promotes the descrimination it was supposed to heal.

When all Black- Americans, Latino-Americans, Irish-Americans, etc. etc. and so on, can quit hyphenating their heritage, then maybe we all can be considered as American citizens.

[mafree]

I agree with you except that BHM is only divisive in the hands of those (of all races) who are determined to use it one way or another to express their own prejudices. If it wasn't BHM it'd be something else for folks like that. Sad.

[bjcintennessee]

If it isn't BHM, it would be something else for folks like that.

I'm not sure I agree with you. White society has had so much of Jesse Jackson 'in your face' with his racist scams, the foolish arguments about black reparations, the anti-American Farraqhan (sp?), that our level of tolerance is fast over-coming our level of guilt over the prejudices of the past.

Drop the damn hyphen and avow that you are an American, with no special rights attached!! You have to admit that in spite of all the trials and hardships of your ancestors, you are better off now than you would have been in Africa today. And I mean no disrespect, but your standard of living is surely better than it would have been if your ancestors had not been sold into slavery -- by other black Africans.

There is no doubt that your ancestors suffered the loss of freedom, but today's standards should not be applied to the standards that existed two centuries ago, when slavery of all races was acceptable, depending upon the conqueror.

[mafree]

Drop the damn hyphen and avow that you are an American, with no special rights attached!!

I'm not looking for any special rights or privileges. This country has already had plenty of that for most of its history thanks to slavery and legalized segregation.

[rohry]

I didn't know mafree and I were an "item." Guess I'd better tell my wife...man, old age is a bi**h. I don't even remember meeting him/her.

[Puppage]

Don't ya see....they (the blacks) don't want equal rights, they want more rights than others.