It's no surprise to anyone that there still resides in America, North,
South, East and West there are biased people and prejudice. Bias against
another race or sex or group is just a part of being human. As a white
American Male it is at times frustrating to know that I'm always
considered
wrong and biased and with anyone else, of any other party or group, there
is
no offense but everything is justified by the faults of history. Speaking
solely for myself, as a Christian, I try always to look at others as a
created spirit, by God, residing inside a human body and same as myself.
I do not consider myself a biased person or a person of hatred and
prejudice
however that said there are things that aggravate me and cause me to feel
frustration. One of which is the call by some black Americans for
Reparations due to slavery where I and my family will pay for sins of long
past family members when I never did nor do now feel the way they did.
None
of these people ever recognize that there were Black African men
responsible
for selling other members of their race into slavery. There is also no
recognition for white men, Americans, that were responsible for the
righting
of wrongs which allowed the Right to vote, penalties for discrimination
and
movements which helped bring Blacks to economic and political equity to
White Americans. There is no seemingly appreciation for the sacrifices
and
efforts of these people which are much more contemporary than those that
did
the wrongs. This isn't something that just happened but from the
abolition
of slavery to continued recognition and correcting wrongs of our past
history is never recognized by most Black Americans.
To a white American Male it seems wrong to require reparations from modern
day people and families for the wrongs of their past family members. I
can
understand that there is continual hurt and feelings of being wronged and
no
doubt there are and were members of my family, in history, that had slaves
and it hurts me to know this. It further hurts me and I condemn at every
opportunity when I see others, friends, and family members, of my race,
who
might use the "N-word" or other stereotype falsehoods with relation to
either Blacks, Women, Mexicans etc. What upsets me however is how it
seems
that members of any other group seem blind to the fact that they also tend
to be biased at times and make seemingly make hurtful remarks without
realizing it but never will admit it. There is a double standard today
that
helps contribute to keeping races and people apart. For instance if
Hillary
or if McCain were to use the term "Typical Black Person" there would be
calls for their banishing from the national political stage and would be
fodder on National Media broadcast for decades.
When you use such a term, as "typical" then it behooves you to define just
what is typical, what are the typical activities or traits? That word
typical just means that a group or people conform to certain biases that
you
have pre-conceived about that group but it's a very personal type
statement
and as a White Man I am offended by the statement Typical White Person but
because I am a White Man then I have no basis to be offended or no reason
to
be offended for because I am white I am guilty by association. I am
guilty
because there is DNA within my body that is inherited from past relatives
who I have absolutely no agreement with and that I condemn for choices
they
made.
Until we get past this very thin skinned mentality, on the part of
everyone,
then we will continue to live down to assumptions of others and be judged
by
our skin color rather than what we actually do believe and accept.
Bias or prejudice of some degree is an inherited fault but not inherited
because of skin color or sex but because we are HUMAN and sinfully flawed
at
birth. It's a sin and natural in every human being that we are biased
against others even if they are of our own color. Bias based on economic
differences, cultural differences, geographic differences, political
differences, sports teams we choose to support etc.. We all are different
and think differently but we can respect each other and we can accept
others
as creations of God the Father does and look not upon the externals but
upon
the internal person. We all have progress to make but in time and with
rational and respectful dialog then I feel progress can and will be made.
|
