tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post8541901573772425867..comments2023-03-27T01:54:36.089-07:00Comments on Honors U.S. forum: BDSMN - Epilogue; race today and youschagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13999410518757614440noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-1987717578869958622010-05-18T18:53:41.424-07:002010-05-18T18:53:41.424-07:00This is Ben Lewin, I have to disagree with what Co...This is Ben Lewin, I have to disagree with what Cole says about Barrack Obama, for, and im sorry for this Cole, it seems like he is doing exactly what many other Americans we have studied thus far in the year have done. He is glorifying history. Yes Barrack Obama was elected president, and yes he is African American, but we also have to remember how the election really was. 95% of the world wanted Obama elected simply because McCain's foreign policy was so warlike, and his Vice President candidate could barely stumble through a debate. We can pat ourselves on the backs and say how we were so righteous in electing an African American president, but that isn't how real equality works. By focusing on the color of his skin, one is being no less racist than someone who spews hatred because of color. What we have today isn't the full blown murderous lynching racism of the 1800's and 1900's, what we have today is this sort of closet racism that exists through jokes and little subconcious actions. Did you know when a clerk at a store is African American a customer is less likely to touch his hand when giving him money? Its little actions like that that show exactly what our country has become. We are so scared of being called racists that we go out of our way to be accepting, but someone going out of their way to be kind to you because of race is still racist, sure its nicer than being lynched, but its a different, patronizing kind of bad that needs to be addressed before it becomes too deep rooted in our culture.ben.i.lewinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15161125031305110438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-56223455412057832942009-05-15T19:12:00.000-07:002009-05-15T19:12:00.000-07:00To me hope represents one of the steps or gateways...To me hope represents one of the steps or gateways to confronting the racism problem that still exists (and even flourishes) in parts of America, but cannot be solely responsible or powerful enough to demolish the color line. <br />When Barack Obama was elected on November 4, 2008, I remember myself thinking about the progress we have made since importing millions of slaves from Africa until now, when we have finally broken at least one color barrier in electing a black president.<br />To me, on that night, Barack Obama's election was a major step forward in terms of narrowing the "chasm of race" because, as the new face of politics, Obama exuded hope for a part of the population that had been living in darkness, without political rights or triumphs for so long.<br />This hope was tangible and was best exemplified by the thousands upon thousands of cheering fans, both black and white, in Grant Park, Chicago, after hearing Obama had succeeded. <br />The cries of joy and hope that rang out from that park that night were inspiring.<br />However, hope and inspiration can only go so far.<br />As Timothy Tyson explains, “To find that higher ground, we must recognize, as Dr. King tried to teach us, that we are ‘caught up in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny’” (BDSMN 319).<br />To me, as to Tyson, it is not enough to hope for change. One has to act and inspire others to demolish the threads of racism that still exist in many sections of America.<br />Dr. King inspired millions of people to follow and listen to the goals of the Civil Rights Movement, but it took bus boycotts, sit-ins, blood, tears, and, yes, death, for there to be any improvement in the status of African-Americans in society. <br />Currently, we still have to break the shackles of ignorance, obliviousness, and impudence to fully demolish racism, in both society and in the minds of citizens.<br />As Tyson demonstrates, racisms’ looming presence still casts its’ shadow over segregated proms, country clubs, and in schoolrooms. <br />However, “The question remains whether or not we can transfigure our broken pasts into a future filled with a common possibility” (320).<br />Yes, as president, Obama can try and alleviate the strains racism and economic inequality place on minorities.<br />But, as a nation, theses shackles will never be cast aside, these broken dreams will never be solidified, unless Americans act to preserve our most sacred principle, the egalitarian principle our country was founded upon, that “All men (and it should read women) are create equal.”<br />The cynical side of me laughs when I read that now. Time and time again racism has shown its’ resilience, emerging as that seemingly unconquerable opponent because it is a hidden enemy, the sad reality that is hardly ever addressed. <br />For decades, racism has hidden, justified at segregated country clubs because of tradition.<br />“[T]e he freedom struggle persists” (321) while wars are fought, economies plunge, and ignorant presidents are re-elected, and yet, the question remains.<br />What will it take for the American people to wake up and address the question of racism?<br />I, for one, am a skeptical that the ever ignored chasm of race can be fully narrowed and, eventually, deleted. It would take governmental programs and societal change to become more accepting, and less apathetic towards the many issues that face minorities.<br />One of the first inequalities that needs to be addressed is the educational gap between white and black schools. Apart from this, there needs to be a widespread understanding of the racism problem. We continuously ignore the flaws in our so-called “great” capitalist system without addressing the inequalities that make it undemocratic, a mistake that has and will increase the widening race chasm with every year that it goes unanswered.Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03501308748020553495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-31732909391060660942009-05-14T20:54:00.000-07:002009-05-14T20:54:00.000-07:00I think that the class has more than thoroughly di...I think that the class has more than thoroughly dissected Tyson’s quote, “we want to transcend our history without actually confronting it” (318). I agree with everyone who has said that this quote is explaining that we, as a nation, want to look beyond our past mistakes or maltreatments of others and attempt to move forward, into the future, without recognizing and apologizing to those who were wronged. <br />In the article “A Nation of Cowards?”, by Charles M. Blow, there is a quote from Attorney General Eric Holder, “about America being “a nation of cowards” because we don’t have “frank” conversations about race.”” I agree that our country, as a whole, does not have a sufficient dialogue about race relations. I think that this is because many feel embarrassed and uncomfortable when talking honestly about issues considering race. However, I do not necessarily agree that this is enough cause consider American’s “cowards.” Blow also argues this point when he states, “The fear of offending isn’t necessarily cowardice, nor is a failure to acknowledge a bias that you don’t know that you have, but they are impediments.” Theses hindrances are disabling us from looking at the past and into the truth of the race relations in America. Which consequently, is obstructing the county’s path towards understanding, and apologizing to blacks or any other minority that was wrongly treated due to their race. <br /><br /><br />Even if we can confront our country’s past is there any way for us to appropriately apologize of all our wrongdoings?<br /><br />I think that it would be impossible to do this and Tyson agrees by stating, “America owes a debt that no one can pay” (320). It is not enough to just say that we were wrong, but at least by recognizing this America will be out of denial. Hopefully, this recognition of the truth will begin to settle and equilibrate race relations in America. <br />In classes, like our US History class, we are learning much of the untold truths of America’s History. However, in many other towns in the country the students are not being taught about harsh truths of race relations because to the adults in their community believe that it is not politically correct or appropriate for a school’s academic content. However, it is in the schools where the next generation should be talking honestly and openly about race in America so that we can attempt to alter the way that the issues of race have previously been handled and set standards for an open dialogue about race for the future.Ericahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13329999506010373489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-86161724605353125842009-05-14T20:14:00.001-07:002009-05-14T20:14:00.001-07:00First I'd like to start by responding to Michael's...First I'd like to start by responding to Michael's thought, which had an especially poignant impact on me. To restate his point, he said, "Our society absolutely accepts that and assumes that nothing bad ever happened again after MLK died and the movement was "over".<br /><br />I had a similar thought in class last week as we were discussing why it was that people only began to support the civil rights movement once the seventies rolled around. I was thinking about what it truly takes for any movement to be supported, and I still have not come to my true conclusion.<br />Up until the death of Martin Luther King Jr., the attention that was being payed to the Civil Rights Movement was incredibly weak. We spoke in class about how difficult it was for blacks to keep fighting without a protecting leader such as MLK. Emily Cooper made a sure point to shed light on the fact that the whites also struggled in order to feel comfortable showing their liberal stance in supporting African American's rights. I found this extremely thought provoking, thinking to myself, "Does it really have to take a catastrophic event, such as a murder, in order to be taken seriously?".<br /><br />Why is it that we are fed such masked information? Are we supposed to believe that the murder of Martin Luther caused for an all encompassing, eye-awakening realization for our country? Are we supposed to believe that "all was well" after Dr. King was shot? In the words of Tyson, it is "as if throwing away the empty cake plate could help you lose weight" (294).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06028456297463493124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-21714802594814566372009-05-14T20:14:00.000-07:002009-05-14T20:14:00.000-07:00In my personal opinion, “we want to transcend our ...In my personal opinion, “we want to transcend our history without actually confronting it” (318) means that as a nation we must recognize our past’s faults and innovations without trying to defile it. We as humans have memes, information patterns held in an individual’s memory that are essentially the “filters” of an individual, a result of nature and nurture that effects what a person will remember from their past. Memes are in correspondence to genes, however they emotionally affect a human being; therefore the reason why Tyson says that citizens do not wish to confront our history because confronting history would mean to alter your meme.<br /><br /> Another important factor to the human mind and this cathartic ideal of “confronting history” is the fact that memes can be inherited to offspring, meaning that perhaps the reason why Tyson had the rare capacity to try to pay for this “debt that no one can pay” (329) because his father was a very inquisitive and persistent person who was willing to see both ends of the spectrum before making his descision. However, not all families are so lucky, if you have a family like the Teel-Oakley family, then what will be passed on the children are ideals of white supremacy, and as Deborah stated before, “Intelligent people got over race a long time ago.” Fundamentally it is a challenge for people to change their inherited informational patterns in their memory because humans are simply creatures of habit.corbochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05273505837486565968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-28057109911725116492009-05-14T17:35:00.000-07:002009-05-14T17:35:00.000-07:00This blog is solely for educational purposes and t...This blog is solely for educational purposes and the use of students in periods 1 & 8 - Honors U.S. History. All posts are expected to be mature and respectful. Any posts by outsiders or anything deemed inappropriate will be removed by the administrator.schagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13999410518757614440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-52415986136351309762009-05-13T20:19:00.000-07:002009-05-13T20:19:00.000-07:00Many people in the blog have already picked up on ...Many people in the blog have already picked up on the main point of the quote, which is stated in the next paragraph in the book: "Our failure to confront the historical truth about how African Americans finally own their freedom presents a major obstacle to genuine racial reconciliation" (318). Tyson is saying, of course, that we cannot truly go forward and be completely culturally seamless in society without number one, knowing the real history of the movement, and number two, having the courage to stand up and say we did something wrong. <br /><br />To me, one of the most perilous things about living in a place like Westport in a country like ours is that we are put under the impression that we have some sort of all-seeing eye, an omniscent view of the world in which we are not biased and everything we learn is correct and fully captures the idea. This is dangerous for two reasons. <br /><br />The first is that it is untrue. In learning the Holocaust in middle school, for example, we learned that Hitler simply hated Jews and other groups because........he just did. This is illogical and false. Hitler massacred the Jews because, after World War One, the Jews were a part of the group that made the German's lives terrible. The Nazis were not just some evil devilish force; they were out for vengeance, in essence. I am not justifying this, I am telling the truth, which was not told to any of us in school. We also, by the way, were put under the impression that the Holocaust was the biggest manslaughter ever to happen. This is also very untrue, but let's be honest; there are few Armenians making an impact on Westport.<br /><br />The second reason this false omniscient view is dangerous is because of who we are. We literally live in the richest cluster of towns in the richest county of the richest state of the richest country in the world. Frankly, people like us are going to grow up and call the shots in the world, and if we are being fed such propaganda and skewed information, one can only imagine what the world would be like.<br /><br />Oh wait, that's the world we live in now.<br /><br /><br />This is the reason we have trouble confronting our history: the falsehood of the all-seeing eye. Tyson says that "the problem is why we cherish that kind of story," (318) referring to the stories of Martin Luther King, Jr. and other such leaders. He is implying that the general public does cherish that kind of romantic story, in which one fights for a cause and is killed, but is successful in the end. Our society absolutely accepts that and assumes that nothing bad ever happened again after MLK died and the movement was "over." This is a bad way to see it, of course, because the roughness between race still exists (Duke lacrosse) and is a heavy issue in our society. We like to act like it's not a problem, exemplified by Debrah coming into here trying to convince us that "most intelligent people 'got over' race a long time ago."<br /><br />The problem, really, is with American society. We pretend. We hide in bubbles. The truth is staring us in the face every day, when police officers shoot down black men because they *mistook* their car keys for handguns. <br /><br />We, in 2009, like to act as if we are living in "modern" society, but really, how much better are we?Michael Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07664633030262073079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-80059071338248071642009-05-13T19:10:00.000-07:002009-05-13T19:10:00.000-07:00Hi, it's Nikki sorry this is so late...
When ...Hi, it's Nikki sorry this is so late...<br /> When I read Tyson’s point that “we want to transcend our history without actually confronting it” (318), I had similar ideas as previously stated about the age of denial America seems to be stuck in, but to specify, I believe that the denial blinds Americans to the point of guiltlessness because we have always been allowed a person or group to blame our mistakes on. <br /> We are constantly reminded that slavery and racism was bad and a blot on our country’s history, but we are not crippled by the guilt of the horrible injustices done to African Americans because it is all dished onto “the South”. Up until this year, I was under the impression (thanks to many years of elementary and middle school brainwashing) that the North was against slavery and the South was the awful perpetrator of the disgusting institution. But luckily we don’t have to worry about racism today because that South is pretty much dead, and any signs of racism that are still present in America come from the remnants of “that South”.<br /> I completely agree with Tyson when he says that “America owes a debt that no one can pay” (320) because it is impossible to completely unify the 306, 422,510 people that live in the United States without allowing an “us” and “them” situation to arise. Until there is no one but ourselves to blame, reparations and progress cannot be made. To make things worse, there are still 6,479,673,874 other people overseas for us to blame our lapses of humanity on.<br /> Racism is not dead, it’s just hidden, and so many people are in denial about it. I don’t see any hope that racism can be stamped out, because no one wants to admit that they are racist. As long as the memory of “the South” remains, the blame will never be on modern Americans’ shoulders, and racism will thrive in secret.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06718496852190083278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-16663986599705116872009-05-13T18:18:00.000-07:002009-05-13T18:18:00.000-07:00This is Alexandra k... (just incase)
At the en...This is Alexandra k... (just incase)<br /><br /> At the end of Blood Done Sign My Name when Tyson stated “we want to transcend our history without actually confronting it” (318) I felt that the quote accurately described the way America is today. As a whole, the nation of United States continues to make mistakes that could have been avoided if one had taken the time to correct them when they first occurred. Attempts to confront past mistakes in our history have either been minor or avoided completely. In order to progress and became a stronger society, we need to “transcend” the obstacles of our history not just evade them.<br /><br /> During the Civil Rights movement blacks faced the extreme obstacle of overcoming the feeling of white supremacy, which had been imprinted in their minds ever since the first slave ship arrived in America in 1619. Furthermore, they had to be able to overcome the belief that African-Americans were a less intelligent inferior race in comparison the whites. Even today racism still exists in our country because this “cloud of racial superiority” was never fully erased and Americans have avoided with completely dealing with this division among races that has been apparent throughout our history. In chapter seven of BDSMN Tyson’s describes proof of the lingering mark of white supremacy “the old Rebel soldier in the town’s main intersection was more of a monument to white supremacy than to the Confederacy and in 1970 most whites either liked it or simply did not think about it” (159). By not acting to correct inaccurate occurrences it only escalates to further the problem along. The situation of white supremacy vs. black inferiority could not be resolved by shoving the matter aside and hoping that some else with confront it. Part of solution to this obstacle is to make oneself aware that “to confront white supremacy was not just about confront white people… but also a matter of stamping out internalized feelings of inferiority among blacks” (162).<br /><br /> If we are too wholly “transcend” our history, than we have to admit to our faults. This creates part of the issue because “most of us would rather claim to have always been perfect than admit how much we have grown” (176). I believe that we need to first learn to accept the mistakes made in our past, before we can strive to go beyond the events of our history.Alexandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13026304552051666619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-25194374718618814832009-05-13T18:08:00.000-07:002009-05-13T18:08:00.000-07:00We understand Tyson’s idea that “we want to transc...We understand Tyson’s idea that “we want to transcend our history without actually confronting it" (318). This implies that we want to move beyond our past without dwelling on the path that led us here and the bumps we hit along the way. This notion is exemplified in the Author’s Note of BDSMN in which Tyson explains that while his master’s thesis, Burning for Freedom: White Terror and Black Power in Oxford, North Carolina was available at the Richard H. Thornton Library in Oxford, NC, someone had torn out the pages describing the actual killing of Dickie. Even though Tyson was aware of the missing pages, he chose not to replace them. Tyson writes, “Those missing pages make my central point more clearly, in some respects, than their content ever could have. Our hidden history of race has yet to be fully told, and we persist in hiding from much of what we know” (324). This is an excellent example of how we conceal our mistakes rather than confront them, in this case, by ripping out the most inflammatory pages from a dark time of American history. Another comment in the Author’s Note further supports this contention. When explaining the names in his book, Tyson says that he used almost all real names, except he had “altered the identity of one distant relative, whose daughter pleaded that his grandchildren needn’t know the historically unimportant details of his misdeeds” (323). But can any historical fact be unimportant? All of our ancestors’ actions and statements contributed to where we are today. What good can come from not knowing the truth? And the daughter’s concern is further proving Tyson’s point. By hiding the name of her relative to protect his grandchildren, she is shielding them from his mistakes. How can you learn from something that you have no knowledge of? Her grandchildren must learn about their grandfather’s actions, whether they were morally right or questionable, in order to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. This knowledge doesn’t debase their feelings or respect of their ancestor, but allows them to understand him all the better. <br /><br />We have also said that we Americans are too proud to admit that we have done wrong and as such we too are perpetrators of the crime of forgetfulness. Few of us, however, have proposed a solution to our collective historical amnesia. Nick suggested that a monument be constructed in America similar to the Buchenwald, the WW II Nazi concentration camp in Germany. However, most if not all of the monuments we see in this country commemorate brave Americans such as Ground Zero firefighters and police officers in NYC, to remember the loss of our loved ones. The statue next to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC shows Theodore Roosevelt on a horse helping a Native American. But we know that American history is full of examples of the mistreatment of Indians and the only time we “helped” them was when it was in our own best interests. Monuments across our nation commemorate the greatness of America, how we’ve helped others or how we’ve endured hard times. Would a monument that immortalizes our injustices to our fellow man be popular, let alone accepted? In Germany, people attest to disliking Adolph Hitler, but in America, no one person can be held accountable for the cruel treatment of African Americans. It was a nationwide problem and even those who weren’t actively involved in mistreatment were complicit in the evil because of their failure to confront it. But it’s human nature not to want to blame oneself. Besides, it wouldn’t be possible to atone for the sins of the many with a single monument, but at least it would be a start.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15252580915668922764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-17063964067097461492009-05-13T17:53:00.000-07:002009-05-13T17:53:00.000-07:00In response to how a national confrontation of our...In response to how a national confrontation of our history is possible, i just don't think there is a way that in doing so everyone will understand...or for that matter have an equal amount of sentiment for the subject. This is for many reasons, one of the reasons i think about is authority being flawed and therefore from the instant this 'confrontation' began--whether it be a national holiday or school day, the information would be tainted (just take the civil rights movement as an example). To completely undo original sin i suppose you'd have to wait generations, and during those generations you'd have to isolate the youth most importantly and force them to understand the basis for such actions taken in the past. How i understand hope in the context of the United States, its everywhere for starters partially because Americans seem to be so helpless they find such gratification in things such as religion etc. Yes, recently the Obama's have brought a lot of hope in America and throughout the world, however i just cant help but feel like only some of this 'hope' is tangible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-84297844237775192482009-05-13T16:47:00.000-07:002009-05-13T16:47:00.000-07:00Tyson is an author who obviously recognizes the pr...Tyson is an author who obviously recognizes the prejudice, violence, and racism that has marred American history and, unfortunately, passed into the present. When he says that “we want to transcend our history without actually confronting it" (318), I think Tyson is essentially describing the irony of American introspection. As many others stated, for one to transcend or overcome one’s history requires a sense of conscience and willful progression as well as a clear view of one’s past mistakes. However, we, as Americans, can only gain these necessary assets by learning from our errors and confronting our turbulent history. Tyson ultimately tells how Americans want to “move on” from mistakes in American history while remaining ignorant to the nation’s past offenses and wrongdoings; America wants to say it has bettered itself and cleared its conscience without examining what and why it must improve. This poses a problem because understanding and recognizing history is the key to rising above the past. For example, how can America know to overcome racism if it has not confronted the horrors of racial discrimination? Although Americans would like to take the “easy way out,” we can’t truly complete our catharsis and better our nation without exploring our history. As Tyson wrote in Blood Done Sign My Name, he realized that he had been “infected with white supremacy” (Tyson 61) by first the grade; he only truly realized the wickedness of the truth, when he was “forced to confront… that monstrous lie and moral cowardice” (61) that preserved it.<br /><br />I think that the “enduring chasm of race” (320) is still prominent among Americans because we have not yet collectively been able to confront our history, and, currently, many resist it. To close this gap, we need to consider ourselves, our surroundings, and our society with a whole new perspective; we need to look beyond the facets of our specific lives and examine the effects of race in the lives of others. Why is it that wealthy schools are predominantly white when many less privileged schools may be mainly composed of African Americans? Why is it that we see “Custard’s Last Stand” instead of the Battle at Little Bighorn? How are these things perpetuated within our society, and how can we confront the discrimination that crosses our paths on a daily basis? While these are questions Americans should be asking themselves to shrink the racial chasm, it is continually widened by ignorance and shortsightedness. Some refuse to believe that prejudicial events such as the holocaust took place, so how many don’t believe in the importance of the civil rights movement? As a result, it becomes apparent that in order for our nation to progress, proper education is crucial. If social and academic education could, only sixty years ago, instill “depressing clouds of inferiority” (69) in the minds of African Americans, it can certainly teach the value of racial equality.<br /><br />“America owes a debt that no one can pay” (320); we owe rights and equality that have been too long been denied to the various races of our country. This is so far overdue that it seems our debt can never be repaid, but, now, by confronting our past and applying its teachings to the future, we may prevent our country from sinking any further into moral debt. The election of President Barack Obama, for example, is a manifestation of America’s measured progress; during Tyson’s childhood in the south, whites held every position of power while the general populace of blacks worked beneath them. Now, about seventy years later, we have come to a time where we, as a nation, can elect a black president to lead our country. This change represents hope; it gives hope that one day, perhaps within our lifetime, we may see an equalizing force crush the cultural hierarchy, and, eventually, the world may witness a notoriously racist nation properly confront its past in the effort to better the future.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16331698022504935729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-20313997253707940122009-05-13T07:45:00.000-07:002009-05-13T07:45:00.000-07:00When people want change, a majority of the people ...When people want change, a majority of the people fighting for it are not willing to put the work in. These people that Tyson speaks about are the bystanders, the people who believe that there is injustice, but are not willing to fight for it. In order to confront our history, it would require the government, and all those who kept injustice from stopping to formerly apologize. Until that happens, it is as if these people do not actually feel bad about the crimes they committed against what is right. If they do not do so, they signify that they believe that what they did was okay and right. When Tyson says that "America owes a debt that no one can pay," I believe that he means that nobody is willing to pay that debt. The white society of the 1960s and before(well at least the racists) are in debt to the black community, as they had wronged them for so long. I also believe that the election of Barack Obama is a gigantic step towards equality. Although we may have equality in terms of the law, I do not believe that equality has been reached, or the debt has been paid. The real reason for this is that nobody is willing to pay this debt. The people do not feel it necessary to apologize, or are not willing to lower themselves. But would an apology be enough? No. The best way to makeup for wrong doings of the past would be to completely rid ourselves of the racism in our country. Now of course my view of racism is going to be a bit naive. After all, I have lived my whole life in Westport, a town with a lot of prejudice as there are so few minorities in our town. My few experiences have shown me that we are gradually transforming into a society free of racism. During April break I was in Georgia, a southern state. I encountered many African-Americans, all of which were so gracious and kind to everyone. They did not seem to take any offense or unhappiness against whites. <br /> Now in terms of confronting our nation's history, I feel that the only way that we can do so is to move on. We must move on from what has happened to the citizens of our nation, and use them as examples of what can not happen again. We must learn from the history of racism as a way to never let this happen again to any race, religion, or gender. We have had so much oppression in our society. But we have also gotten passed the oppression and made a more equal society for all. Now that's not to say that all people are treated equal, and that race is no longer an issue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-85476335197695542132009-05-13T05:38:00.000-07:002009-05-13T05:38:00.000-07:00I have a little different out look on Tyson's quot...I have a little different out look on Tyson's quote "we want to transcend our history without actually confronting it,” I feel that we have transcended or risen above in a way. We are able to look at what we have done and say that it is bad. We are able to look back and say things are bad however, we cannot confront it.<br /><br />As Elizabeth said you cannot confront something unless you apologize for it which we haven’t done. We haven’t apologized for enslaving people or anything that we have done. Since we haven’t apologized and understand the depth of the errors we made yet we still look down o past generations errors we are lost in a cycle that is never ending. We cannot confront it and as Suzanne said learn from it, then after we have done all this we can transcend and confront our history.haylee whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302598715792513274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-73602156196052506172009-05-12T20:31:00.000-07:002009-05-12T20:31:00.000-07:00I have to disagree with what Jeff is saying. Just...I have to disagree with what Jeff is saying. Just like in an AA meeting, acceptance is the first step towards progress. We must first acknowledge our past wrongdoings in order to move past them in the future, as history of course tends to repeat itself. The only way to avoid that is through education. The present generation must be educated about the mistakes made in history, in order for our society to learn from past experience and truly progress. No one likes to admit their mistakes, but Tyson is absolutely correct in stating that confronting our history is most important to overcoming it.<br /><br /> The most basic example seen in class would be the imprisonment of Leonard Peltier. Clearly he was unfairly imprisoned and especially in his current state, he is being held for the protection of “national security” just because he killed two people. It is evident the government has made a mistake, but it is too hard for them to confront this, apologize to the community, and do the just thing. Denial is just so much easier, especially for one’s own morals.<br /><br /> Only truly brave individuals can stand in front of society and say, “I made a mistake.” Just like the former Ku Klux Klan leader that we watched be interviewed in period 1, he had a true sense of remorse and bravery in order to perform that interview. That signified a progressive movement away from the Klan, as he moves forward in his life and accepts that his previous lifestyle was absurd and ridiculously racist. <br /><br /> As we accept the mistakes we have made before in history, we set up a path for the following generation to learn from them. We prevent history from repeating itself through education. It is the times we do not acknowledge these mistakes that progress is hampered, as egos overpower morals and racism triumphs over justice.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03845585869322066168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-3779448341866431942009-05-12T19:26:00.000-07:002009-05-12T19:26:00.000-07:00Hi it's Lauren K.
When Tyson says “we want to tran...Hi it's Lauren K.<br />When Tyson says “we want to transcend our history without actually confronting it” I think fear. I think of whites that know how poorly their kind treated the blacks but will not admit to it. Sure, maybe they do want the treatment of African Americans to be different, better, but that is never going to happen if they don’t look back to what has previously happened in America. You learn from your mistakes. Tyson said that, “We cannot address the place we find ourselves because we will not acknowledge the road that brought us here” (page 318). But if what Tyson says is true then we are never going to be able to transcend our history if we are afraid to look back and accept the error in our ways. Tyson’s father said, “The shooting and the burning and the destruction which followed it are only the fever, not the disease…the disease has been around for three hundred years” (page 143). Racism is a disease and we have had time enough to become immune to it, but if we ignore it the disease will not go away. You cannot sit around and hope the disease passes through your system. That is living in ignorance and although “ignorance is bliss” you can never make a difference if you don’t begin to treat the problem and the way to do that is to look back at the mistakes that have been made. In one instance Tyson describes the intentional ignorance of whites when he took people to go visit a plantation where tons of African Americans had been murdered. “The tour included virtually no mention of slaves or slavery, let alone the 1811 revolt. A black handyman working outside told some of the students that the management had recently fired a young tour guide who’d insisted on talking about slavery. ‘Our guide’s presentation was about prayer schools, parlors, ladies’ portraits on the wall, tall ceilings, hand-carved banisters…’” (page 314). This was the tour that they received in a place where hundreds of blacks were brutally murdered and had their heads stuck on pikes for all to see. We are afraid to confront our past but the time has come to do it. Racism may never go away fully but a fair chance should be given to all people to allow them to succeed.<br /><br /><br />The last question asks how you understand hope in the context of the United States. Well to understand hope you need to know what it means. Dictionary.com defines it a, “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best”. However, I do not feel that this is all that hope is. I feel Tyson inadvertently describes what hope is better than an actual definition of the word when he says, “It was not that they were crusading heroes or political leaders so much as that they were passionate, willful, stubborn Christians responding to the world around them” (page 169). It is a belief in something no matter how you think things will turn out. Hope is standing up for what is right even when others think that you are wrong, but you do it anyway, because it is right, and just, and you know that people deserve better than the treatment they are receiving. Hope is Tyson’s father asking if white people could learn from the terrible way they treated blacks when he said, “We ask that these pains of love might bring a harder wisdom” (page 315). He has accepted the past but not forgotten it. He is going to use what people have learned and take that information into the future and help to close the chasm of race. All throughout their lives, the Tyson family showed faith and hope for a better life for all people treated differently based on race. “But the faith was there, even when they stumbled, and they worked hard to do better, even when they fell. The Tyson’s had broken some of the shackles of fundamentalism and white supremacy and they all had gotten some education” (page 316). The Tyson’s were an exquisite family who hoped for a better life for people who were treated unjustly even when it was not to their benefit to have those beliefs. Hope is found in unique and changing places which are different for different people; however, Barack Obama and his family had created a frequently used source of hope for people of color and people suffering from racism. He is an inspiration to all and shows that anything is possible, all you have to do is learn, whether it is from the past, mistakes, or anything, looking back is key to moving forward.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00681270151483361555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-12526336919121905972009-05-12T18:52:00.000-07:002009-05-12T18:52:00.000-07:00Tyson begins Chapter 12 with a quote from Bernice ...Tyson begins Chapter 12 with a quote from Bernice Johnson Reagon who said that "If, in moving though your life, you find yourself lost, go back to the last place where you knew who you were, and what you were doing, and start from there" (288). Tyson uses this strategy as the basis for obtaining his research and goes back to his hometown, but it also can be implemented in our society to "transcend our history." The quote emphasizes going back to the past and allowing the past to guide who you are now and who you are going to become. It suggests that the only way to grow or move on is to confront the past. Similarly, as a nation we need to confront our past to improve our country and make amends. Tyson asserts that, "We have to weave the future from the fabric of the past" (307). We can't ignore the racial discrimination that plagued our country, the terror blacks were put through, or the unsaid feelings that many Americans still have towards blacks. Most would agree that "you learn from your mistakes" and this expression can be easily applied to our nation. Once we identify that what was done was wrong and a "mistake" we can "learn" and move on. It won't be easy but then again "America owes a debt no one can pay" and any effort to lessen this debt is beneficial. Currently, our nation is perpetuating this racial inferiority cycle by ignoring what happened in the past. I know that as a student my eyes were truly opened this year as I found out what really "went down" but unfortunately many Americans are completely unaware of the extent of these racial conflicts. Things won't improve until we, as a nation, can see what is wrong. This process could potentially eliminate hostility and, even though it is completely unrealistic to say it would be possible to eliminate the underlying racial prejudices, it would help to identify that those feelings or stereotypes are wrong.Emily & Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18123304960567123320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-42877035390572505642009-05-12T18:50:00.000-07:002009-05-12T18:50:00.000-07:00Tyson says “we want to transcend our history witho...Tyson says “we want to transcend our history without actually confronting it.” What he is implying is that confrontation is necessary to truly transcend our past. I tend to disagree. Tyson is calling for an apology of sorts, a moment for individuals to look at their past and realize what they have done, and that it was wrong, and fully transcend their previous beliefs. I disagree with Tyson purely on a logistical standpoint: the rate of change vs. the rate of birth and death means that people are being born each day with a new “default” set of morals. They have no history of their own, or mistakes to confront. A child born in the Obama era will see a black with power as normal, and is more likely to accept blacks. Should he or she learn about slavery, lest his or her generation repeat the mistakes of the past? Of course. Should his or her generation repent for the mistakes of the past? No. <br /><br /> Morals, in my opinion, are determined mostly by outside sources - what you see, what you are told, what society believes. Society only really changes when forced to. Thus, I do not think that those who believed, for example, blacks were a lesser race were evil or cruel. I do not believe that the our generation, which leans more towards equality, does so because we are enlightened or more intelligent. <br /><br /> I think that all that happened was blacks fought to change society, and society changed our morals. Society has no obligation to apologize for conforming to its own views. We will “transcend” the mistakes of the past simply by moving forward in time. Through birth, and through death, the racists will be wiped away, and the accepting will be left. <br /><br /> Although I believe (obviously) that racists are wrong, and acceptance is right, the racists will not be wiped away because they are wrong, but because society has changed to condemn them. Society’s condemnation and acceptance are not a result of moral and correct choices in my opinion. Those who fight to change society will change it (provided they are not beaten down by a stronger power) for good or for bad.<br /><br /> For example, the Holocaust was led by Hitler, who believed that Jews, homosexuals, and gypsies were unclean and should be purged from the land. Hitler was obviously not, by today’s moral standards, correct in his beliefs. However, he convinced many of his own people that he was. He succeeded in killing millions of his targets. Eventually, other countries banded together to stop him. But imagine they had not, or the Nazis had been more powerful. Might today’s morals reflect Nazi beliefs? Would we, as Aryans, look down upon those who accepted Jews? I believe so. I believe that society inspires morals, and not the other way around.jkasanoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05117065217787699731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-47432388074397004742009-05-12T18:35:00.000-07:002009-05-12T18:35:00.000-07:00NICK MAKI
The truth hurts. Many people realize...NICK MAKI<br /> The truth hurts. Many people realize that the way they treated blacks in the past was completely wrong and immoral. However, admitting these mistakes is very hard to do. By saying “we want to transcend our history without actually confronting it,” Tyson suggests that the people of America want to forget about the past, therefore not learning from the mistakes made. In order to fully move on from the past, we as a nation must confront our history. Tyson writes, “Turning to face the past meant that perhaps I could set the record straight, be free of it, and move forward” (310). This confrontation would be most affective through a monument or museum so people can truly learn from the past. Over the summer, I visited Buchenwald, a WWII concentration camp. Walking through the camp, I was completely lost for words, my jaw literally stayed dropped the entire time I was there. The fact that the Germans retained the camp, turning into a museum, and allowing citizens of Germany and of the world to openly see how the camp operated, is a perfect example of the German’s confronting the atrocity of Nazism. If America would more openly challenge itself by dedicating museums, constructing monuments, and creating a national debate, we as a nation could finally move on from the past. However this catharsis is prevented because people are still hesitant to open up to the past. The Germans did not open the Buchenwald until 1991. In a historical timeline, the Jim Crow era is considered recent. National confrontation of this era will take time, but it will come. <br /><br /> When Tyson says, “America owes a debt that no one can pay,” I believe that he is saying that there is nothing that can be done to replace what America took from the black population (their dignity, pride, freedom, families, and their humanity.) However, Lincoln’s statement suggests that the existence of this eternal debt and America’s focus on it is perhaps the best hope that America can move beyond race. <br /><br />Before Obama was elected, there was absolute no hope. If I told people (both black and white) that a black man would be president, they would have laughed. Whites would have laughed because they believed that they were the superior race and blacks would have laughed because they believed that they were the inferior race. However, the election of Obama has proved to the people of the world that there is hope. People now realize that it does not matter what color they are, they can truly become what they want to be.SABREShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11297931095616213221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-77966341111727088882009-05-12T18:16:00.000-07:002009-05-12T18:16:00.000-07:00When Tyson says, "we want to transcend our history...When Tyson says, "we want to transcend our history without actually confronting it" (318), I believe that it means that our nation is covering up the truths of what actually happened/happens in America. We try to make up lies, or give half-versions of the truth to make events seem justified, even if in reality they are not. By masking something that largely affects so many people, like racism, we are not putting an end to it. When reading this quote I almost immediately thought of another quote that I had pulled out of chapter 11 when Tyson said, “If I did not turn to confront the demons that drove me, they would eventually catch me from behind” (287). Looking at the quote from the epilogue on a smaller scale, I looked at the contents from which the quote in chapter 11 was used. Tyson decided that he was going to drive to Oxford, North Carolina and ask Robert Teel why he had killed Henry Marrow. Clearly this murder committed by Teel had been unsettling to Tyson since the crime had been committed. Instead of ignoring it, or just not finding out the truth behind it, Tyson had taken it for what it was. However, Tyson was eventually able to make the decision and go to Teel for the answer and truth of his murder of Henry. Even if he never quite got down to the bottom of it, or was simply unsatisfied with the response he got, Tyson didn’t sit20back and take what he was given, he confronted this issue, and tried to prevent the demons of his past from “catch[ing] [him] from behind”. Unlike Tyson, in America we take things for what they are, and if we don’t like them we make up excuses for them. An example is something we talked about in class today. Some people, on the issue of slavery, claim that if we hadn’t had it, our economy would never have turned out like it did. This pathetic and unacceptable excuse for enslaving another human being is an example of transcending our history without actually confronting it. Instead of admitting to how horrible it was and how we should have never enslaved other humans, we make up justifications by saying that our economy thrived because of it. Unless we are able to confront our mistakes of the past like Tyson had done, our nation will not be able to move forward.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220207967122434637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-79058389629890957962009-05-12T18:10:00.000-07:002009-05-12T18:10:00.000-07:00I have read through the blog posts of everyone els...I have read through the blog posts of everyone else and completely agree with Elizabeth’s standpoint regarding Tyson’s quote, “We want to transcend our history without actually confronting it,” (318). Her simile to blaming the drawing on the wall on her brother truly resonated with me, as I can easily relate to that type of situation. I too have found myself “trying to remember or recall things differently to avoid the guilt I deserve,” and agree that “our country has been doing the same thing with the treatment of blacks.” However, I feel that the aforementioned quote has been thoroughly exhausted by many of my peers, and I want to touch on a different one, the quote in the epilogue that “the enduring chasm of race is still with us, in some ways wider than ever," (320). <br /><br /> It is now 2009, and although African Americans weren’t considered humans in 1776, they generally are at this point in time, and according to the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal.” African American or Indian American, Asian or Caucasian, all humans are equal to one another, as noted by that esteemed document.<br /><br /> So shouldn’t the inferior and superior attitudes and societal standings amongst the many races cease to exist? <br /><br /> Instead, a chasm, or gap, is evident between the different races of America.<br /><br />For instance, according to the US Census Bureau in 2004, with regards to the Americans with the top 5% household income, 1% were African American, whereas 88% were Caucasian. This contrast displays the unfortunate gap between the African Americans and Caucasians, as they are “created equal,” yet extremely far away from economic equality.<br /><br /> The only way to bring African Americans and Caucasians to social, economic, and political equality would be to bring down the rich, raise the poor, and create communism in the United States of America. Stereotypes would have to be defied, discrimination eliminated, and superiority become nonexistent.<br /><br /> This is a tall order for the wealthy, the racist, and the generally judgmental American. Society does not appear ready to bridge the chasm between the races. Nevertheless, any one person can, and should, attempt to treat all Americans as equals, regardless of the color of their skin.farrel levensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10482700138359628905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-27981119080030120052009-05-12T16:33:00.000-07:002009-05-12T16:33:00.000-07:00In response to Sally: I strongly disagree with you...In response to Sally: I strongly disagree with your last line, “America needs a strong leader that will represent hope for all minorities,so everyone will truly trust the government and justice they live by.” Although Barack Obama is a savior that many of us agree with, one man who already has all the power he could is not going to significantly change the racial structure of our nation.<br /><br />As we’ve seen again and again, in the works of both Zinn and Tyson, we idealize our saviors. We’ve made Martin Luther King into an “innocuous black Santa Clause” (107), he has his own holiday, and, in our elementary school years, we were taught to attribute the success of the Equal Rights Movement to a single nonviolent man. However, even non-violent protestors fought with “non-violent” bricks, and King wasn’t a completely perfect person. <br /><br />In the same way, Thomas Jefferson, the man who penned the Declaration of Independence, kept slaves of his own. Being alive here and now doesn’t make Obama any more perfect, even if his flaws don’t appear to be related to race relations.<br />Regardless of whether he wants to even things out between the races, a single person couldn’t accomplish so much on his or her own. The events that occur are complex products of the actions of large groups. As we read in The Coming Revolt of the Guards, a revolution has to form because of the coming together of many, many people. A single great orator is not enough to overturn preconceived notions. It took centuries of mistreatment and many years of eventual effort for the Civil Rights Movement to do anything. We must confront our history, rather than transcend and move past it, and acknowledge the fact that a single great speaker cannot change the world alone.Teahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09459437612465027609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-71788926900179056472009-05-12T15:40:00.000-07:002009-05-12T15:40:00.000-07:00When Tyson says, we want to transcend our history ...When Tyson says, we want to transcend our history without actually confronting it" (318), he shows how dark of a time he thought America went through. He believes that the magnitude of what happened to the black people in america is so great that even confronting it could spark memories. Tyson is saying without fully taking responsibility for what happened to the black people, and confronting the issues, we will never truly get any better. He makes the point that throughout history we always try to forget instead of trying to fix. This makes me wonder if he asking for too much? The point comes up if we jut forget about our mistakes they will come up again and we won't know how to deal with them. However, if we try and confront we are faced with the possibility of another "war" arising again. The radical whites can become more radical because of the ideas of trying to look back and confront what really happened. Just like most of the events our history has seen, there will always be a group that is for it, and there will always be a group that is against it; a double edged sword.<br /><br />And with the second quote said by Tyson, "America owes a debt that no one can pay, and yet it probably remains what Lincoln called 'the last, best hope' of human freedom.... And the enduring chasm of race is still with us, in some ways wider than ever." He talks about the "chasm of race is still with us, in some ways wider than ever." There is a connection between the second and first quote. Firstly, Tyson confirms that he is he is hypothesizing that racial problems in America, in modern days, will not dwindle at all unless confronted. I am going to have do disagree with Tyson on this, because looking from a different perspective of this almost seems brighter. I cannot ever fully understand what it was like to be a black man during the times of racism, however, even though the two events are nothing alike, I am jewish and 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. Again these events are totally unalike each other however, some Jewish people carry hatred for even modern Germans, and some black people carry hatred for white people. And the hardest thing for someone especially personally effected by the Holocaust is forgive. Not to forget, but to forgive. Because forgiveness, surprisingly, is the right answer for a lot of things. Some people say it is a sign of forgiveness, but it is quite the opposite. Forgiving is so much harder then carrying that feud you have. That is why when Tyson says without confronting the chasm between the black and white racial groups could never be filled, I disagree. Because even though confrontation might accomplish some things, it will also add negative attributes because of the disagreement that will arise. I think that true forgiveness, even though much harder to come by and harder to accomplish, will help refill the hole in our society that racism has created.Coophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01966017277534288263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-46753710764559712352009-05-12T15:06:00.000-07:002009-05-12T15:06:00.000-07:00Since the first chapter I have questioned the Tyso...Since the first chapter I have questioned the Tyson's motives for both supporting and trying to understand the African American's causes. In a community where a major part of the white population has some sort of prejudice and acts upon it, the Tysons seemed to have separated themselves from this crowd.<br />After reading ch.1, I narrowed their motivation down to three increasingly specific reasons. 1. the general belief of staunch Christians. 2. The belief of the Tysons as Christians and 3. the Belief of Tysons as individuals (meaning that their religion has no impact on their views). <br />As I continued to read, the option "Tysons as Christians" seemed to stand out to me. For example, when Vernon Tyson took Tim and his brother to the KKK meeting he says that he "wanted you to know what hate looks like" (52) but in the car ride back from the meeting they sang "Jesus loves the little Children, all the children of the world" and "Red, yellow black and white, they are precious in His sight etc." His reason for taking the boys to the meeting was not to show them hate and explain that African Americans are citizens just like everyone else, his reason was to show them that the KKK's actions were in conflict with the tenets of the Christian faith. <br />My reasoning that the Tyson's 'support' of the Civil Rights movement was reinforced by the fact that in chapter 8, Tim says that "But the truth is that the Tysons got embroiled in this mess for decidedly mixed motives. It was not that they were crusading heroes so much that they were passionate, willful, stubborn Christians responding to the world around them" (169). <br />I stuck with this thought until I read the epilogue in which Tim states that "Any one of the Tysons-- not just that Gator-- was capable of the kind of the murderous rage that killed Henry Marrow" (316). While the Tysons may have had rage too, their overpowering Christian beliefs negated this and prevented them from possibly acting on their rage. <br /><br />I now believe that the Tysons may have not truly believed in the Civil Rights movement but they rationalized that they were responding to this conflict in the way in which a 'true' Christian is obligated to.echttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08385336085321105654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208124208705663866.post-11390696271862179572009-05-12T14:14:00.000-07:002009-05-12T14:14:00.000-07:00Jenn H here.
I believe that the quote, “we want t...Jenn H here.<br /><br />I believe that the quote, “we want to transcend our history without actually confronting it” is blatant truth (318). When we transcend our mistakes, we indeed move up, beyond and surpass the flaws embedded in this nation. This is the dictionary’s definition of transcend. However, have we transcended them? It could be argued that we have, but in terms of realism, we have not. How can a nation as scarred as ours surpass the subtle cruelties we’ve committed without first confronting them? Americans look the other way when it reaches the point where we must apologize. Apologize? When has humanity in generic terms apologized for actions? Man is arrogant in admitting the slightest hint of failure. This nation is not a failure, but the system of equality very well may be. For it is frequently said that the “opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.” Exchange the word love, for acceptance. The indifference that plagues this nation is overwhelming. Hatred pooling from the baggage of our previous generations cycles about through society, such as the cycle of rain would. As the feelings of hatred and prejudice are evaporated for a short period of time, they mingle in the cloud of injustice. And then, the downpour. But the common misconception is that the downpour of hatred is what plagues us. On the contrary, it is the indifference. Americans who simply duck their heads when considering the oppression we’ve implemented are apathetic. We live in a short-lived nation of apathy. Rather than fixing what we’ve acquired from our former generations, we merely allow the cycle to continue. No longer fueling it - but letting it go on and on and on. So when will the cycle stop?nutterbutterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03648141135200674461noreply@blogger.com