dagblog - Comments for "Black People: Where Have The Greatness Of Our Ancestors Gone?"

A small percentage of the

rmrd0000 — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 22:45:27 +0000

In reply to "We can also make reference

A small percentage of the black population will be the ones who initiate change. The ones who are aware of the history of black people will be those who supply the majority effecting change. Those who are aware of history and the valiant struggles of blacks in America are the ones not discouraged by the trails and tribulations of current day African Americans.

"We can also make reference

Danny Cardwell — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 18:24:45 +0000

In reply to Black People: Where Have The Greatness Of Our Ancestors Gone?

"We can also make reference to all of the illustrious Black kings, queens and warriors of the past, and cite everything that Black people have accomplished throughout history. But what's the purpose of having all that knowledge if we don't use it to move ourselves forward?"

When I read this quote it reminded of Frantz Fanon. I think your right; all of the knowledge in the world is useless if it isn't paired with action. As a culture we, in the black community, must make a conscious effort to unlearn the lies that have been associated with our black skin. The black church could learn much from the Nation of Islam and 5% movements in this respect, but once we get the knowledge of self all of us, regardless of religious affiliation, need to accept the reality that it's up to us to preserve our cultural and historical landmarks.

That's a good way to put it:

Elusive Trope — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 13:53:55 +0000

In reply to Elusive,

That's a good way to put it: micro versus macro.

I saw one program on PBS

Elusive Trope — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 13:52:39 +0000

In reply to We need to give everybody a

I saw one program on PBS which discussed the genome project and some of their findings. One of them was that there was a serious drought globally (the global warming process we're speeding up) so that like 98% of Africa was uninhabitable. Our ancestors of the Homo Sapien Sapiens was reduced to one group that had made their way to south Africa coastline and survived on the shellfish available. When the weather changed, they began to branch out and became the human population we know today.

There is nothing dismissive

rmrd0000 — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 13:49:03 +0000

In reply to Actuallly rmrd wrote that

There is nothing dismissive about saying that Native Americans can identify with a tribe of origin. There is nothing dismissive about saying that Latinos can trace back to a country of origin. Most Americans of European descent can trace back roots to specific countries in Europe. The ability to trace back to a tribe or a country does not mean that Native Americans were not placed in reservations after massive land theft, that Japanese Americans did not face internment, or that there are no poor whites. The statement only says that most Americans of African descent cannot trace roots back to a specific tribe. DNA testing, including mitochondrial DNA allows pinpointing general regions and sometimes specific tribes.

People can go back to the old country in Europe. Native Americans can struggle to save tribal traditions.African Americans identify with African culture because roots have been eradicated. Blacks celebrate the century long reign of the Black Pharaohs and those who killed slavers on the Amistad. Wider use of genetic testing will aid the ability to retrace ancestral lands.

We need to give everybody a

Wattree — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 06:41:38 +0000

In reply to Black People: Where Have The Greatness Of Our Ancestors Gone?

We need to give everybody a DNA test, and we'd find that everybody is African. The only difference between Black people and White people is a physical adaptation to their regional environment. They found that the original Jews were Black, but they keep that a state secret in Israel. But all that stuff is meaningless to me. All I care about is whether a person can think or not. If he can't, he's inferior, regardless to whether he's Black, White, or an Eskimo. That's the way I segregate people - good people as oppose to bad people - and what most call sin, I call ignorance. So I'm a bigot toward ignorant people, because I see them as evil. That's why I don't like Dick Cheney, Rick Perry, and most Republicans.

Elusive,

Wattree — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 05:47:34 +0000

In reply to I understand your point. I

Elusive,

What you've said is true. You're speaking cultural background in a micro sense, and I'm speaking of cultural experience in the macro sense of the word. So you're absolutely right in that sense. My culture is much different from a Black person from Cuba.

Actuallly rmrd wrote that

PeraclesPlease — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 05:28:43 +0000

In reply to What I wrote with emphasis

Actuallly rmrd wrote that first, & I was responding to him, as it seemed to be roughly "blacks were uprooted but natives could always point to their origins", a rather dismissive way of looking at the native experience - especially as diverse (as you note) as the thousands of tribes and millions of members and descendants.

They took their children and

Elusive Trope — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 02:57:08 +0000

In reply to The severance distinction is

They took their children and sent off to be like the Whites, and adopt Christianity. On the Lummi Nation reservation, where they broke off all ties to the Federal Government and made themselves self-sufficient including a credited school system that ran from Kindergarten to Associates Degree at the Community College level, there a nasty split between those who had adopted Christianity and those who attempted to maintain the traditional ways. I'm quite aware of the social engineering practices. Somehow I think because I differ on how the use of the word "culture" should be used that somehow makes me clueless to issues like this. Go research the United Fruit Company if one wants to see modern day oppression in full view.

The severance distinction is

moat — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 01:59:10 +0000

In reply to Native Americans never had

The severance distinction is important. Malcolm X and Ralph Ellison have testified.
In considering the Native American experience, it should be remembered that the Bureau of Indian Affairs made great efforts to cancel their culture.

I don't offer the contrast in any sense of judging who suffered more. Just wanted to point out that social engineering has been going on for some time now.