Comments on: Common Sense Equated with Racism in Virginia Statehouse http://www.bloggernews.net/13926 High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news. Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:35:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: slsb http://www.bloggernews.net/13926#comment-1200 slsb Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:18:36 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/13926#comment-1200 The only error Frank Hargrove made was in making an inappropriate analogy. It was inappropriate because it did not make his point and changed the conversation. If he had said: 'Are we going to ask the Egyptians to apologize for enslaving the Jews?' his point would have been made and no one, except those in Charlottesville, VA, would have read the quote. By the way, any reasonable person who reads the proposed 'apology for slavery' would agree that Hargrove is right. It is a ridiculous document. http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+ful+SJ332 The only error Frank Hargrove made was in making an inappropriate analogy.

It was inappropriate because it did not make his point and changed the conversation.

If he had said: ‘Are we going to ask the Egyptians to apologize for enslaving the Jews?’ his point would have been made and no one, except those in Charlottesville, VA, would have read the quote.

By the way, any reasonable person who reads the proposed ‘apology for slavery’ would agree that Hargrove is right. It is a ridiculous document.

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+ful+SJ332

]]> By: Kayuet http://www.bloggernews.net/13926#comment-1187 Kayuet Wed, 17 Jan 2007 23:00:16 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/13926#comment-1187 There is an air of unnecessary incredulousness among some white Americans when the topic of reparations and apology for chattel slavery comes up. I came to this country when I was very young, and my ancestors were pretty far removed from anything having to do with the Atlantic slave trade or chattel slavery, sharecropping, Jim Crow, and just about any other shameful event and in the memory of this country. But presently as an American I whole heartedly support my government now offering apology and redress to the African Americans who suffered by these events, and continue to be mistreated under the enduring legacies of these systems. These apologies are ultimately symbolic, and can be healing when it is clear that a entire class of people have been harmed by systems and conventions condoned and carried out by their own government. White people act like an apology would mean that each and every white person would personally have to defile themselves in front of a black person with an apology. There is an air of unnecessary incredulousness among some white Americans when the topic of reparations and apology for chattel slavery comes up. I came to this country when I was very young, and my ancestors were pretty far removed from anything having to do with the Atlantic slave trade or chattel slavery, sharecropping, Jim Crow, and just about any other shameful event and in the memory of this country. But presently as an American I whole heartedly support my government now offering apology and redress to the African Americans who suffered by these events, and continue to be mistreated under the enduring legacies of these systems. These apologies are ultimately symbolic, and can be healing when it is clear that a entire class of people have been harmed by systems and conventions condoned and carried out by their own government. White people act like an apology would mean that each and every white person would personally have to defile themselves in front of a black person with an apology.

]]> By: X-Slave http://www.bloggernews.net/13926#comment-1186 X-Slave Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:31:55 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/13926#comment-1186 African-Americans are always told to move on and not dwell upon the past when the subject of slavery comes up. Why is it that no one tells the Jewish people not to be mindful of the Nazi Holocaust? Books are written, movies made and days of remembrance set aside for the Jews. 6 million people died during WWII, whereas tens of millions of Africans suffered and perished at the hands of the White American slave-masters, who were perhaps the cruelest people in the annals of human history. At least 10 million Africans died in the Atlantic crossing alone. But in fairness, African-Americans are not conscious of their history and do not have the finances, nor exert the influence over the media that Jewish people do so there are no "Never Again" slogans, nor any talk of payment of reparations to the progeny of the enslaved Africans. White America does not have the moral rectitude to apologize for slavery. Until a formal U.S. government apology is made and reparations paid, African-Americans will be forever sitting at the dinner table of America waiting for justice to be served. African-Americans are always told to move on and not dwell upon the past when the subject of slavery comes up. Why is it that no one tells the Jewish people not to be mindful of the Nazi Holocaust? Books are written, movies made and days of remembrance set aside for the Jews. 6 million people died during WWII, whereas tens of millions of Africans suffered and perished at the hands of the White American slave-masters, who were perhaps the cruelest people in the annals of human history. At least 10 million Africans died in the Atlantic crossing alone. But in fairness, African-Americans are not conscious of their history and do not have the finances, nor exert the influence over the media that Jewish people do so there are no “Never Again” slogans, nor any talk of payment of reparations to the progeny of the enslaved Africans. White America does not have the moral rectitude to apologize for slavery. Until a formal U.S. government apology is made and reparations paid, African-Americans will be forever sitting at the dinner table of America waiting for justice to be served.

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