In defense of African-American Behavior

» yellagal - African-American Behavior

My mind snapped when the end of a young black man's trial was televised. The camera showed a man standing, his white attorney at his side.Chose to decline comment and made no closing statement.

The camera focused on the prosecutor. Who was swift to dismiss claims of innocence.pointed and declared,"He has no defense".

I shouted back ,"Yes He does". I saw another victim of racism. Disguised as justice, the black man is feared and under attack.

Not too long ago I hated the negative opinions I used to attack the actions of other African-Americans. I am not alone.
It's wrong.Feeling annoyed with each other makes us turn against ourselves. We know very well our patterns of behavior. And,I have been told in the middle east we are known as disloyal and at war with ourselves.

How can our behavior lack being considered as meaningful instead of attacked as anti-social or criminal. Shouldn't we be seen as needing the consideration given to other prisoners of war? Our forefathers are prime examples of the powerful instinctive force that seeks behaviors necessary for life to continue. It operates like a fail safe mechanism. A gift from our creator to guarantee life adapts to, and not succumbs to, environmental stressors.

I believe it's better for us to stop pretending the struggle for freedom has ended. Stop singing and chanting about what is to come one day. We need to recognize we have been brainwashed for centuries. There can be no quick fixes for our human condition.

-- posted by yellagal

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» BoutrosRND - Re: African-American Behavior

The human condition is not something to be "fixed." It is what it is, and for us to thrive--because of its strengths and in spite of its weaknesses--we must explore and expand. To do otherwise is to lock ourselves in a box with our ignorance, our prejudice, and our worst nightmares and let them wreak havoc upon us.

Robert Davis

-- posted by BoutrosRND

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» personT - Re: African-American Behavior

In response to message posted by yellagal:

I agree with yellagal, blacks shouldn't turn against one another. But they shouldn't hestitate to be "annoyed with each another" either. Blacks are human beings, and a lot of human beings are annoying. Doesn't matter what kind of skin or background they have. I've got a cousin, same color as me, who went to jail. I loved the kid, but if anyone belonged in jail for stealing, he did.

Some people are criminals. Some people are destructive, hateful and overwhelmingly selfish. This is true in every race and group. If blacks try to maintain that it's not true in their group, they'll lose credibility and support among those outside their group.

I'm white, but I don't automatically like all white people, or defend their behavior. I like the people I like, and dislike the others. The reasons I like people are about the same as the reasons anyone likes anyone else: the personal qualities of the person. I don't make friends with people I'm afraid of or whose attitudes I detest. I wouldn't stand up at a meeting and pretend to, either.

The world needs its criticis. Look how many satirists, comedians, whistle blowers, reformers, social critics, advocates, activists, cranks, gadflies, nags, contrarians and utopians there are in history. Look how much good they've done. Look how many there are today. Notice some of them are white people criticizing other white people. Quite a few of them in fact.

The struggle for freedom goes on and on. Meanwhile, a lot of white people like a lot of black people and vice versa. What if we stop focussing on which side done wrong talk about which kind of human qualities we like best in one another. No one likes criticism or compromise, but if we all make an effort to show we can take it as well as dish it out, we'll probably see there's more readiness to change than is evident when people are just throwing rocks, or snoballs with rocks inside, from across the fence.

Yellagal, don't you think that even in an all-black world there's be some bad apples? Do you think that in an all-white world there's be some good ones?

If you're a good apple and I'm a good apple, aren't we kind of on the same side? Wouldn't we both prefer to be among a lot of good people, even if it's not a monocrhomatic bunch, than around a one-colored crowd with some real bad assholes on the loose?

I don't see blacks as prisoners of war. I do feel the American blacks living today are suffering from lingering prejudice and other after-effects of slavery here. I don't know if blacks by and large want to be part of America or not, but almost every white person I know well wants them to be. If blacks want it, there are a lot of white people convinced that slavery was wrong and willing to make some compromises and effort to undo the damage.

So talk to us. And be willing to listen. That's what I say to angry black people. I don't know where you stand, yellagal, so forgive me if I seem to be casting you in a role. I'd like to have some dialogue with you about this.

-- posted by personT

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