"In addition, there is a psychological defense called projection – when one accuses someone of having traits they refuse to acknowledge in themselves – that also explains some of the reason white people fear the violence of Black people. Instead of acknowledging the past and present forms of violence Black people have suffered at the hands of whites, it is projected on the victims themselves"
http://stuffwhitepeopledo.blogspot.com/2010/07/fear-black-men-oscar-grant-open-thread.html
White people eradicated the Native Americans and violently and psychologically oppressed those from Africa for generations. Now those whose grandfathers were accomplices to abuse and murder want to act like their actions were justified.
I sit here as a descendant of people who migrated to the west. I know that the Oregon trail was a disaster for Natives. I have to reconcile my birth with the fact that so many were massacred and displaced just because a country said the land in Oregon was available for settlement. The whole of America has this problem, some places have the additional factor of slavery. Either way, I don't think we can say that the development of America has ever been fair to those who were not white. It was not until the 1980s that Native Americans got to open up casinos and start earning money on the desolate land that treaties quarantined them to.
But guess what? The descendants of slaves never got that same opportunity. Imagine, as a white person, that your family was uncontrollably sent to another land. In that land you were owned. After 150 years and multiple generations were divided, abused, and overworked, you were free. But wait, not really. Free in name only. We as whites hear of ancestors coming to America and getting a shot at a homestead or a plot of land, for minimal money. THAT NEVER HAPPENED for the descendants of slaves.
Irish people and their ancestors love to talk of the hardship they endured. The English effed 'em and when they came to America they were also discriminated against. Its such a popular story; the downtrodden Irish. Well, sorry, its all bullshit compared to those who came from Africa. The Irish flourished in America because they were considered white.
The secret sauce of America is the fact that the majority of whites are of German descent. Funny enough, the hatred of Germans was of equal levels to the current outrage against Mexican immigrants. There were petitions to stop the use of German due to fear that the language of the Huns might one day takeover English. This was of such extent, that today, many Germans have Anglicized last names in America. Muller became Miller, Fischer became Fisher, Weber became Webber, and so on.
So there it is. White people assimilated and benefited. People who just so happened to be born black, and had ancestors who were sold into slavery, were marginalized and received none of the benefits that white people did. Imagine the difference between a person who is hardworking who is given land and another who is hardworking but is legally prohibited from buying land. This is what it boils down to. The actions of your ancestors receiving benefits from the government of the United States gave a huge leg up, basically compound interest doled out over generations. The descendants of slaves never got that.
I will reflect on my own life. My mother and father were poor and came from dysfunctional families. Yet, they were white. They had no discrimination against them pursuing college. Although they were the first in their families to try. My dad served in the military, he went to Vietnam and helped guard the DMZ in Korea. I constantly think about if they were not given access to certain benefits how my life would be different.
Lucky for me they were white, although poor. They had generations of ancestors who had tried to farm the land, which they got for free. Unfortunately, terrible parents seem to just skip a couple generations. All the hard work of their ancestors had been eliminated by their direct parents. Shit happens, right? Lucky enough for them they could take advantage of the dividends of prior generations and the goodwill of having the right skin tone.
Today I benefit tremendously from the fact that both of my parents made it through college. Their hardwork, as well as opportunities given to them, had a huge benefit to me. I think sometimes about how different it would be if they had never achieved beyond what they were born into. I am thankful everyday that they struggled and worked to give me a better starting point.
TL;DR: Shit a'int fair. There are many historical tales told by whites to make themselves feel good. The descendants of slaves didn't get the same opportunities, and if you multiply that fact by generations there is a very large deficit. We took their labor and then spit on those from Africa. Honestly, reparations make sense. Its not a handout, its just a throwback to lost opportunity. Oh, and my parents are amazing and I'm grateful. However, all people in America should have the ability to benefit.
#tiredofcrap #history #convicttherealcriminal #nomore #AllAmericansMatter #compoundinterest #discrepency
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