When Will Some People Ever Learn?

First Read this: Commentary: Slavery Needs More than an Apology



You probably had the exact same reaction I did. Bravo! Finally someone had the cajones to speak the truth in a public (and I mean widely public . . . everyone reads CNN and if you don't . . . well) forum. And it didn't have to come from Jesse (Sr. or Jr.), Al or Roland Martin (who is a rather sharp dresser . . but that's another blog).

That feeling dissipated faster than Mike Vick's chancing of winning a citizen of the year award from PETA after the dog fighting news was released after I read the multitude of comments that were left.

Here's a sample:

"Slavery has not affected anyone alive today, who are we apologizing to" - Joe

"If you struggle with white guilt, good for you. It sounds like whatever comforts and privilege you were born into derive to some extent from your family's slave wealth. The small comfort and minor privilege into which I and many other 2nd and 3rd generation white Americans have was not earned off the backs of slaves." - Josh in MD

"We all have equal rights now, times have changed. There is no reason to constantly push the button on this matter." - Thomas J.

"I'm sorry but get over it." - Dave

To be fair, you really can't be mad at Dave. At least he did say he's sorry. But the rest of those who shunned the article you have absolute right to be pissed at. They don't even have the out of just being ignorant (see: They're not Racist, They're Just White). These scoundrels actually have the audacity to insist that despite the turmoil of racism as it was commonplace in our society in the past, there exists few or little remnants of its effects in present day society.

Do they not understand that the Civil Rights Movement is younger than their Grandpa? And for these persons to rationalize that due to everyone "having equal rights", slavery has no effect on our lives today is simply asinine. I'm 31. I have some bad habits that I have acquired over the course of those 31 years that haunt me to this day. Are you saying that our society's accepting temperament toward slavery which lasted hundreds of years can't by any means be relative in today's world?

Some people will never learn.