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[BFIB]

Yes, and to Morgan I say, "no thanks". Asking someone to stop recognizing me as a black man is asking them to ignore a big part of who I am. I expect people to see all of me, and to not forget who I am and what I came through. No, you need to see me.

It would be nice to not need to have a month as Morgan mentioned, as black history IS American history. The problem, of course, is that there isn't very much black American history in history books. Huge portions of the American story end up left untold, and if allowed to persist will simply disappear from all knowledge. I remember in High School, I wore a NY Black Yankees t-shirt to school, and a white girl in my Spanish class asked me, "why do they have to be the BLACK Yankees"? I told her, "they were a Negro Leagues team.." to which she replied, "Why does it have to be THE NEGRO LEAGUES?!??"

Now that's a damn shame. Not 60 years ago, the Negro Leagues was the only place black athletes could play baseball..and yet the knowledge of their existence, contributions to the "national pastime" and is already almost lost. And we've had these discussions about Cripus Attucks being written out of history books, etc. The examples can go on all day, but I'm not interested in a long diatribe about it. Sure it would be nice if there was enough black American history being taught in schools as to render a heritage/history month unnecessary. But it's laughable to think that is the reality of K-12 education, and old-ass, out of touch Morgan Freeman should probably inspect some history books and consider his thoughts again.



Correct.

My grandpa was good friends with Buck O'Neil's uncle. I actually met Buck once, when I was 7 or 8 years old. Of course, I had no clue about the Negro Leagues, but I was a baseball fanatic. I asked Buck "Did you ever play in the World Series?" and he replied "Son, I played in two of them, but you'll never hear about them." I asked "Why is that? You were a professional ball player right?" and he said "Well, I played ball with the best of them. But I never got to play against the rest of them."

He left shortly after, and when I asked my grandpa about it, he told me all about the Negro Leagues. He was one of the few white men who attended games in St. Louis, and assisted the St. Louis Stars Negro leagues in scouting and development.

Looking back, it was one of the real eye opening moments of my life.

 

[marathonfool]

I have no problems whatsoever with celebrating Black History Month. But, I do have a problem with the racial double standard.

If I released "Caucasian" Magazine tomorrow, it would be labeled racist.

Why is that?

Read up on White Privilege and think of the last time you went looking for a Band-Aid that matched your flesh color.

 

[Mr. B Natural]

Yes, and to Morgan I say, "no thanks". Asking someone to stop recognizing me as a black man is asking them to ignore a big part of who I am. I expect people to see all of me, and to not forget who I am and what I came through. No, you need to see me.

It would be nice to not need to have a month as Morgan mentioned, as black history IS American history. The problem, of course, is that there isn't very much black American history in history books. Huge portions of the American story end up left untold, and if allowed to persist will simply disappear from all knowledge. I remember in High School, I wore a NY Black Yankees t-shirt to school, and a white girl in my Spanish class asked me, "why do they have to be the BLACK Yankees"? I told her, "they were a Negro Leagues team.." to which she replied, "Why does it have to be THE NEGRO LEAGUES?!??"

Now that's a damn shame. Not 60 years ago, the Negro Leagues was the only place black athletes could play baseball..and yet the knowledge of their existence, contributions to the "national pastime" and is already almost lost. And we've had these discussions about Cripus Attucks being written out of history books, etc. The examples can go on all day, but I'm not interested in a long diatribe about it. Sure it would be nice if there was enough black American history being taught in schools as to render a heritage/history month unnecessary. But it's laughable to think that is the reality of K-12 education, and old-ass, out of touch Morgan Freeman should probably inspect some history books and consider his thoughts again.

Really? REALLY? The Negro Leagues in the grand scheme of things is very little significance in American History. Sorry. Not everyone needs to know every example about segregation. People in America are taught a SHIT TON about the civil war and about abolitionism and about slavery and the fine folks that fought against it for hundreds of years.
You might as well say that kids aren't taught enough about our Independence because they can't recall everyone that signed the Constitution. That's bullshit and you know it. Americans are taught, to a fault, their own history, non-stop from K to 12. We do NOT ignore black history AT ALL. Not even a little bit. It is a HUGE portion of our history and a huge portion of what is taught in schools. Do they teach everything? No, of course not.

And, guess what, the Negro Leagues is AMERICAN history, not african american history. To only teach one side of that story would be missing out on half of that subject-matters significance. You didn't confront a single point Morgan Freeman was trying to make.

 

[BeEatNU]

Indeed

truth

I agree with him, we need to stop with the black this, white this, etc this. We need to progress as a species not a race IMO.
Black History month is w/e, all media do is put on more mcdonalds commercials with black people. America would not be what it is without the history of black folks.

 

[Kosmo]

Indeed

Brilliant, indeed.

 

[krypt0nian]

True story.

My cousin's trash husband tried organizing a straight pride flag - http://www.myspace.com/officialstraightprideflag

The total hatemonger tried to do this behind my back and coerced people in my family to keep it a secret from me so as not to upset our elderly uncle who was in poor health.

This is the same piece of walking shit that dared visit us in Orlando during their Disney trip with hugs and smiles and lies.


Needless to say that part of the family is shunned now.

 

[xbhaskarx]

Would it be wrong to send out a Tweet like this just to get on the site?

 

[Devolution]

truth

I agree with him, we need to stop with the black this, white this, etc this. We need to progress as a species not a race IMO.
Black History month is w/e, all media do is put on more mcdonalds commercials with black people. America would not be what it is without the history of black folks.

This argument is kind of dubious until general American History is more representational of the struggles and accomplishments of minorities and women, these months should continue as an attempt at more awareness.

 

[NeoUltima]

Tell that bullshit to Texas and their intentional revisionist history of slavery.

How is my personal experience bullshit?

You made the claim, "blunt truth is African American history wasn't beating taught or mentioned AT ALL. Period."

My educational experience (and I would assume many others) proves that is bullshit. There is ignorance in some places, but not everywhere.

 

[Slayven]

i wonder that when people mention BET.

i mean, do people actually sit there and say "heeeey, wait a minute, why is there a BET anyway?"

Hell I am black and I DON"T want BET. Except for the "The Game".

 

[spindashing]

Won't someone think of the white people?

They can think about themselves.

Hell I am black and I DON"T want BET.

Good man.

Except for the "The Game".

WHAT

 

[BeEatNU]

This argument is kind of dubious until general American History is more representational of the struggles and accomplishments of minorities and women, these months should continue as an attempt at more awareness.

While I agree it's a good thing to be aware, but have it throughout the year, like normal history. No need to have 1 month "dedicated" to it. Like I said earlier, progress the species.

Hell I am black and I DON"T want BET. Except for the "The Game".

I don't even want the game, BET can goto hell.

 

[Slayven]

oh god what have I started

Spoiler

lol

Look upon your work and despair!!!

 

[Satch]

While I agree it's a good thing to be aware, but have it throughout the year, like normal history. No need to have 1 month "dedicated" to it. Like I said earlier, progress the species.

well yes, that's what she said

 

[HarryHengst]

While I agree it's a good thing to be aware, but have it throughout the year, like normal history. No need to have 1 month "dedicated" to it. Like I said earlier, progress the species.




I don't even want the game, BET can goto hell.

'Normal history' is white history, so saying that black history should be just like white history is kinda missing the whole point. Keeping it throughout the year without special attention doesnt work, thats why there is this special month!

 

[-PXG-]

A (white) co-worker mentioned this yesterday. I thought it was funny as hell. Basically, ya'll have every month but February. I guess that still isn't enough...

 

[Devolution]

While I agree it's a good thing to be aware, but have it throughout the year, like normal history. No need to have 1 month "dedicated" to it. Like I said earlier, progress the species.

I don't even know what you mean by this. You mean programming that celebrates the accomplishments and history of minorities in America year round instead of just focusing the spotlight in one particular month?

 

[Slayven]

They can think about themselves.


Good man.


WHAT

I am sorry I can't live up to your standards.

 

[Satch]

why do you guys not like The Game?

it's okay

 

[BFIB]

A (white) co-worker mentioned this yesterday. I thought it was funny as hell. Basically, ya'll have every month but February. I guess that still isn't enough...

US WHITE PEOPLE DEMAND IT ALL!

And BET was at its best when they would play Martin, Family Matters, and In Living Color on their afternoon block.

Good times!

 

[-PXG-]

US WHITE PEOPLE DEMAND IT ALL!

And BET was at its best when they would play Martin, Family Matters, and In Living Color on their afternoon block.

Good times!

YES!!!!

 

[Gregorn]

Dedicating a month to a history subject is stupid no matter what it's about.

 

[BeEatNU]

'Normal history' is white history, so saying that black history should be just like white history is kinda missing the whole point. Keeping it throughout the year without special attention doesnt work, thats why there is this special month!

It's pretty obvious the special month isn't working. After Feb, you rarely hear anything about black people accomplishments after Feb. thus it's pretty much forgotten about.

I don't even know what you mean by this. You mean programming that celebrates the accomplishments and history of minorities in America year round instead of just focusing the spotlight in one particular month?

I mean, focus on it throughout the year like the rest of the history not just to 1 month.

 

[Kimaka]

And BET was at its best when they would play Martin, Family Matters, and In Living Color on their afternoon block.

Good times!

At least there's still TvOne. They play a lot of old black shows occasionally.

 

[KingK]

It's already been said, but it's because every month is White history month. The vast majority of history education focuses on white Europeans and people of white European ancestry. It's good to at least have some time when people can recognize that other races have done things too.

True story, when my sister was in high school, the world history teacher tried to skip over the entire Africa section because "there weren't any black kids in the class." My sister took his ass to the school board and tried to get him fired. Nothing happened to him, of course, but the point is that history is already tilted in favor of whites, and there are a lot of teachers who neglect to teach anything about minority contributions to history. So having a month to promote it can teach people things they otherwise would never learn is a good idea in my opinion.

Also, in regards to Black history month specifically, I'm always in favor of reminding people that the Civil Rights act only happened less than 50 years ago, and that there are still plenty of black Americans alive who lived through segregation.

 

[Osietra]

Racist band-aids. So excellent.

 

[heliosRAzi]

Remember when black television shows used to be on the same night?

 

[Parallax]

It's pretty obvious the special month isn't working. After Feb, you rarely hear anything about black people accomplishments after Feb. thus it's pretty much forgotten about.

then imagine if black history month didnt exist..

 

[Mistake]

I would be very interested to view a thread here, on what history people find important. Throughout school I learned mainly about the War of 1812, the Civil War, WWI and WWII. Everything else was just on the side, with world history being almost non-existent.

 

[Ghost_Protocol]

Because large amounts of black history have been excluded from the history books over the years. People decided we should dedicate one month out the year to remember it. There is no double standard, and suggesting there should be a white history month to balance it out is beyond stupid.

For example, far too many people didn't know about the Tuskegee Airmen before seeing the ads for Red Tails, and many, MANY more people know nothing about the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. Reading comments on facebook is a great way to learn how much people actually know.

 

[Triple Da G.O.D!]

Remember when black television shows used to be on the same night?

Damn. Now that I think about it broadcast TV no longer offers this at all. Wednesdays on The WB and Thursdays on FOX. Good times. UPN, who?

And this thread is a trap. Somebody isn't leaving here.

 

[way more]

Why don't white people have their own Tyler Perry movies?

 

[lordfroakie]

July isn't white history month?

 

[heliosRAzi]

Damn. Now that I think about it broadcast TV no longer offers this at all. Wednesdays on The WB and Thursdays on FOX. Good times.

It was good times, but when I think back on it, why couldn't it be offered throughout the week or grouped with other comedy and drama shows? Why did all of the television shows with majority black casts be grouped on the same night?

 

[tranciful]

Every day in elementary school

 

[HarryHengst]

It's pretty obvious the special month isn't working. After Feb, you rarely hear anything about black people accomplishments after Feb. thus it's pretty much forgotten about.

And yet your solution is to remove even that one month? That... makes no sense at all.

 

[spindashing]

I am sorry I can't live up to your standards.

It's just a chick show to me. Usually, my friends that are black girls usually gush about it.

Maybe it is a great show and I'm missing something.

 

[Emily Chu]

never...

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

He explicitly recommended people to "stop talking about racism" as a way to get rid of it.

yeah, morgan freeman is seriously out of touch on this issue. it's nice sentiment, but it falls apart when you think about it.

 

[Slayven]

Why don't white people have their own Tyler Perry movies?

I thought their equivalent was Jennifer Anston movies.

 

[spindashing]

Why don't white people have their own Tyler Perry movies?

Black people don't want Tyler Perry movies either.

 

[Complex Shadow]

It's just a chick show to me. Usually, my friends that are black girls usually gush about it.

Maybe it is a great show and I'm missing something.

no its awful. i watched like 2 eps, and said "i am out". and i was struggling those 2 eps, trying not to change the channel.

 

[Triple Da G.O.D!]

It was good times, but when I think back on it, why couldn't it be offered throughout the week or grouped with other comedy and drama shows? Why did all of the television shows with majority black casts be grouped on the same night?

For the exact reasons you know. That was just the way it was and the way it still is for whatever reason. The only exceptions I can even think of at that time was Family Matters on ABC and Cosby on CBS. But those shows crossed over so they were spared being lumped on the same night as the other black shows on TV.

Black people don't want Tyler Perry movies either.

You'd think this but there's a reason why Tyler Perry is so relevant though.

 

[Satch]

how come the three threads i've been in about black people have this as an ad

 

[Bossun]

Creating a black history month is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

It's not gonna help fighting racism in anyway...

 

[soundahfekz]

Why don't white people have their own Tyler Perry movies?

You're fucking awesome for this

 

[MIMIC]

It's pretty obvious the special month isn't working. After Feb, you rarely hear anything about black people accomplishments after Feb. thus it's pretty much forgotten about.



I mean, focus on it throughout the year like the rest of the history not just to 1 month.

You could make the same argument for any holiday. The point is so it DOESN'T fall through the cracks amid the prevalence of everything else (at least that's my take on it).

 

[Lionheart1337]

Yall jus chasin the drama now.

 

[weepy]

Why don't white people have their own Tyler Perry movies?

OK, I lol'd.

 

[BeEatNU]

And yet your solution is to remove even that one month? That... makes no sense at all.

remove that month and make it on going throughout the year does not compute?