Re: Is white racism nec. all bad?
Gary Strand (gary@ncar.ucar.edu)
26 Apr 1995 20:03:41 GMT
vb> Vernon Ballard
gs> Gary Strand
vb> I EMPATHIZE with them because we share a common history in a society which
is institutionally racially biased (women have a similar history on gender
grounds).
All our histories are unique. No-one lives the exact life of another, so
collecting people together by history isn't quite correct. It's just a dif-
ferent way to obliterate our individuality and replace it with group iden-
tity.
The history you "share" with them removes some degree of individual respon-
sibility for their acts? Really? What of those who suffer at least the same
victimization by society yet don't turn to violence? What excuse can they
offer?
gs> Those guys that it seems blew up the OKC federal building are white, yet I
feel no connection with them at all, only anger, revulsion, and a desire
for terrible revenge. I certainly don't call them "brother".
vb> That's probably because you don't share their history.
Sorry, but this whole "history pushes people to do certain things" argument
is bogus, IMHO. I'm not necessarily tied to past events in my own life, and
certainly not in the lives of others. History is not some overarching force
that drives us, thank the gods. What's past is past, and we don't live there.
--
Gary Strand WWW: http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/cscor/gary/gary.html
strandwg@ncar.ucar.edu PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 (303) 497-1336
Opinions stated here are mine alone and are not those of NCAR, UCAR, or the NSF
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