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Leon_Figg3 -> RE: Why Is America Something to be Proud Of? (6/25/2008 12:06:30 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: tracydolls
quote:
I'm proud that this is a country were people of ALL FAITHS AND BELIEFS, including George Carlin, Bill Hicks, Marin Luther King, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XIV, John Dobson, Jerry Falwell, The Dahli Llama, and many, many more can express their beliefs OPENLY without fear of persecution from the government or radical individuals who would do them harm for speaking what they believe.
Your kidding right? Martin Luther King was killed for his beliefs, the Gov't put him in jail many times, crazy people blew up CHURCHES and Children to keep MLK from getting anywhere.
First we have to get some simple history under our belts before we can be PROUD.
tracydolls,
First of all I do not believe history is simple. I had a junior high school history teacher who turned me on to history because of his beliefs and views about the course of history. One of the things he said was that one's basic understanding about history/ a historic event is based on which side is first and best able to record it.
In America the history of the Old West has largely been told from the view point of the "victors", but with the publication of books like "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" the other side got to have their say. Lo and behold it became clear that a lot of awful things were done that didn't have to be done. It became clear that individuals on both sides saw the conflict as inevitable and sought ways to lessen the resulting misery.
From other posts you have disclosed that you have had some bad experiences of a racial nature. I believe many of us have. I know I have. Though they may not come close to yours I am aware that they could have turned me into a racist, at the very least it could have made me very fearful of being around blacks, which it did for a time. However, I feel/ I'm certain that I was more fearful of the type of person who did me wrong than their skin color (I was mugged by a 6 foot black man when I was in the service. After I left the service I was conned out of some money and material by a black man I tried to befriend. Then when I ran out of money, it's believed that he broke into my house stold from me and vandalized my car)
Do I blame all blacks- NO (When I was mugged the only people in the vacinity who could have helped me were black). I blame the individuals who did me wrong and my trusting nature.
Do I blame the legal system, or the country for what happened to me(after I was robbed the police seemed to know who I was talking about who was responsible for my house being broken into and robbed. I was not his first victim)
Once again, my experiences may not compare to yours, but it is up to each of us how we respond to what has happened. We can either hold onto the hurt and anger and let I poison our view of our fellow man, or we can endeavor to be Christlike and move on.
After I was mugged I was surprised at the concern some of the black troops in my unit expressed. They feared that the mugging would have an adverse affect on my relationship with them as far as racial matters were concerned. It did not.
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