How Long Before You Can Stop Using The Past As An Excuse?

[Peter Parka]

This seems to be coming up a lot in threads about black people being so repressed because of how they were made slaves a few hundred years ago. So I want to know, what is a reasonable amount of time before people can stop using the past as an excuse?

 

[Bandit]

i personally think they need to stop using it as an excuse NOW.

 

[Elle]

I really am so tired of hearing about it, myself. I don't think using the slavery era as ammo really works, anyway, does it?? I'm half native american and although I consider what has been done to native americans barbaric and shocking, I cannot imagine running around protesting & campaigning about it! It happened so many years ago.

 

[Dana]

This seems to be coming up a lot in threads about black people being so repressed because of how they were made slaves a few hundred years ago. So I want to know, what is a reasonable amount of time before people can stop using the past as an excuse?

It won't go away any time soon... and it was only until the mid 1800 hundreds wasn't it that they became free people so it hasn't been a few "hundreds" years. They didn't get full rights in America until the early 1900s... I don't pay it any mind. You can tell when you see folks which ones still think you owe them something and those who are humble.

 

[Trance97]

If a black person brings up slavery because they can't get their way, ask him or her to name 5 famous black people that were very significant back in the times of slavery. If they can't tell them to quit bitching.

/thread.

 

[DavyBoy]

I don't see how you can use anything as an excuse (or reason for your actions or beliefs) if it didn't happen directly to you.

Sure, past events (e.g. slavery) may still have an influence on this time with the cultural divide between whites and blacks in America, and the average lower socio-economic status of blacks. But if that is what they are talking about, then what they need to be using as an excuse is the fact that they were born poor, or the fact that they were picked on at school. What happened to their great-great-grandfathers just isn't going to cut it.

It's like a Jewish person robbing a bank and blaming Hitler for it.

 

[All Else Failed]

Well, seeing as how racism is very alive and well today, I'd say its not to be used as an excuse, but seen as a factor as to why a lot of blacks are still discriminated against.