Thursday, October 18, 2007
Hons 101: Beyond Feelings
Dani Palmer, Shield staff member, authored a Perspectives & Viewpoints column in the October 11 issue, "Jena 6: proof some things never change." Palmer concludes that we as a society have not "matured enough to learn to work together and not hate others based on skin color," that we haven't learned from our past mistakes, and that we never will. Do you agree?
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42 comments:
I am not a fan of blanket statements. Therefore, I do not believe that it is accurate to say that we never will learn to interact with others regardless of skin color. I do, however, believe that the shield columist raises a the serious issue of lingering racism. While we nolonger live in the era of slave beating and how much of a human slaves counted for during censusing, our world still has too much racism to say that it has made any serious progress toward a racist-free society. The only difference between the racism now and the racism 200 hundreds years ago is the openess of it. In the late 1700's/early 1800's it was acceptable to beat a person of color or call them a derogatory name in public. Today people still harbor these same type of feelings, but chooseto keep them to themself or talk about it in a close knit group of friends with similar ideas. While these type of people, for the most part, do not act on these racist feelings, racism is still conveyed through their attitude and hints of it escape into everyday actions. Until our society can reach a point where it promotes a sense of community among all people, both through our thoughts and actions, we will continue to carry this burden known as racism on our back into the next century.
I do not totally agree with the author's opinion. While I can see his point and understand why the writer feels frustrated, I feel that saying that we will NEVER learn is a harsh generalization. It is true that there are still a number of people who have racist opinions and do not accept others different from themselves, but we must remember that there are a huge amount of people that are open to equality for everyone. However, who is going to bring that to the media's attention? How often do you see news programs telling positive stories about how people of different cultures are working together to make our coutry a better place? It is much more likely to find a negative story such as the controversial Jena 6 in the media. It would be impossible to change all the racists in the world, it has drastically improved over the years. Even if racism will continue to exist in the future, I feel that we must have hope and continue to have an optomistic outlook in order to continue to improve and do our individual best to ensure that we are doing our part.
I am not a fan of generalized statements either. I do not think that is appropriate to say that society will NEVER learn to overcome racism and interact together. Where is the burden of proof? Some say history repeats itself, that we as a society fail to overcome major obstacles. The way I see it, America has come a long way since the era of slavery. Yes, harbored racist feelings may still exist among people in the United States, but more and more people are aware of the derogatory implications and choose to keep an open mind concerning the situation. Two hundred years or so ago, it was entirely acceptable to whip an African American or call them harsh names.
Today, it is much different. The feelings around America may still exist, but more and more people are not acting on their feelings. I think that because they are not acting, there is more of a chance that the next generation will not be as racist. When you can't act on something you believe, that belief will most likely fade throughout generations. I also think that if these feelings fade enough, America might have the chance to fully change.
Thus, perhaps we can manage to overcome racial issues. It is just going to take some strong Americans to stand up for equality among all in order for society to see a change.
I don't completely agree with the author, but he made a good point. I think it's a little extreme to say that the U.S. will NEVER learn from our mistakes. We are making some improvement. Slavery is now illegal, and African Americans have many more right now than less than a century ago. Some places still have harsh discrimination, I won’t deny that. But there are many places where people of different races live together, work together, and get along great. The longer we live with people of different races having equal right, the more we seem to accept them. Some places have prejudice taught to them by family members and it is a part of their society. It’s going to take a lot of work to get them to understand that it isn’t right. We are all created equal and should treat each other with respect. Progress in this issue is slow and I believe it will continue to be that way. Violence against prejudice won’t accomplish anything either. It will only make things worse.
We need to work with those that we know are prejudice and show them that all are equal. It’s going to take time, but I believe conditions will continue to improve.
Just a little side note:
I was reading for my Sociology class and came across an interesting theory. It reads: "According to Allport's theory of contact, prejudice will decrease if two groups with equal status have contact. But prejudice will increase or remain high if it occurs under conditions of status inequality, in which one group is dominant and the other subordinate. This accounts for the failure of race relations to improve in the South until recently."
Stark, Rodney. Sociology. (10th ed. p. 291). Belmont, CA: Thompson.
The statement that people will never learn from their mistakes is not only a very depressing statement but it is also not true. Just that fact that Dani Palmer remembers past mistakes and criticizes others for continuing to make those mistakes is proof that people have learned from the past. People are always going to make mistakes. The difference is that now there are enough people to stand up to those individuals and tell them their actions are wrong. This situation in Jena has been an outrage to so many people across the country. It proves that countless people in America, of all races, do not support the terrible occurrences in Jena. There are always going to be those people who take much longer than others to realize or even to admit to their mistakes. Change is progressive and takes place over many, many years. As long as that change is happening, and as long as more and more people are willing to stand up against those who refuse to change, then we as people, and society as a whole, are learning from our mistakes.
I find the article a little unfair. I do not condone the actions the students suspended for the "prank" or the other crimes described within the article, however I believe that outrage builds so quickly on issues such as this that our judgements are clouded. Everyone one wants to be an Atticus Finch fighting for justice, in so doing we lose our sense of objectivity. True, racism is alive and well not just in America but everywhere. If the situation were reversed and the six students were white while the victim black, would the author be calling for a hate crime conviction? Granted, the area's racial tensions should be taken into account as extrennuating circumstances, but it still seems to be a racially motivated crime. I understand that the presence of something so vile as racism frustrates us. However, lets not forget that the U.S. is not the only country with the problem. I seem to recall a rather serious outbreak of riots in France resulting from a disenfranchised majority. To this day in Brazil whites are portrayed considerabley more favorably throughout their culture. The U.S. to it's credit has a myriad of celebrities of diverse races, including an African-American secretary of state. To say that we have not "matured" enough suggests that there is some utopian society where no one harbors racist thoughts. Racism is a human problem not just an American one. We may stumble on the path from time to time, but the fact that any case of a racist act is almost immediately well known is testament to our "maturity". Regardless of what we may want to believe, I believe that there will always be racism. I believe that this country holds great promise and is closer to the goal of racial tolerance than some are willing to give it.
I don't. I mean if we didn't learn from our past mistakes people would still be lynching. I don't think I've ever heard of a modern-day lynching, but I can't say I've ever really looked into it either. I mean yes, society does have improvements to make, but that statement is a bit too... general?... to really make me feel comfortable with it.
~Crystal
I don’t believe that making a statement such as Palmer made is a very wise decision. Such a statement lacks enough warrants and to me is assuming too much. You should not assume such a conclusion based on one event. It holds premises that are not necessarily true. The statement that United States as a country has not learned from our past mistakes and never will is unfounded. We have evolved and changed as we have grown. If we had not learned from our mistakes then I would not have the right to vote or own property or be there person I am today. I would be expected to stay at home, marry young, and be content with what I was given. I would not be allowed to pursue my dream if it stepped out of the role of homemaker. If we had not learned from our mistakes United States would still be using CFC compounds and further depleting our ozone. To say that we have not learned from our past mistakes is making a generalization on a large scale.
Yes, some mistakes we as a country have yet to fix all across the board, but that does not mean we have not learned from them. It is ludicrous to think that every person in the United States will believe the same thing and will evolve with the times. Some people refuse to change no matter how much evidence there is to support such change. United States as a whole should not be judged because of one occurrence. That would be like saying a person who makes one bad judgment or does one thing wrong is not a good person. You cannot judge upon one event. You have to view it as a whole, taking into account all aspects, or you cannot develop an informed opinion. Yes, what happened was terrible. Yes, there was some injustice done but that does not mean that we as a country will not change or do not have the potential to change. Racism is a very complex matter. It cannot simply be controlled by the government. Just because it is prohibited to act upon it does not mean people will not harbor those feelings of hatred. The government can only do so much. They cannot keep an individual from believing what they want to no matter how harsh or brutal those thoughts may be.
Palmer does raise good points about the issue of racism and the fact that the government is not doing everything possible to get rid of it. The punishments meted out did not show seriousness for such an issue. However, this in no way means that United States will not change, or that we lack the capability to do so. Making such a statement to me is like saying that the United States lacks the fortitude to do so, that we haven’t the will or determination to continue to improve ourselves and grow, and that seems like an insult in its lowest form.
I do not believe that it is right to judge everyone on the basis of the actions of a selected group of individuals. The Jena 6 incident is a serious case that shows that some individuals have not learned from our past mistakes. However, this does not mean that no one has or ever will. It is not fair, or accurate, to judge an entire population on the actions of a small percentage. Although I do believe it is true to some extent, I do not believe that none of us have learned from our past mistakes. Today, African Americans have more rights and people are more accepting of interacting with them. Hundreds of years ago, African Americans were viewed as lowlier life forms and there were few individuals who paid them the respect that all human beings deserve. In the past, it was not thought amiss to lynch African Americans or beat them for simple entertainment. Today, however, things are a lot different. African Americans are no longer subjected to an entirely different set of rules. Today, African Americans have the same rights and are subjected to the same standards as everyone else. It is my belief that currently there is a greater percentage of people who treat African Americans how they deserve to be treated instead of how they were treated in the past. This shows that some people at least have learned from our past mistakes and are more accepting of other races.
This is not to say, however, that everyone has learned from our past mistakes. There are still individuals who refuse to see that times have changed and that it is no longer right or acceptable to maintain the hatred and apathy they hold for individuals of other races. They do not understand that those people are individuals just like everyone else who deserve the same respect and understanding that they would give to their white counterparts. There are, and will continue to be, people in the world who can not understand that the color of one’s skin does not affect the person he or she is, who can not understand that a difference of race is not a reason to hate someone, who can not understand that everyone deserves the same level of respect and understanding. This does not mean that none of us have learned from our past mistakes. It simply means that some of us have not. Nor does it mean that we never will. As the years have passed, more and more people have seen the errors in the way different races have been treated and I believe as more time passes more people will join those numbers. Changing the way one thinks and views individuals is a difficult and time-consuming process. We can not expect for everyone to change the way they think immediately but I think that eventually, if everyone works towards that goal, that we can truly learn from our past mistakes and become a country where the color of one’s skin truly doesn’t matter.
I do not agree with Dani Palmer that we as a society have not "matured enough to learn to work together and not hate others based on skin color." I believe that we have fully matured enough to learn to work together and not hate others based on skin color. On the other hand, I know that there are those who are still very immature on the issue of race and they are responsible for the problems dealing with the Jena 6. The majority of the population is not racist and do not care what color skin you have. There are those select few who are causing all the racial tension. They seem so abundant, because they are the only ones making the news. You rarely hear stories on the national news about races getting along. Think about it, how often are there stories of good racial relationships and getting along as a society? Now compare it to the opposite side of the spectrum. When do you hear about people yelling out racial slurs, injustice due to the color of a person’s skin, and the Klu Klux Klan? It is likely that you will hear stories of racial discrimination and injustice. It might be more compelling news to tell about, but it is not better news. I believe that there are a higher percentage of people who are for racial equality and only a fraction of the population is actually racist.
Society has learned from our past mistakes, but we will never have a racist-free society. Obviously we have improved on racial equality since the Civil War or even since the 1950's and 1960's in the United States. In the United States there is no longer slavery, segregated restaurants, or segregated schools. Any citizen can vote, own land, and receive equal treatment under the laws. Our world is not free of racism, nor will it ever be, but it has improved over the years and still will improve in years to come. The problem we have is breaking the cycle. A racist parent is going to raise his/her kids to see others in a different way. Hopefully some will break the racist cycle and the numbers will decrease. They will never learn from past mistakes, but WE, the majority, have.
I agree that racism will always be a problem. As long as humans exist, they will fall prey to racial prejudices (they may not know it and it may not, and probably won't, always be blacks that they feel something toward, but someone somewhere will make judgements based on race). I don't think we'll ever be completely over it (always one), but I believe we can get pretty close. I think we have come a long way from where we started and that we will go a lot further still. We have so much more equality than a hundred years ago, than fifteen years ago. I think that racism is horrible, the actions of the Jena students (ALL of them) are unexcusable and, not to be cliché, "so last century". However, even if racism became extinct, we would still judge people with other criteria, prejudices, and stereotypes. As long as people assume things instead of communicate, we'll have it.
But we can't let that to stop us from trying.
I do believe that racism is an ongoing trouble in the United States. My grandparents can remember where the former slaves lived after the Civil War. They were born in the 1920s, so all of those born into slavery were already 60+ years old, but they had lived through that treatment. If you think about it, those links are really not that far away. My grandparents' generation is quickly dying out now, but much could be learned by just sitting down and talking with them.
I also think that so much of racism is created by those who believe themselves victims rather than causes. Black women can be in the Miss America pageant, but white women cannot be in the Miss Black America pageant. We have BET, and no one says anything, but do you think we could get away with WET? I understand that society's treatment of minorities created the original need for these organizations, but now it seems more like African Americans are singleing themselves out by keeping these operations running. Since 'white' culture has allowed them in, do they really still need to promote their 'black' culture. To me, it seems as if they are effectively segregating themselves.
I'm not saying that I believe the students in LA deserved the treatment they received. I think it was horribly cruel and morally wrong. I do believe that the white students got off far too easy.
The main point of the article, though, is whether we can all live in desegregated harmony. My feeling is that the effort has to come from both ends.
I do believe that racism is an ongoing trouble in the United States. My grandparents can remember where the former slaves lived after the Civil War. They were born in the 1920s, so all of those born into slavery were already 60+ years old, but they had lived through that treatment. If you think about it, those links are really not that far away. My grandparents' generation is quickly dying out now, but much could be learned by just sitting down and talking with them.
I also think that so much of racism is created by those who believe themselves victims rather than causes. Black women can be in the Miss America pageant, but white women cannot be in the Miss Black America pageant. We have BET, and no one says anything, but do you think we could get away with WET? I understand that society's treatment of minorities created the original need for these organizations, but now it seems more like African Americans are singleing themselves out by keeping these operations running. Since 'white' culture has allowed them in, do they really still need to promote their 'black' culture. To me, it seems as if they are effectively segregating themselves.
I'm not saying that I believe the students in LA deserved the treatment they received. I think it was horribly cruel and morally wrong. I do believe that the white students got off far too easy.
The main point of the article, though, is whether we can all live in desegregated harmony. My feeling is that the effort has to come from both ends.
I do not agree with Palmer in the statement that “the U.S. as a nation has not matured enough to learn to work together and not hate others based on skin color.” The U.S. has come a long way since the days of slavery and the legal racial segregation that followed for decades. The changes that have taken place in our country were the result of both black and white people going against the crowd and standing up for what was right. They worked together to convince others that it was wrong to hate others based on skin color, and many Americans began to realize that they were right. There is still room for improvement of racial tensions in America, but a majority of citizens continue to work together to eliminate discrimination against colored people.
I also do not agree with Palmer’s statement that the U.S. will never learn from its past mistakes. I think the progress we have made indicates that the majority of citizens have learned, and incidents such as the Jena 6 show that we need to continue to spread our knowledge to those who have not yet accepted the lessons from the past.
Palmer describes racism as a “cycle of hate” continuing from generation to generation and claims that it is almost impossible to change. Yes, children do model many of our views after their parents’; however, this can be overcome one person at a time. A child with racist parents whose friends are not racist has a good chance of rejecting his or her parents’ views and accepting those of his or her peers. For example, my group of friends includes both blacks and whites. My best friend wanted to date an African-American, but her mother would not let her. This shows that a generation will not necessarily accept the views of the previous generation and that the cycle is not impossible to overcome.
I also believe that racism does not rest solely on white people’s shoulders. Because of former segregation instilled by whites, African-Americans and other ethnic groups formed clubs and other means of promoting their cultures. But now that whites have accepted blacks into their culture, is it really necessary or fair for them to exclude whites from their activities? For example, during my first week at USI, I read about an event that I would like to attend, only to realize it was hosted by the Black Student Union and just for colored students. I know I could not get away with starting a White Student Union, nor would I want to, so why is it okay for there to be a BSU? I think all clubs that discriminate against any race should be eliminated as another step toward fully overcoming racism. Reverse racism has become a part of today’s culture, and it almost seems as if African-Americans and other minorities continue to segregate themselves because of the past.
The U.S. has come a long way in the past century and, in my opinion, continues to make progress toward overcoming hate based on color. While there is much work to be done, overcoming racism one person at a time will eventually encompass all Americans. It will take a great amount of time, but I do believe that racism in America will someday cease completely.
I do agree that it has been hard for the people of our nation to overcome the differences based on skin color, but I think we have come a long way. One can not make generalizations, however, because there are many people that are able to overlook skin color. I think that the more our country grows, its people will be able to live together without problems.
I think it is important to take into account that 'Jena 6' occurred in 'the south.' I think that it will take them longer to overcome skin differences because that is the place where slavery was the strongest. People with ancestry there are very touchy about the fact that their way of life was violently taken from them in a war they lost. Some people feel it is their duty to carry on the message of their forefathers.
But, even though it may take more time and effort I think we will reach a better state of acceptance than where we are now. However, it will never be perfect.
I do not agree with Palmer's statements. While I do see the injustice with the Jena Six, I do not think its fair to say that we have not learned at all from our past mistakes and that we never will. During the era when slavery and racism were openly accepted, injustices such as those faced by the Jena Six were commonplace among African American populations; however,these injustices used to go unnoticed. Does the fact that this case has drawn national attention not show progress on our part? Palmer's frustration with this case in itself shows progress. We may not have reached a point in which all races coexist in perfect harmony, but we certainly have made progess from where we used to be. Millions across the nation feel strongly about this case because they know that it is wrong to treat people differently because of race. Back during the time of slavery or segregation, this concept was much less understood by the general population. The mere fact that so many people care about this case shows that we have leaned from our mistakes because a large portion of the population now knows that people of all races should be treated fairly. Now, we might not have reformed completely from our mistakes. There are still many across the nation who still harbor racist sentiments, but there are significantly fewer than there used to be. We are making progress and learning from our mistakes, but the learning process is taking longer than people would like to see.
The Jena 6 situation shines the light on issues that have been enveloped in American society for over two hundred years. The country has always been infected with people who have no knowledge of the diversity of people around them. These people are simply ignorant of the fact that race makes no difference in a person.
The situation taking place in Louisiana is only another example of people’s ignorance and bias against color. The different circumstances of violence should not even be happening and each one needs to be dealt with fairly. Every act of violence should be treated as not a matter of color but simply as a matter of the degree of violence. Punishment should be dealt out according to the level of violence perpetrated.
I agree with the author of the article when he says we have no learned from our mistakes, and I do not feel we are going to until people, especially the leaders of our justice system, are able to look past color and stereotypical biases. These sorts of situations will continue to occur and with more frequency. Someone needs to take a stand against the injustice in order for anything to improve.
I personally agree with many of the others that the statement is far too generalized. Sure, there will always be people that are incapable of breaking their racist tendencies, but that is not to say that the majority of people will never rid themselves of racism. I realize that there are still too many hate crimes occurring, and too many people are racist in their judgments of others. This, however, is not license to say that the world is a racist place. The author points out that many people are racist because their families raised them to be that way, but if this were entirely the case, almost the entire South would still be racist. Instead, many people have overcome the racist attitudes of their families and realized that people should be treated as equals regardless of their race.
It is absolutely true that the world has a very long way to come in eliminating racism. Many people, whether they act on their beliefs or not, as still racist and judge other based on the color of their skin. Still harmful are those that judge others based on religion, sex, or some other prejudice. I think, though, no matter how much progress is made to combat racism, it can and will never be eliminated. Along with violence and other problems, there are certain things that, as long as people are able to act on their free will, can never be changed.
I do not completely agree with the conclusions that Palmer drew in the article “Jena 6: Proof Some Things Never Change.” I think that the United States still needs a lot of work on removing racism. Racism is not an easy cycle to get out of; however, I think as a nation, the United States is slowly moving forward. Many times, when people cannot see results, they automatically assume that there is no progress. But, the US has matured. The events of Jena 6 receiving so much attention prove that a large majority of the population is concerned with racism. Back in the days of slavery, racism was an openly accepted view by a majority of the nation. Today, at least, as a nation, racism is not a societal norm. Individuals and groups may still hold ignorant views based on skin color, but at least, the U.S. is not condoning racism. I agree with Palmer that racism is still a problem in the United States. However, the fact that we know that racism is still a problem shows that we are maturing. Obviously, issues like the Jena 6 are showing racism at its worst in our time. Unlike Palmer, I am hopeful that, eventually, we can lessen the impacts of ignorant views based on skin color.
I do not agree with Palmer. To say that as a nation, we have not learned and will NEVER learn from our past mistakes regarding race is a dramatic statement to make. If we have not learned that racism is an ignorant approach, why was slavery abolished and civil rights given to all people in our country? To say that progress has not been made is not only an understatement, but a false statement. Although equality has not yet been reached, there have been drastic measures taken and major improvements made. In some parts of the country, racism is deeply rooted in people’s personal beliefs. This is an ugly truth in our society. The Jena 6 incident shows that, yes, racism still exists in our society. However, the overwhelming response that it has had from all across the country also shows that we HAVE learned from past mistakes and are working toward a future where racism does not exist.
I believe that certain parts of Palmer's conclusion are true, but other aspects are exaggerated or unfair assumptions. I do believe that as a society we have gotten past issues involving passing judgment according to race. In individual cases, racism may have been overcome, but as a whole the society we live in is not colorblind. Even though laws have been passed to grant equal rights to Americans of all racial backgrounds, hate crimes persist and many minority groups are nowhere near achieving equal representation in the professional, business, and educational worlds. Modern day examples of racism include the fear of people from the Middle East that became common after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, and negative attitudes toward Mexicans and Mexican Americans that often surround certain sides of immigration debates. These are only two examples, but overall it is clear that race is a factor in how individuals are perceived by American society as a whole.
Palmer also asserts that we haven't learned from our past mistakes. I do not agree with this statement. I think that most people know that racism is wrong. Depending on where you look, the mistakes of the past are often far more serious than anything one could conceive of happening today. Some mistakes, like slavery and the Japanese internment camps of WWII, we have learned from. Very few people today could be convinced that these practices were ever good, right, or fair. We have learned from those mistakes. In this respect, I don't think it's a fair statement to say that we haven't learned from our past mistakes; however, what Palmer claims does seem to be based on a kernel of truth. The problem that we have not been able to overcome is hatred and distrust of difference. As an overt practice, racism has been downscaled tremendously because, on a conscious level, people know that treating others as less than human is not acceptable. Unfortunately, it seems to be almost human nature to split the world into in-groups and out-groups, and as long as the distribution of power among racial groups is unequal this will likely remain the case, as some fight to maintain the status quo and others strive to overturn it. This means that while we have learned that passing legislation or anything that resembles official racism is not okay, we are still struggling to break a prejudiced mindset that has existed so long that it has become almost ingrained in society.
Palmer's final assertion, that we never will learn from our past mistakes, must also be questioned. I feel that this claim is too broad to be reasonable. While I would say that any significant change in race relations is doubtful in the immediate future, America is slowly becoming more accepting of minorities. For proof of this, one need look no farther than a list of candidates for the 2008 presidential election. Years ago, a black or female candidate would never be seen as a serious competitor in the race for the White House, but that narrow-mindedness is changing. This by no means marks an end of inequality, but it does show that change is possible.
Unlike most of my classmates, I tend to agree with the general idea the author is intending to articulate. Racism has been woven into our society in a way that it is more common than people, including myself, would like to admit. I agree that racism is less blatantly obvious today in the US than it was throughout our history, but I do not agree that we have learned from our mistakes. Through conversation with many peers, many of today’s young people believe we are not a racist society and we have solved the problems of our history, but I am afraid we have not. I came across one example of racism in the past year during a conversation with a teacher I greatly respect. He brought to my attention the automatic conclusion that we draw when considering a child born to a biracial couple. Through conversation with many peers, most people automatically consider that child “mixed”. When we consider a child born to an African-American and White couple, we consider the child part African-American. We never say part white. It seems that we almost consider the white race something that becomes tainted when a biracial couple reproduces. This is just one subconscious conclusion I, myself, am guilty of making. I also watched an educational program involving racism in America today, and through an experiment on a variety of people from many different racial, ethnic, social, and political backgrounds. The results showed that every single person tested had racial tendencies. It has become considered part of our human nature. Some of the people tested were even racist against their own race. I find that our greatest problem with overcoming racism today is that we refuse its existence in the commonplace. No, it is not as drastic as it was in our history, but it has not yet been overcome. To overcome and conquer racism, we as Americans need to first begin to improve our public education system so that all children will be given an equal opportunity at an honest living, not just those who are wealthy. With an established education, we will begin to see many stereotypes diminish. We need to take a hands-on approach, as a nation, to view people as people, not as a classification based on color. Stereotypes may prove to be true in certain circumstances; however, the real harm in stereotypes is what it prevents. They prevent people from forming unbiased relationships, and gaining real world experiences they would have otherwise enjoyed. Stereotypes are rooted in statistical figures, and improvised observations; however, it is ignorant to apply a stereotype to a person based on color or race. We are all guilty of applying stereotypes, we pull up to a stoplight, and lock our doors as we see a man crossing the street, and we assume that the person behind the counter at the gas station is of a certain creed, and so on. Racism is ignorant. Parents must assume responsibility for educating their children, and acknowledge the fact that they are ultimately the mold for their children. Instead of breeding racism, we should be breeding knowledge.
What the author of this piece seems to suggest is that today in the United States racism is a rampant problem and that people of different races have a hard time getting along today. Aside from isolated incidents the only racism that I see as widespread today is the perceived racism that many media outlets seem to create that corresponds to the victim mentality that self-appointed leaders such as Al Sharpton seem to propagate. This is not to say that there are not bigots in this country, because there certainly are, but these bigots rarely have any influence. The reason is that said bigots, frankly, are idiots, and idiots rarely are able to gain the power needed to actually oppress anyone.
In my experience I have seen very little to suggest that people in America of all ethnicities don't get along pretty well. There is no institutional racism in the US anymore, it exists only in the minds of a few backwards, mouth-breathing morons. I'll grant that perhaps I've led a bit of a sheltered life and maybe I'm unaware of deep-seated racial tension in this country, but I think we're doing pretty well, especially considering where we've come from. Maybe we do have a long way to go, maybe people are more racist than I think, but I'm being at least a little optimistic about the American people here. As for the Jena Six incident itself, I'm sure there was injustice going both ways, but if there is one thing that can be trusted less than a verdict against an African-American from an all-white jury in Louisiana, it's the mainstream media. I think the facts have been greatly distorted. I don't know exactly what happened, but I'm pretty sure its not exactly as we hear on CNN or Fox News or any of the networks. In this article http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1024/p09s01-coop.html?page=1
a local journalist from Jena who covered the story from day one gives his take on the media coverage of the story. I think the case of the Jena Six case is one of racism, violence, and a lot of misrepresentation and misunderstanding, but it is an anomaly, not a metaphor for the state of racial relations in the US.
I partially agree with the statement that Dani Palmer made. I believe that we have come a long way from our mistakes, but we still have not matured enough to learn to work together and not hate others based on their skin color. I also do not agree that we will never learn. It may take some time, but I do think that eventually society will learn to accept each other and not take skin color into account. He assumes that change is an easy thing, and that it should happen quickly. Change takes time and can not be rushed. It takes a long time for a single person to mature, and all of society should be accounted for. There are already some people who have no problem with skin color, others who have been brought up to see a difference between people solely based on their skin color. I think that the majority of people are almost ready to accept people without thinking of their skin color. The fact that Barack O'bama is running to be the Democratic Presidential Nominee is a very large stepping stone for society. Even if he doesn't get the position, it will still have been a step forward in the right direction. Slowly but steadily circumstances have gotten better. Another topic that is very similar to this one is women's rights. Women have come very far in the past few years, but are still not seen as true equals to men. This is shown by the amount of money that women make in similar position compared to men, there is still a glass ceiling that prevents women from being true equals. I believe that it is only a matter of time before the women break through the glass and will be treated as 100% equal to men. Just as I believe that, I also believe that it is only a matter of time until society conquers the issue of skin color.
My gut reaction was to disagree with this statement in its entirety. But after rethinking the situation and taking into account the entire world and looking at it unfiltered, not just dear sweet Evansville, I can say that I agree with the statement. The world has seen thousands of years of racial segregation and hatred in the name of race. The abolishment of apartheid was less than 20 years ago! At this very moment in the middle east, more people are lumping people of middle eastern heritage as terrorists due to their bad experiences. The same can be said of others calling Americans fat and lazy. While this predicament is not likely to be solved in my lifetime, I do believe that there is a certain amount of progress that has been made. This is the primary reason why I agree with the aforementioned statement. You would not call a couple eggs, some vegetable oil, some water, and a packet of brownie mix “brownies” until they were actually done baking. In this sense, I believe that the current situation of racial tension is “baking,” in a way. We are not as a society mature enough to disregard race, even if some individuals are. Hopefully we can surpass this stage of inequality, but I fear that it will never happen, or at least never in entirety. It’s just too easy to label someone else with the blame instead of taking responsibility for one’s actions.
-Jordan Michael Holl
I do not agree with the conclusion that Mr. Palmer reached in his article. I agree that racism is still a problem in the United States, but I think the the tenancy to discriminate against people who are different will always be around. Some people are simply intolerant and will look for a reason to exclude and be mean to people. This problem is not unique to the U.S. or our times. It has been done all over the world for all of recorded history. This does not, however, mean that things have not changed. Only 100 years ago trials like Jena 6 would have garnered little attention because blacks and other minorities were greatly oppressed and most people didn't care what happened to them. Racism was much more prevalent than it is today. The Jena 6 case is happening today in Louisiana, arguably one of the most racists states, and it is being followed all over the world. If such a thing had happened a century ago, even in the North, most people would not pay any attention. This change speaks volumes about how far we as a country have come.
Minority groups today are making, and have made, many advances to ensure their equality. I am not saying anything is perfect, but today minority members can attend college, become doctors, lawyers, and politicians. They can even make a serious bid for President. Some could even say that minorities have advantages over majority groups because of things like affirmative action and diversity requirements.
For these reasons I believe that it is clear that the U.S. is making steps in the right direction. I do not think we are perfect, and I don't think we will ever be, but we are moving in the right direction.
To say that racism is an unavoidable and perpetual cycle is simply a generalized statement. History does repeat itself, but to say that racism will eventually regress into the racism before the Civil Rights Movement is nonsense. Although racism clearly exists today, progress is evident. Since the 1960’s there has only been positive improvement for tolerant societies. However, movements such as the Civil Rights Movement instigate change. Movements do not completely reform society within years. It takes decades and generations beyond generations to see the drastic changes that have occurred. To say now that racism will always exist due to the United States’ lack of maturity does not take into account for the amount of time to change. It has only been 40 years since the Civil Rights Movement, and if we do not regress into a more intolerant society then racism will dwindle. I agree that ignorant parents will pass their racist beliefs to their children, but those existing ignorant parents are dwindling. Every generation there will be racists, but the amount of them will lessen through time. I cannot promise a society without racism, but there is opportunity to progress forward into a society where racism is the least of our problems, and where hate crimes are rare and dealt with justice. Therefore, Palmer has not considered that it takes time to change deep rooted beliefs within people. Mistakes occur but there is value if we learn from them. I believe that we can and will from each mistake we make. The hate crimes that occurred in Louisiana is a mistake that we are obviously learning from. Will hate crimes such as this exist again in Louisiana? Maybe, but hopefully that county, region, or even state has learned that violence and racism are only negative and ignorant actions and beliefs that only cause pain and sorrow within communities.
I disagree with the author's statement claiming racism will never fail to exist. While instances of racism occur far too often, I feel that my generation is generally more accepting of other races compared with previous generations. I personally can notice the progression of "race acceptance" so to speak when I talk to family members from different generations. My grandmother's generation generally has more archaic views on race than my parents, and theirs more so than my own. Despite this progress, I do agree with the author that it still very much exists as evidenced by the Jena 6 incident. It is imperative that we continue to advance as a society and work to eliminate racism.
I do not agree with the author. I believe he is making generalizations, like the majority of others who have posted. I acknowledge that racism exists, but to generalize and say that just because of this unfortunate incident Americans are intolerable of people's ethnic differences is absurd. Also, to say that we will never learn from our past mistakes is an incredibly depressing sentiment, and something I definitely do not agree with. If Americans had never learned from their past mistakes, slavery would still be common place, and the mistreatment of African Americans and other minorities would be too. I believe that the fact people are talking about the injustice of the Jena 6 proves the author wrong. Obviously some Americans have learned from past mistakes if they are standing up for the rights of these boys. If Americans had not learned from their mistakes, we would probably not be having this discussion right now. Mistreatment of African Americans would still be happening regularly, and it would not be nationally covered because it would be so common. Look at newspapers from the times when African Americans were mistreated, and you most likely will not find too much about their mistreatment. However, look now, and I believe that that in itself constitutes as having learned something from our past mistakes.
I do not agree with the author. I believe he is making generalizations, like the majority of others who have posted. I acknowledge that racism exists, but to generalize and say that just because of this unfortunate incident Americans are intolerable of people's ethnic differences is absurd. Also, to say that we will never learn from our past mistakes is an incredibly depressing sentiment, and something I definitely do not agree with. If Americans had never learned from their past mistakes, slavery would still be common place, and the mistreatment of African Americans and other minorities would be too. I believe that the fact people are talking about the injustice of the Jena 6 proves the author wrong. Obviously some Americans have learned from past mistakes if they are standing up for the rights of these boys. If Americans had not learned from their mistakes, we would probably not be having this discussion right now. Mistreatment of African Americans would still be happening regularly, and it would not be nationally covered because it would be so common. Look at newspapers from the times when African Americans were mistreated, and you most likely will not find too much about their mistreatment. However, look now, and I believe that that in itself constitutes as having learned something from our past mistakes.
While I do not believe that racism will never end, I do believe that it will continue to linger if people continue to focus on race. Americans today are so concerned with being PC that they are doing more harm than good. It's terms like "African-American" that help prevent us from unifying as one people. If people would stop trying to seperate themselves and simply be "Americans" I believe we would all take a huge step towards be unified. Even though I hold this theory, I'm not ignorant enough to believe there are not other problems in the way. Yes, racism is passed on from generation to generation, but if we make race no longer substantial, then it will be much harder for the next generations to pick up on that hate.
Although racism has been around since anyone can remember, I do not believe that it cannot be overcome as a nation. Sure, there will always be people who are racist, but that number will continue to diminish as people begin to see how foolish it is. Also, people are fighting for equal rights and for laws to be passed outlawing racism. Just look how far we have come since the beginning of this country. It's all a matter of time before the right laws are passed and for people to think differently. With so many nationallities present in America today, we will either have to get along, or destroy ourself in the process. I do not believe that it is impossible for this country to overcome racism.
I have never been a fan of generalized statements. this is way I do not agree with Palmer's statement that, "Jena 6: proof that some things NEVER change". The Jena 6 situation just sheds some light on the lingering effects of racism that exists in the US. Even though we no longer live in a pre-civil war era where owning slaves was a common idea and where the beating of slaves was considered "normal", there are still lingering effects. Palmer is wrong in saying that we have never learned from our mistakes. our society has come a long way in the communication between others not based on skin color. Today we even have an African American senator running for President. I am not saying that there is no room for improvement because there definitely is, but we have come a long way from the civil war era.
While I find myself agreeing with the author in this article, I do not respond well to generalized statements. I personally agree that racism will never end. There will never be any way of eliminating it, but I do not feel that nothing has changed. We are a nation built on change, and I think we can all see that racism has definately come to a smaller existance. While there are a myriad of hate crimes, think back on our history of slavery. Once slavery was abolished, most whites resented the black because they were all out looking jobs and taking some positions that could have been potential for a white person. Our country was in chaos, and there wasn't really anything that could be done.
Dealing the the Jena 6, it is disgusting to me to know that the non-whites face more harsh punishments for their crimes than the whites. Racism is learned. It travels through generations, but I can honestly say that I am in no way racist like some of my family. I think with our generation a greater tolerance for other ethnicities is arising; however, the fact still remains that there will always be racism, and along with racism comes injustice.
I truly believe it is sad that most likely because of race, there are people being punished more severe than other, but honestly, what can we do? For as many people who accept other races there will always be just as many who don't.
I do not think it is fair to say that we have not and never will learn from our past mistakes. I do agree that the Jena 6 case could have been handled differently, and that the student who pulled the gun should face some kind of punishment. But I think it’s a little absurd to say that our entire nation is immature and racist. The decision of the courts does not represent our nation as a whole. This was one instance, and while it was unfortunate, it does not represent the attitude of all of the whites in the United States. To categorize our nation that way is unfair. I think we have learned many things about our mistakes from the past, and we will continue to. Learning from these mistakes is a slow process, but it will happen eventually. We have come a long way from where we used to be.
This article is very upsetting to me. It makes it seem like all the struggles, controversy, and losses suffered during the Civil Rights movement in the sixties was a complete waste of time and lives. On top of that feeling I also think that it was unfair that the white student who beat the black student with a bottle was only given probation and charged with "simple battery", but when the white student was beaten up, the black students were given a much harsher penalty, including second-degree attempted murder. That seems ludicrous to me, since he was released from the hospital later in that same day. Three of the six's sentences were reduced, but the other three were still sentenced to jail. The last one was just realeased about two months ago, which just seems crazy, especially when comparing it to the punishment the white 22-year-old man who beat up a 17-year-old black student. Just the fact that there is still racism this severe is definitely a problem and there needs to be something done in the city of Jena, Louisiana. Maybe they just need to have a big city meeting and show "Remember the Titans". This kind of stuff happened back then when schools first became integrated, as displayed in that particular movie. They need to get over the race issues and learn to live together because I believe that all people are created equally. Sure there are some people who bring each and every race down, but all in all there are just as many great people of each race that balances that negativity. It is sad to think about how much racism is still affecting communities this severely in the present day. I hope that someday, even if it seems impossible, racism is eliminated from people's minds altogether and everyone can be treated equally.
I believe that the author of this article makes a valid point. As a society, we have not overcome the problems of racism. Some people have learned from past mistakes, and that is very promising. However, the Jena 6 is too common an occurance in our country. Not to say that every event is as serious or publicised as this, but racial tension continues to fuel problems on a regular basis. Whether we like to admit it or not, we have not learned to accept others regardless of race. When an event of this magnitude occurs, someone usually says "this can open up a dialogue about race." I usually find that this is not the case. It makes people more uncomfortable and usually solves nothing. I do think there is a chance that this could change someday. People really must look at our mistakes, because that is how we learn. Some things never do change, but I hope this will. We are not proud to admit that race still plays a role in our decisions. But until events like this or even much smaller than this completely cease, we would be foolish not to acknowledge the truth.
- Stephen Saligram
I believe that to say "we as society have not matured enough to learn to work together and not hate others based on skin color" is completely true. Although we have came along way since the cases of extreme racism that existed years ago, racism is still a prominent factor in our society. The story of the Jena 6 is just once case of the multiple happenings with racism today. Having said this, I think for the author to say "we haven't learned from our past mistakes and we never will" is false. We have came along way from where we used to be; the sickening concept of slavery has been abolished and total integration was put forth. Racism is still very present in our society, but I think little by little we are making headway to end it.
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