This is the open forum. We don’t need to discuss Taiwan only do we?
I would suggest that if you’re not from the US or if you’re not interested in Black History Month you should give this thread a miss.
well said.
I thought people came from africa. their genetic development led to you… somehow.
too bad they eat bushmeat, killing all the great apes and such.[/quote]
Whoa, mistah…dun gone misquotin me. I said Italian Africa.[/quote]
i think maybe pp needs to have a “Russian-immigrant Appreciation Day.” 
I thought people came from africa. their genetic development led to you… somehow.
too bad they eat bushmeat, killing all the great apes and such.[/quote]
Whoa, mistah…dun gone misquotin me. I said Italian Africa.[/quote]
I think maybe pp needs to have a “Russian-immigrant Appreciation Day.” [/quote]
You’d be funnier if you were funny. No, I think stopping the wilful misquoting will be fine.
[quote=“cornelldesi”]
Before the month ends, lets all remember Black History Month.[/quote]
My gripe was with the sanctimoniousness of the person who began this thread, the cloying insinuation that people who are not black (who I’d hazard a guess are the majority on this board), regardless of nationality, should be obliged to observe a month-long American festival, even if only by “remembering” it.
Why not open up with “Hey, it’s black history month in the U.S.,” followed by a few personal anecdotes and/or observations, and even an explanation of the fact that the focus is not on sub-Saharan Africa or the Caribbean or Brazil or what have you, but on African-Americans? I mean, is the original poster such a moron that he/she isn’t aware that there are people reading here who are not Americans?
Take your pills princess.
Have to agree with PPs last post.
I don’t give a toss about ‘black history’, whatever that might be. I’m an individual, you are all (I hope) individuals, and together we are the human race with a shared history that should be fairly presented. Throwing in divisive shit like ‘black people deserve special attention’ is far less constructive to me than just treating individuals as who they are.
Skin colour is not important to me, and I actually resent the insinuation that I need to somehow atone for the things that ‘I’ have done to ‘black people’ in the past. I don’t mistreat black people, never have. I have nothing to make amends for. If ‘black people’ want to keep on whining about the things that have been done to ‘black people’ then they’re just encouraging a sense of otherness that makes discrimination more likely.
If someone gives you shit because of your race, hair colour, sexual preference, or whatever then protest and stand up for yourself with my blessing. But if someone treats you like a human being then don’t ask them to remember “your” history because you’re denying them the chance to see you as an equal.
Some people don’t give a shit about black history but seem to post in this thread a lot.
Some people don’t care about the skin color of another individual, but historically it has made a big difference for people in the US. I think it still does.
There is a need to educate people and advocate the idea that we are all humans and need to see past the superficial differences of our appearance.
If you think this thread is sanctimonious, don’t read it. If you don’t care about Black History Month, don’t read or reply to this thread. There are subjects that I don’t care about. I just pass over those threads. I don’t post about how the subject doesn’t interest me.
Beethoven was not black.
All Rosa Parks did was sit down in a bus. The only reason she is famous is that she happened to be the secretary for the NAACP. Plenty of other blacks sat on a bus, but are not mentioned at all during Black History Momf.
But since we are celebrating lets not forget -
Watts riots
LA riots
Rev. Jesse Jackson and his women on the side
Don King
and that 1/4 of all Black men in the USA are somewhere in the criminal justice system either comitting a crime, serving time, or on probation.
Yeah for Black History Momf !
[quote=“Richardm”]There is a need to educate people and advocate the idea that we are all humans and need to see past the superficial differences of our appearance.
[/quote]
Yes, there is a need to educate people and help them realize that “race” is a superficial notion. I think that the posters who have taken issue with this thread or with black history month believe that, and that is one of the reasons why they’ve objected to having a black history month. How are we going to convince people to look past superficial differences in skin color when at the same time, we (Americans) highlight those differences when we have something like “Black History Month?” At least in the case of something like affirmative action, it could be argued that blacks are getting chances to improve their lot-although unfairly in the eyes of those who are passed over because of their skin color. Black History Month does nothing to help blacks, unless you think emphasizing their “otherness” or increasing the size of the chips on their shoulders is somehow helping them.
In my view, national holidays or “themed months” (I don’t think we need the latter) should be either for the whole nation (national days, Thanksgiving in the U.S., etc.) or to memorialize individuals who did something of profound importance for the nation. Martin Luther King is a pretty good example of the latter. I don’t think we should honor him for what he did for blacks. I think we should memorialize him because of what he stood for and the way he struggled in a dignified way to attain his goals. In my eyes, MLK was a great American, not a great black man. Nevertheless, some will still want to see him as a hero for blacks. If that is how blacks see him, then can’t they be satisfied with having one holiday for a martyred black leader rather than a whole month for their “race?” “Their” one day national holiday for MLK is still more than what Jews, Hispanics, native Americans, Irish Americans or all the other “races” get.
Just my HK$0.16.
True, others were arrested before Rosa Parks under Montgomery, Alabama’s segregation laws that forced blacks to give up their seats on public buses to whites. However, she stands as a symbol of the Civil Rights movement against such discriminatory practices in the Southern states of the US. History is filled with such symbols that serve to tell the story of a grand movement or event in the context of a personal tale. They provide a human touch so to speak. Regardless of the circumstances that led to Rosa Parks serving as the poster woman for discrimination in America, the country is a much better place for it.
someone give this man an award. what a genius.
Pushkin, on the other hand, was.
I don’t what the hell the point is in pointing that out, that Russia’s greatest poet was of African heritage, and Germany’s greatest composer was not. I’m sure there’s some sort of point to be made in stating such things, but I’m not sure what it is.
I have to say I’m a little shocked to see all of the hostility about this topic. Especially since the original post simply said “Let’s remember that February is Black History Month”.
If you don’t want to observe it, then don’t. If your not American and don’t feel it applies to you, then just ignore the post and go on with your day.
Why is Black History Month relevant in a Taiwan forum? Becuase many people are in Taiwan teaching English and Taiwanese are interested in learning about Western culture. Like it or not many Taiwanese are especially interested in American culture. Americans who are teaching should educate their students about things like Black History Month. I’ve heard some pretty wack things from seemingly nice Taiwanese about black people. Most of the time the things that they say come from pure ignorance.
Ignorance can only be overcome through education. Black History Month offers a wonderful platform for a discussion with your students about diversity issues. And although Black History month is an American specific observance, diversity is a topic that is certainly relevant to people from every country.
I think your missing the point. Black history month isn’t about YOU atoning for anything you’ve done. It’s simply about recognizing the contributions of a group of people who have been historically marginalized. You use the word resent. That’s a pretty strong word. Why should you resent a simple observance of the historical accomplishments of Black Americans? Do you resent hearing about the achievements of others in general or just when it refers to black people?
The fact is that in the world skin color still does matter. Why do Taiwanese spend so much energy trying to become whiter. Why do Taiwanese have negative opinions about people with dark skin? Why is it more difficult for black people in Taiwan to get jobs?
When you hear someone say something negative about another person based purely on a stereotype, do you ignore it or do you offer another perspective?
I’d like to thank the original poster for reminding me that it is Black History Month. I had forgotten. This thread has reminded me how important this issue still is.
Let’s not forget that if you separated them from the U.S. economy proper, African-Americans make up the 8th largest economy in the world. And as far as cultural contributions to the world at large, they’re certainly more visible than most of the 157 nations in the U.N., and even the handful that aren’t, such as Taiwan. Taiwan and Korea, for all their vaunted 5,000 years of history, have contributed zip to humanity in comparison. Before Taiwanese get too arrogant about ‘heiren’, just remind them of that fact - that this little island of 23 million people is culturally insignificant compared to the mere 2 million people in Mississippi. Taiwan has never produced a Richard Wright or Robert Johnson or Louis Armstrong.
If you are from the U.S., then you might possibly be able to avoid Black History Month, but let your state try to wiggle out of Martin Luther King Day and the wrath of Jewish journalism will rain down on your insufficiently-wooly head. (Strom Thurmond, bless his heart, tried to give his constituents the option of choosing between Martin Luther King Day or…was it Robert E. Lee’s or Jefferson Davis’s birthday? I forget.) And the last time I was there, they had even wedged some faux-African holiday in between Christmas and New Year and were promoting it on TV.
Public education has departed more and more from what parents would want their kids to learn, in favor of worthless subjects that make liberals feel good about themselves. Notice how “diversity education” rarely goes in for anything that would challenge its own preconceptions. Or for that matter, challenge the kids to be able to find Africa on a map.
[quote=“ImaniOU”]I can’t imagine it being taught here to people who think I am Indian (since I don’t look “American”, I suppose) and are quick to point out the heiren. ]
This may be of interest to you: I work in southern Missisouri(the Ozarks)and a close friend of mine work in western Kansas. We are both physicians. I requested a psychiatric eval. on one of my patients a while back, and the next day, the patient’s husband(who was a jerk and often inappropriate )was upset with the psychiatrist, asking me what was the purpose of the “black doctor”. The psychiatrist was actually Indian who wears a large turban!. I thought this an isolated incident until my friend (whose partner is Syrian) told me that one of her patients told her that while she was out of town, the patient saw her “black” partner. My friend started to clarify her partner’s ethnicity and decided to not waste time with it.
This reminds me of one of my favorite US television programs, King of the Hill, about a small group of Texan, blue-collar, white friends (it’s also animated). It’s done by Mike Judge, who has a great eye for white American attitudes and cultural mores (Beavis and Butthead was also one of his creations, as was the movie Office Space). I like this show because it does a great job of lampooning (gently, Judge is a Texan) the attitudes of white blue-collar America, one of which is illustrated in arabe’s post.
In one episode, a Laotian family moves to the neighborhood. The father, Khan Supanusiphone, tries to explain to the white guys that he’s Laotian, not Chinese, but they can’t get understand anything beyond that, since he appears Oriental, he must be Chinese. By the end of the episode, the white guys bond with Khan (Hank Hill: “Why, you’re just an American, Khan Supper…supino…suppin…suffin…” Khan: “Supanusiphone. I don’t got all damn day.”) in the obligatory Kodak ending.
In my experience (I’m white), for many white Americans (not at all limited to blue-collar white Americans), if your skin is pigmented darkly, you’re Black. If your eyes lack an epithelial fold, you’re Chinese. If your skin turns pink in the sun, you’re White (unless your hair is woolly, then who knows?, but the whites won’t likely “claim” you). In the US, race trumps ethnicity. Since race is a human construct, then unfortunately ethnicity is divisive among many Americans. That is, if a white American can’t “get past” a stranger’s race, s/he will care little about ethnicity. If another group celebrates its ethnicity (e.g., Black History Month), then these whites may well become uncomfortable.
A bit of an apology necessary here from me. That was it.
I didn’t want to come across as hostile.
This is the open forum, and it’s read by many people who are not American. It is Black History Month in the USA, but not here and not where I come from. If I am to be concerned with the (admitted) difficulties experienced by one ethnic group in one country then I should logically be concerned with the problems of all minorities in the world.
While I am concerned with the state of the world in general I don’t have the time, energy, enthusiasm, or personal interest to give special recognition to a group that I have no connection with. In fact, having been confronted on a couple of occasions with extreme hostility from people who choose to see themselves as black, and me as a ‘white boy’, I don’t think that promoting a sense of otherness is constructive. Thankfully, such encounters are rare.
As I’m not American, and don’t live there any more, it’s not for me to tell Americans how to manage their society. But this is not America either, and the assumption that an American celebration is important to everyone in the world is… what? Not racist, maybe not even an example of the cultural imperialism that some people are always moaning about. But I guess I just see an implicit assumption that everyone reading the post will share your values.
I don’t share your values. On a global scale, Black Americans don’t deserve any more special recognition than anybody else. If you want to tell ME, rather than your fellow Americans, that they do then I reserve the right to argue. This is a public forum, and any general posting is going to be read by anyone who has an interest in the title.
I do have an interest in the title. Start a thread saying that it’s Black History month in the USA, and asking people whether that should be communicated to Taiwanese, and I would be right behind you. I’ve heard some pretty bad shit from students here too, and one of them stopped coming to my classes because I slapped him down so hard. Promote awareness among the unaware, but remember that some of us don’t consider race to be an issue and don’t want to be lectured to.
Afterthought: I went out of my way recently to hire a guy I know who is an excellent teacher. He also happens to be black and I couldn’t care less about that. He replaced a black lady who had chosen to move on even though I would have liked to keep her. I also have someone of Arabic origin working here, although I don’t know her exact ‘race’ because I’ve never thought to ask.
Last week I had someone here looking for a job to whom her skin colour was a major issue. No hire. I value people who will focus on their own achievements, not people who rely on their race for their sense of worth.
And California would be the seventh. What of it?
If you celebrate Republicans from the US economy proper where would they rank? Or Jews? Or football fans? Or people who were born in September? Or blondes? Or white people? Meaningless distinctions.
And what of this? news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3143760.stm
Great posts Stragbasher,
I was planning to write the very same things. Thanks for saving me the time. 
The original post was indeed a single sentence telling everyone to remember Black History Month.
I’m a first generation Kiwi (My parents moved there in 1967, a year before I was born), so I personally have litttle time for the “atonement for past sins” bullshit.