Thread: Apology for Slavery...
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Old 02-15-2007, 11:00 PM   #24 (permalink)
foundit66
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KnightOfSappho View Post
I understand your perspective, and there is some merit in it. I have to remind you, however, that the events of the past are still influencing the events of today.
How much a person lets those events of the past influence who they are today, and what they can accomplish today, can be entirely up to the person...

Today, you would be hard pressed to find anybody who thinks slavery is good. If somebody were to say a derogatory comment towards blacks, an apology is almost unilaterally expected.
If the events of the past were still echoing in today, I think it would be a much bigger issue. And for those people who are stuck in the prejudice of the past, by all means let's discuss that issue and work towards understanding it.


Quote:
Originally Posted by KnightOfSappho
No one is asking a particular person to apologize to another. The State apologizes and it allows some to but that in the past. What is the harm in it? Will it create a utopia where everyone likes everyone? NO. Will it help social progress? I think that it will.
And on that we disagree.
I see the very driving force requesting the apology as a self-inflicted condition. And catering to that does nobody any good.


Quote:
Originally Posted by KnightOfSappho
People that fixate on the past don't move forward, but people that IGNORE the past spawn all sorts of coping behaviors that don't really benefit anyone.
Who is ignoring the past?
That's a common thing I've heard for the "pro-apology" side.

We aren't ignoring the past.
I acknowledge slavery existed. I acknowledge it was wrong. If I had any culpability or responsibility for it, I WOULD apologize.

We just aren't CLAIMING RESPONSIBILITY for actions we never took part in.

Part of an apology is saying that you are sorry for something you did.
Sometimes, people apologize for actions OTHER PEOPLE did, but that's more of a "I'm sorry you went through that" situation.

Here, it's even worse because an apology is expected from people who didn't commit the action to people who never were the recipient of the action.

Could you imagine if my great-grandfather raped my great-grandmother, and then my sister demanded an apology from me for that action?

Quite frankly, people like Bill Cosby have a point when they talk about some of the woes of the black community being self-inflicted. And allowing some to fixate on issues like this "apology" does nothing to help the REAL issues that need resolving.
REAL racism.

I disagree with you also in my belief that this apology will not help. I don't think anybody would move forward in their lives based on the existence of this apology.
I do believe that some people hold themselves back, and inaccurately blame the absence of this apology as a reason, but I don't think it will help.
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