Take a look at this clip from a 60 Minutes interview that Mike Wallace conducted with Morgan Freeman. (You might want to watch it twice — it’s only 55 seconds.)
Here’s what Bryson Nobles, the former program director with the Race Relations Project, had to say about it:
While I’ve never been all that enthusiastic about Black History Month, I’ve also never thought it to be something to get all bent out of shape about. I love Morgan Freeman – but I think he’s wrong here. I imagine that at his age he is exhausted by being a “black actor,” and with the feigned and unconvincing empathy that many white people exhibit during February. But I also think that having a month to celebrate black people is no less silly than having a day to celebrate your birthday – both are spaces of time set aside to give someone who deserves year-around acknowledgment attention for something they played a relatively small role in bringing into the world — mostly because it is customary.
White people are not relegating our history to a month; most are simply being cordial the same way that our family and friends are cordial on our birthdays so as to avoid the consequences of not acknowledging what most people probably find unimportant (or uninspiring) to acknowledge in the first place. Some of us love birthdays, but probably most of us hate the attention and find birthdays more annoying as we get older.
So indifference is more likely to be the emotion people feel about BHM – let’s not displace our disinterest or make white people play the race game that we all know they can never win.
Not talking about race doesn’t improve race relations any more than ignoring a cavity helps your tooth or ignoring lust helps your marriage. Race is real and it’s okay to talk about and it’s only as boring and unproductive as your inability to say anything original about it.
Morgan Freeman had an opportunity to say something constructive, and if he couldn’t, the default should not be a disarming attack that only makes white people more unwilling to talk about race. He should have just graciously moved on to another subject.
So what do you think about Bryson’s words? How is Freeman playing into the race game? And what do you think he means by calling it a game “that white people can never win”? Hint: What happens if Mike Wallace says, “Well, yes, I think that Black History Month is silly and that we should stop celebrating it?”
Follow-up comments from Bryson Nobles:
Try to imagine the overplayed black guy who grew up in “da hood,” plays basketball, wears “do rags” and “tims,” will eat a small mountain of chicken (with hot sauce, of course), wash it all down with “red” kool-aid and top it off with watermelon flavored Now ‘n Laters for dessert . . . then throw in one more ridiculous stereotype for fun – that’s the Bryson Nobles you’ve been responding to.
I wanted to thank you for taking the time to watch, read and respond to the Morgan Freeman clip. This is important stuff that many people are afraid to touch it so please keep talking, asking questions and not be put off by those who are too afraid and/or too lazy to talk about it.
If you will permit me, I’d like to round out the Freeman discussion with a few thoughts:
I, like most of you, believe Black History Month should not be “the” means for learning about black people’s involvement in American history. But THAT is the unfortunate consequence of being birthed and distributed by an education system that tends to compartmentalize things. The roots of Black History Month actually begin with an educator (a black one in fact, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, circa 1926, based upon his teachings at Howard University) to celebrate the “birthdays” (ironic to my analogy) of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass and their importance to black people. As a side tangent here, this is what’s curious about black people who frame Black History Month as though it was created by white people to pacify us or “relegate” our history to one month. With all due respect, this is why talking matters because most people don’t seem to know that or fail to talk about it.
But my original criticism is that we should not spend February talking about “we only get February.” Morgan Freeman hardly added anything meaningful to the race dialogue. Just because talking about it hasn’t worked to this point doesn’t mean it can’t. Maybe we need to learn how to talk about race. I sharply disagree that talking about our differences has to result in driving us apart. Men are different from women. Sure we have tons in common but we are different and that’s awesome. A lot of white people can’t dance (save Justin Timberlake – lol). A lot of black people like chicken (I do). A lot of Hispanics come from huge families and play the music God-awful loud (I married into one). A lot of Asian dishes are made of noodles, and yes, a great many Hollywood executives are Jewish. But how do any of those things rank us among each other? They don’t, but they do exist all the same whether you share my light-heartedness or not. All those “differences” make for an interesting story – one that we would be remiss for overlooking.
Lastly, I agree that we should learn about all these cultures and races and histories. I earnestly do. But I am afraid that this is not one that we should leave up to the school systems. Mark Twain said, “Don’t let schooling get in the way of your education.” A school system’s poor handling of sharing our histories is EXACTLY why we can’t stop talking about it.
I am going to have to disagree entirely with Morgan Freeman’s attitude about Black history month, and his strategy for solving racism. But I also think I understand why he said what he did. His words are obviously fueled by momentary irrationality, which was probably fueled by a pretty rational reason for getting irrational. It sounds to me that he is reacting, understandably angrily, to 60 Minute’s unintentional implication that he is a black person, and so he can be automatically placed into the ideological category of “black person,” who, from a white person’s perspective, would be gung-ho for Black History Month, rather than being seen as a unique individual with unique opinions. This is further evidenced when he states that we should stop seeing color. He is obviously fed up with being labeled as a talented black actor, rather than being seen simply as a talented actor. Additionally, this sentiment has most likely been fueled his entire life by white-washed Hollywood. Coming from a world where almost all the lead roles are white, it must be really difficult to be relegated in every movie to whatever role was supposed to be a black person. But therein lies the problem with Morgan Freeman’s point. Yes, it is incredibly unfair that most leading roles are written for white people, but it is unchangeable that he is a black person. It is not something that we can ignore and it is not something that we should avoid in conversation, which are both things he advocates. As Bryson said it, Freeman is just playing further into the race game. He is playing the expected black role of being omniscient in the race argument, and not allowing the other side to speak. The other side didn’t exactly try to stand up and defend itself, but even when it tried to, Freeman shut him down, saying that the solution to Race Relations is to deny the real world and ignore race entirely. He further plays into the game by stating that it is one that white people will never win. What he is saying, is that it is Black History Month is something we are not allowed to discuss, because we are outsiders. Stating that we should get rid of black history month will be labeled racist, and supporting it is interpreted as the one month of the year that white people care about black people. In short, Freeman has entirely eliminated the Race discussion. I do understand though that his opinion is a product of his circumstances, and it is unfortunate that he has come to the conclusion he did.
What bothers me even more about the video is that Mike Wallace is obviously afraid to offend someone. He is a professional reporter, and he is afraid to call bullshit on Morgan Freeman’s irrationality, simply because he feels he has no authority in the race argument. His response is simply to stutteringly mumble something, and then claim sanctuary as a person of Jewish descent. I interpret this as him trying to claim some credibility in the argument. He shouldn’t need to qualify himself; he is a human being and therefore inextricably entwined in the race problem.
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First off, Morgan Freeman’s my boy. Ever since Driving Miss Daisy I’ve been a huge Freeman fan. The man is as cool as they come; cool as a cucumber you might say. One of my favorite movies with him was Deep Impact where he played the President of the United States in the time of the huge meteor crisis. He had a very powerful role and I think President Obama learned a few things from his fellow black man as President. That being said, what an asshole he was in that Sixty Minutes interview. I mean, come on Morgan, fans like me look up to you and your going to act all crazy on TV and be mean to Mike Wallace. No one insults Mike Wallace and gets away with it! On a side note, Morgan probably gets tons of booty in real life with that suave earring he has. Anyway, when I first watched the clip I thought he had a point and that black people don’t need to be treated and different or treated specially with a month honoring them as a people. However, Bryson Nobles made me do a 180 and I’ll tell you why. But on another side note, Morgan was pretty solid in The Shawshank Redemption, which is a super sick movie. Back on track, I like Mr. Nobles’ point on how although its nothing to get real enthusiastic about, it’s also not something to be angry about either. And I agree with his comparison that having a month to celebrate black people is no more silly than having a day to celebrate your birthday. And yes I assume that after you reach a certain age birthdays are just another day and aren’t really anything worth jumping up and down for. And I assume when you’ve been celebrated for being a black actor as long as Morgan Freeman has it probably is just the same way.
If taking Sociology 119 has taught me one thing, it’s that when you don’t talk about race and recognize people for their differences then it only makes things worse. And that is exactly what Morgan Freeman does in the clip saying, “I’ll stop calling you a white man, and I’ll ask that you stop calling me a black man.” Morgan, this is a no-no. So I completely agree with mostly everything that Bryson Nobles, good stuff there. To answer Sam’s question can white people ever win, that’s like asking if global warming is for real or not…kind of. What I am trying to say is that we’ll only find out with time and probably not as soon as we’d like either because nothing happens over night. So only three more words to go and this already is stupid enough but I’ll add that if you haven’t seen The Bucket List you should, it’s not all that good but it sure is a tear jerker.
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Morgan Freeman’s stance on black history month is not a big surprise to me. I’ve heard this point of view through many media, and it’s been characterized as the typical radical view for many older black men. There are many reasons for a black man to dislike black history month; such as the attention it draws to them and the “feigned and unconvincing empathy” that white people display. Although I’m not black, I feel that this is a logical view point to have. I wouldn’t want my race to have a month of forced remembrance by the entire nation, while no other race does. I wouldn’t want small children in elementary school to be forced to have to learn about the suffering that my ancestors endured. If someone wanted to learn about my history, I would gladly teach them, but I don’t feel as if anyone should be forced to learn about an issue that shouldn’t directly to relate to them, especially a child who wasn’t even alive back then. While these reasons lead me to consider the negative view of black history from a black man’s perspective, I can also see the viewpoint of the proponents of black history month. They feel that because of the enslavement of my ancestors, they deserve a month to remember the history of their people, and allow people of other races to hear of their struggle and perhaps feel more compassion and act more friendly towards black people in their day-to-day lives.
I agree with Bryson’s view on Morgan Freeman’s interview response. His negative viewpoint does nothing to help those who support the cause during black history month, and is just unnecessary to share on a national public broadcast. It’s true that Freeman should have been more considerate and not shared his negative view or change the subject to get to a new question. I respect any black person who wants to celebrate or support black history month, for they only want to share their heritage with others.
To answer Dr. Richard’s question, “What do you think he means by calling it a game that white people can never win?” I think this statement is very true. There’s no reason for a white person to be against black history month. The sense of guilt that many white people have learned they should feel through black history month lessons in elementary school causes them to feel that they must support the cause. If Mike Wallace had agreed with Freeman and supported ending black history month, it would seem entirely inappropriate, even if he really does support Freeman’s view, as many white people passively do. I think Morgan Freeman said it best, in that the only way to stop racism, is to stop talking about it.
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I think Morgan Freeman is justified for not wanting to have a black history month. He is an old black man that has seen America before and after the Civil Rights movement. It is understandable that he may feel that it is a lame attempt by white people to relegate a month to remember and learn about black history month. I personally hate getting special treatment especially when it is unnecessary and undeserved. I feel this is how Morgan Freeman feels about black history month. Mike Wallace was stunned that Morgan Freeman thought black history month was ridiculous. Later in the interview he admitted that he would not want a Jewish history month. I do not understand that logic. Why is it okay for a Jewish individual not to want a Jewish history month, but is seen as irrational for Morgan Freeman to wish black history month did not exist. Yes, I agree that Morgan Freeman was harsh and a little rude in his approach, but I feel his reasonings are completely justified. Wallace saw black history month as a way to end racism in America. How could celebrating a month of black history end racism? For one thing, people, white and black, generally do not do anything different during the month of February than any other month. There may be a couple of documentaries on the History Channel or PBS that discuss aspects of black history. The only thing that is different from February than any other month is that there is not thirty or thirty- one days. I find it interesting that February is black history month, the month that has unequal amount of days than the other 11 months. I feel it was done on purpose to emphasize the inequalities that black people faced in America. Unequal months compared to unequal treatment. Carter Woodson, who originated the idea of a black history month, selected February because it is the month that both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
Black history month was created to recognize black icons and leaders that played a successful role in the Civil Rights movement and the abolition of slavery. I think it is great that an effort was made to recognize the efforts of these great men and women, but it just seems like a lame apology by the United States. There is no national celebration to commemorate these individuals. In addition, I feel Valentine’s Day overshadows black history during the month. In other words, black history month is insignificant because it is ignored by the majority of people in the United States. That is why Morgan Freeman does not want a black history month. A month is set aside to appreciate and acknowledge the successes of black individuals, but it fails to do this. He would rather not have one because black history is apart of American history. People will recognize the efforts of these individuals with or without a black history month. Plus, I don’t understand why it is bad that Morgan Freeman does not want a black history month. Byrson Nobles stated that black history month is not different from the celebration of a birthday. I find that comparison to be incorrect. People that celebrate their birthdays get the recognition of their birthday by a party, presents, or cards. During black history month, there is no parade or any kind of celebration. Morgan Freeman has every right to denounce black history month, no black individual benefits from it.
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I actually agree that “Black History Month” is a month that is not unnecessary as much as unwanted. It has to be on some level considered racist simply to have a month dedicated to a people that make up a decent percentage of this country. I agree with Freeman that “black history month is American history”. He is absolutely correct in this statement, but I believe that many white people did not have ill intentions when we (and I’m assuming it was white people who created it) decided that February was going to be black history month.
We touched on the fact Thursday in class that sometimes; it seems that white people cannot win. If white people try to sympathize with minorities, many will feel shunned as black people (especially in the emerging stage) will dismiss outside support, especially from white people. This is not a shot at black people; I understand where many are coming from. As a race, black people have been, and continued to be suppressed by the powerful white people who have controlled our government for hundreds of years. However, there are white people who legitimately sympathize with black people. It is simply a tough situation to judge, because many whites want to help blacks progress to complete equality, but others who have no problem pushing any minorities down in order to better them.
When did we decide that we needed a black history month? How is black history any less important that white history? Unfortunately, that is the impression that having a black history month gives. If there is a black history month, shouldn’t there naturally be a white history month? There is nothing wrong with dedicating a month to black people, but to dedicate a month to them and not to other races can be described as nothing but racist.
Similarly to black history month, March is dedicated to women across the nation. We have months for women and blacks, two groups of people who have been oppressed for as long as history has been recorded. However, does having a bus for these people further discrimination or eliminate it? I believe that to truly understand and eliminate racism, we need to almost move beyond it as a country. It would be ignorant to not acknowledge that racism has happened, but we should be beyond it as a country.
I do not blame minorities for being bitter at the way they, and their ancestors have been treated, but I do not believe that people (especially white people) are not as ignorant as they were in the past. We need to move beyond Black History month and other events like this to try to repay minorities. Instead, lets treat everybody like we are all equals.
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I think race is a item that the more we talk about it the greater the problem becomes. I feel that the clip shows that I’m not the only one in the world who feels that. The clip shows Morgan Freeman saying that he thinks black people should not have a month named after their history. I agree with him because I feel like this brings about the issue of people looking as black people and their history differently then the rest of America’s history. I think the when looking at history and the past we need to look at all the people and the history equally.
You can see how the reporter was caught off guard by the response and I think a lot of people would be. I have a lot of friends from other races and they do not understand why their is a black history month, and I feel a lot of people do not understand it. I think when it was put in place people thought of race a lot differently then what we do currently. A lot of people in the world never thought America would have a person of color running our country, the president of the United States is Black I think its time we stop talking about black history as a different part and put it in with the rest of our history. I feel that the month was put into place mostly for the media, to make it that Americans did not forget about what happened to people of color and to make people of color feel like white people still feel badly about what happened. I do not think we need it any more, I feel that black history month should not be looked at as that anymore.
I feel that white people have their month all the time, a white man found America. White people brought black people over to America, although it was not in the best of terms, I feel that black people should have their history looked at in the same terms of white people. Does this mean that I think we should cancel Columbus day? I do not, that man found America and let the world know he did. Although people were living here at the time, Indians, Columbus found and passed news back that their was this new world in America. Columbus should have his day still but I do not think Black history month should still be around it only brings up race and does not make people look at all races equal in my point of view.
Race will always be looked at. If I’m talking about Morgan Freeman I will still call him a black guy no matter if they have Black history month or not, I look at is as a way to paint a picture of a person if telling a story. Just in the same way if I said a blue car or a green tree it is a word used to describe. I think having black history month breaks the flow of having people looked at in an equal way, their should not be black history month as it splits races.
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I have been taught about Black History Month for as long as I can remember, but I was never really taught about Black History Month. For a long while I have thought about Black History Month the same way Morgan Freeman thinks about it. I feel it is kind of a ridiculous to relegate a race of people to a month of “celebration.” I cannot seem to justify just giving a month to people for whatever reason. When I saw the Morgan Freeman video I definitely agreed. I was like, “yeah, you go girl.” I somewhat understand his sentiments. He is always be touted as a “black actor” even after all the work he has done and the time and years he has put into his career, he is still being called a “black actor.” Why can’t he just be an actor? Why do we constantly have to put that label on Morgan Freeman and other actors and actresses that happen to be black? But it’s not just Black people that this happens too. It is the same way with Asians, Spanish, Indian, etc actors and actresses that are just happen to not be white. When they win awards or something, it’s such a large feet for race relations and for that particular race. It’s just a load of cockamamie mess that I feel is completely crappola.
I just don’t understand why there is a “Black History Month.” Why can’t we integrate learning about black people and their history into the standard curriculum? Why do we have to wait for February to learn about Black people? I wouldn’t mind learning about George Washington Carver inventing peanut butter before February. I could learn about Harriet Tubman in November, I don’t mind it. To me, it is just so odd how this whole thing works.
While I say all this, I also never took the time to try and find out what the origins of Black History Month are. I never really thought about how Black History Month came about and why it was created. I always figured a bunch of white people felt badly about the past relations with Black people and decided to relegate a month to celebrate them. I guess I always figured it was kind of like a parting gift for losing on a game show. Yeah you lost, but you get this sweet new pencil sharpener! I know it sounds messed up and like I’m a tool for thinking this, but that is the way it has looked to me for years. It just seemed like a ludicrous situation. I guess I probably should have put some more thought into it before I formulated my opinions on Black History Month.
Reading that blog entry and writing this makes me want to learn more about Black History Month. I want to learn the origins and why it was truly created.
Marlon Chopra
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I disagree with what Bryson has to say. Morgan Freeman has a good point about, “relegating black history to a month”. That is saying all the other 11 months let’s not care about black history and that is absolutely ridiculous to think that we should only have one month for Black history. Just like Morgan Freeman says Black history is American History, and where is the delegation for white history, because despite what people in mainstream and even some academia areas, White is a race just as well as black. The fact that there is not a white history month assumes that American History is white, and everything else must be kept separate. Now is that fair. The idea behind putting Black History as a month was to promote diversity. That did not promote diversity at all it further marginalized black people because it said we are going to talk about your history this month now be happy with it. When Bryson says that the race game is one that white people can never win he is saying that no matter what white people argue they will never win because the bottom line is society does not consider white a race. But we do consider white people to be racist, so in a sense it is a double standard. The sad part is if Mike Wallace would have said well yes I believe Black History Month is silly then he would have been accused of being racist. He would have been accused of not appreciating and accepting black people when in reality he could have had the same feelings of marginalization but because he is white no one would have noticed that.
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I think there are good and bad aspects to black history month. I feel that we shouldnt completely take it away because there is so little light shed on black history in this country as it is. I fear by taking it away it leads to less thought about the actual meaning and creation of the month. However i agree with Morgan Freeman in that Black history is very much American history and as americans we all need to stop seperating the two as if they were two different entities. In this counrty we focus too much on the actual slaves coming to america part of black history. We dont spend enough time talking or educatiing people on the repercussions and after math of slavery that led to the African American mindset of today. We also spend no tiume talking about african american achievements in this country and the people of African American decent who helped to shape this country as much as Benjamin Franklin or Albert Einstein did. I also feel as if 300 plus years cannot be condensed, no matter how focused the student, into one month of history. I feel that history sjhould be learned together. While we learn about American development we should also learn about womens right movements and the African American movement of that time period. To me black history month is just a month. I dont see any real effort going in to build awareness about African Americans. A few extra commericals come on that involve more ethnic looking Americans rather than your typical curly head half white half black African American representing us on television.i donjt see any parades or fire work s or anything special to commemorate the month. So iam not even sure if Black history month is serving its purpose out side of elementary school. There are alot more older people who could benefit form some forced integration through Black history month. i do feel as if Morgan Freeman may have benn alittle agressive in is attack . He could have simply ansered the question and gave reason to back his argument. The interviewer did seem very attacked and he didnt deserve that. Iam sure he would have understood what Morgan freeman was talking about had Morgan been more understanding. The race game is a game White people can never win because they can never be a black person. I think they can however educate themselves and become more aware and understanding of the problems minorities face everyday. I dont feel sorry for white poeple and i dont think that they can feel sorry for us. Together if we as black people acknowleged that not every white person is the same and not all of them think the same, and if white poeple realize the struggles we go through and better appreciate where we’ve come from, We can make for a better society.
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I would agree that Morgan Freeman’s comments were a little unwarranted, but I can see where he is coming from. I know that Black History Month was created to celebrate the tremendous accomplishments of African Americans throughout history, but the fact that these accomplishments aren’t receiving praise on a regular basis is what Morgan Freeman is upset about. The history of African Americans should be included in the curriculums in school, and I know through personal experience that it isn’t talked about as much as it should be. I don’t disagree with the idea of Black History Month, but what upsets me is the fact that there needs to be one at all.
I do disagree with Morgan Freeman on his other point though. He says that we should get rid of racism by not talking about race. This course has taught us that this is absolutely the wrong way to go about eliminating racism. You need to talk about race in order to eliminate racism, because without talking about it, nothing is going to change. There are too many uneducated and racist people in this country who will continue to teach racism to their children if they are not educated in race relations. Just because someone does not acknowledge someone as being black or white through spoken words does not mean they do not have prejudice thoughts about them. People will still be acting in discriminatory ways if no one talks about race. What we really need to do is educate people about other races, ethnicities and cultures, and encourage everyone to open up to race relations conversation. When people can openly talk about race and say what they really feel, that is when we can begin to truly come together as a nation.
I also agree with Bryson Noble when he says that the race game is one that white people can never win. When talking to someone of color, it is often difficult for white people to truly open up and say what they feel. Obviously, no two people act the same way when you talk about their race, and white people are often too afraid of offending people to say what they feel. In my opinion, you should always think before you speak, but at the same time someone is going to get offended with anything you say, so you should say what you feel. Too many people don’t say anything at all because they don’t want to offend anyone, and that hinders the whole race relations process. As long as people are educated enough to make meaningful contributions to race relations, there shouldn’t be any problems anyway. Like I said before, once we can sit down together and really open up about race, then we can begin to eliminate racism.
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Well, I think Morgan Freeman in his disregard for Black History Month was trying to force people to think broader about such issues of race and the place that it each of us has on the race table. He was trying to illustrate that since Black History is intertwined with American history it should be seen as a part of it instead of being extracted from it and given a month, February (the shortest month of the year) as a time for token appreciation for their contributions to this country. Well previously I was of this persuasion until it dawned on me that during Black History Month you get to learn new things that you did not learn before. For example you get to hear of black accomplishments that you probably thought never happened (the first black woman in space for example) and then I question myself if I would have known this info if it was not for Black History Month. You see in a society in which you belong to the minority, the mainstream will most likely reflect upon those who are of the majority and who hold sway over that country’s political, economic and social lifestyles. In the United States, the majority is white people and in essence they will dominate and be present in most segments of society. For those in the minority, then it is difficult to find “your representative” in this scheme of things and in this case events like Black History Month play this role where they highlight black personalities and figures who would not even get the time of day, get noticed if it was not for Black History Month.
This also comes into play when you look at things like BET, Telemundo, Ebony Magazine, NSBE and other ethnocentric types of organizations who function to highlight a perspective of a community that would otherwise not have it if it were left to the dictates of mainstream society. Morgan Freeman’s desire for Americans not to see race as an aspect of life may be admirable but highly unrealistic and probably is a mentality of successful blacks especially celebrities who have prospered and are disengaged from the everyday livelihoods that other blacks face. To expect people to ignore race is to ignore the very foundations that have made this country for better or worse what it is today. Race cannot just be swept under the carpet because it directly or indirectly influences the decisions and lives of millions of Americans from where they want to live, whom they want to marry, who they want to hire and other aspects of everyday life.
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It is impossible for me to truly understand what it must be like to experience Black History Month as a black person. However I felt as if I could empathize more after reading Nobles response and hearing Morgan Freeman’s rant. I thought that Nobles did a great job of explaining and responding to Morgan Freeman’s interview. I could see both sides in the situation, but I think I agree more with Nobles than with Freeman. I like when Nobles said BHM is like a birthday, you appreciate the celebration but sometimes do not care to celebrate. On the other hand, I understood Freeman when he was asking whether there was a Jewish or a white history month. I can understand how it would semi-insulting. In an ideal world, and with half of the history that the United States has, it would be great if we could celebrate American history month of the uniting of both races. However due Americas vast past, something had to be put in place in order to compensate for the mistakes that fall on the backs of the white men.
I thought that Freeman was especially wrong when he said that we should just stop talking about it. I hope what he meant to say is that he wishes that we never had to talk about it, and that race did not decide so much and classify so much as it does, however that is not reality. It will never be reality. I think that we need to talk about race differences in order to try to understand and see a different point of view than the person staring back at us in the mirror. When Nobles said the race game that “whites will never win”, it stuck out to me immediately. I am honestly not sure what he meant by this. However I might guess that he means that in the world of race and the conversations of race, whites will never truly be able to understand or fully compensate for history. That no matter how hard they try, there opinion as a white person about a black person will never really be valid. Just like if Mike Wallace had agreed with Morgan Freeman that he believed Black History Month was insulting and a bad idea, I have no doubt that Wallace would have taken some criticism for it. So instead, Wallace stayed quiet and just agreed with Freeman. There is no conversation there, it is immediate submission for fear of saying the “wrong thing.”
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Thank God for Morgan Freeman! This man hit the nail on the head. He is dead on balls accurate and I completely agree with him. I never understood how we as a nation keep contradicting ourselves. We preach that racism is wrong and that all men are created and to be treated equal and then we go ahead and give special privileges to people of color or whoever as a form of compensation. First of all giving someone a month isn’t going to make up for past injustices and wrong doings. Second, we are now giving a special set of rights to a new group of people. This is like “Animal Farm” is everyone equal, but are some people more equal than others? This is now reverse discrimination and inequality. Morgan is completely right, African American history is American history; we are all fucking human beings! Even classes like this one just perpetuate stereotypes and inflict more damage when it comes to race relations. If we just acknowledge that there are differences between us and accept them and move on we will be fine. This class kind of reminds me of the dare programs that try to keep people from doing drugs and the kids grow up and want to do the drugs more than ever. Yes there are issues everywhere we are not going to solve them all, but calling it racism isn’t going to fix it. One way or another people will find something else to disagree on and kill each other. We need to stop depicting people of color as people who need sympathy and comfort, and stop seeing the white man as the evil oppressor. Last time I heard we are in the 21st century and we need to all move on and take responsibility for our own lives regardless of race. I’m tired of seeing people of color take advantage of white kids for being white, and white kids being ashamed of who they are. We should all be proud of who we are but that does not define your life! Jesus Christ any single person on this planet can make the argument of being mistreated and being oppressed. I am Irish and my people have been tortured for over a thousand years and then more when we got to this country. Shouldn’t I be mad that I only get one fucking day, Saint Patrick’s Day, a day that also just perpetuates the stereotype that all Irish drink. Stop putting a God damn label on every person on this planet see someone as a person not a skin tone. How are we ever going to evolve if we keep looking backwards for answers? Times are changing, stop clinging to the old beliefs.
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I believe that having Black History Month is feeding the fire of African Americans being treated “differently”. It may be “cordial” to give them a month of their own, but in reality I feel that it is still segregation. Blacks have a month to celebrate their history but whites don’t? It reminds me of Women’s History Month. It just goes to prove that white men are the dominant group, and women and people of color are truly “minorities”. I think Morgan Freeman is spot on with his comment that we need to stop seeing one person as “a black man” and another person as “a white man”. I’m not exactly sure who declared there to be a Black History Month, but if it was a group of white people, what gives them the authority? I agree that ignoring the problem of racism won’t help anything, because for sure it exists. But to bring it up so much, I feel leads to the disintegration stage, where white people are aware of racism and want it to end, but start to feel constant guilt.
I think it was convenient that the “white people can never win” theme came into place in this video. I guarantee Mike Wallace will never bring up Black History Month to any other black man again. Then again, if he agrees with Freeman and says, “Black History Month is silly and we should stop celebrating it”, he would be seen as a racist. It all comes back to the fact that not everyone in a group shares the same opinions. While Morgan Freeman may hate Black History Month, thousands of other African Americans might celebrate the month and think that it is great for their race. Sometimes white people feel that they just can’t win. Mike Wallace seemed like he was trying to be sensitive to Africans Americans by having an interview about Black History Month, but instead he came out looking like just another ignorant black man.
I also agree with the follow up comments that Black History Month should not be “the” means for learning about black people’s involvement in American history. The speaker who came into class mentioned how in school, African history is delegated to about three weeks to one month out of the school year. That is pretty ridiculous in my opinion. As Morgan Freeman said, black history is part of American History. We should be learning about the African Americans just as much as much as we learn about Whites and Europeans. Also, schools need to stop teaching about how Christopher Columbus “discovered” America. Nothing was taught about the people who lived in America before the Pilgrims. Or what they went through, all that is taught is how the Pilgrims survived and how they had Thanksgiving. In my opinion, that is leaving a whole lot of information out of history.
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Bryson Nobles’ argument that Morgan Freeman is incorrect in saying what he does in his interview is extremely valid. To some people, black and white, black history month is an important time to reflect upon the past, and celebrate what the future holds; it is not meant to be demeaning. In this interview Morgan Freeman is playing into the race game by making white people seem like the bad guy. Sure there are circumstances where white people are, but this is not the case across the board. What he says leaves everyone watching feeling strange, and Mike Wallace uncomfortable. Dr. Richards posed an interesting question when he wrote a possible response from Mike Wallace, “Well, yes, I think that Black History Month is silly and that we should stop celebrating it?” If this had been the case, Mike Wallace would be considered racist for agreeing with Freeman by millions of viewers and by Freeman himself. So how does Wallace win? How do white people win? Everything we say and do is wrong and offensive to at least one person, whether we mean it to be or not. In the race game, this is often how it goes. People of color are very hard on white people when they say something that they “do not like”. When so many different people like to hear so many different things white people cannot honestly be expected to remember what every person prefers. The objective is not to anger people or make them feel as if they have to be defensive; it is to simply bring our opinions to the race table. Race is a sensitive subject, and any discourse about it can be misinterpreted very easily. Due to this, many people try to censor their remarks, and their true message is not appropriately conveyed. So which is worse, not appropriately conveying your point or being misinterpreted for saying exactly what is on your mind? It is just another grey area that we need to learn to deal with in the race conversation. We have to leave our sensitivities at the door when we have these conversations if we want to have an honest, effective conversation. So the next time someone makes a remark that seems rude or derogatory about race, try to not take it so personally, unless you honestly feel it is meant to be that way. And as for what Morgan Freeman said, those comments are unnecessary. If you do not want to talk about race, do as Bryson Nobles said and politely remove yourself from the conversation by moving on to the next topic. If not, there just becomes more ambiguity that pushes white people away from the race table.
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Lol I believe Nobles arguments go back to the lecture, because you can never get a homogeneous agreement from a large group of people, specifically in this case from the same person. It would be futile telling you that I agree with Morgan Freeman on Black History Month, but disagree with him on race dialog. This article is about whether or not the dominant race/group can remain in the position without dissidence from the minority races/groups which coexist under their “rule”. Truth is things such as black history month when it comes to racial issues is insignificant. Im sure any group would rather bring to the forefront of issues human development issues such as health care, education; Furthermore, roles with in society, and the loss of a pariah status, that both black and Latino races have to live with.
The “Black Leaders”, I don’t know who appointed them as such, usually plea on behalf of their communities for police liability, a proper education, equal representation in civic matters, and support for black owned business. The important issues are always replace by cosmetic or insignificant ones in order to misinform some one of the true issues. We such all work to equality and not whether some ones feeling get hurt. I believe in a majority consensus it goes without saying that it may be mixed reaction across the board specifically how you should act towards somebody of a different race than you, what or what is not socially acceptable.
I think beyond race, who you are, how you act, and your personal beliefs, will never satisfy everyone, especially beyond societal lines.
I think White people will “never win” as long as they go on like nothing is wrong or believing it completely or faults when educationally and and within the realm of civic rights we are not equal. Inner city school are full of children who are not taught, I known because I attended a Philadelphia school district high school where half the teacher decided they rather play movies than teach us. Prison systems are disproportionally filled, and cops often violate rights and falsely police reports.
That’s why “white people will never win the race game”.
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It’s very apparent that Morgan Freeman’s opinion on race and not talking about is not the best course of action. Morgan Freeman was playing into the “race game” in that it contradicts what most white people think about Black History Month in that it is a good thing and that black people are ‘proud’ about it. Mike Wallace was put in a place where he had no idea what to think about the issue and you could see in his reaction that his idea of black history month and especially how black people feel about it was shattered in the blink of an eye. Mike Wallace was looking to Morgan Freeman for what to think about black people, it was so apparent it was amazing. I’m sure that Mike Wallace felt that he wasn’t allowed to express any type of opinion outside of what Morgan Freeman had said and probably on the grounds that he was afraid that disagreeing with Morgan Freeman would be racist! This is, of course, ridiculous because I’m sure the Mike Wallace is not racist and I’m sure that whatever Mike Wallace’s views of black history month were they probably were not racist at all. Morgan Freeman had complete control over that situation and at that point probably could have convinced Mike Wallace of all of his views about race in America. In short, Mike Wallace probably walked away from that interview very confused and probably said “what the fuck just happened there?” I really believe that this is not helping at all and it is hurting because like was said in the blog that what Morgan Freeman had to say would probably push whites further away from talking about race. Without discussing something you don’t understand you will never come learn. Morgan Freeman was defiantly in the wrong here, however I do think that Freeman could just be tired of being treated differently which is something that is ok to desire but I feel as though not talking about it will make it go away. We must first understand before make change. I liked the quote in the blog about pretending a cavity is not there will make it go away. However, I would like to think of the cavity as a cavity that will not get worse and as long as you don’t touch it, it won’t hurt but is always there. I would have liked to hear more of Morgan Freeman’s reasoning and I feel as though he may have made some valid points, or at least some points that would make sense to his personal and unique experiences as a person. At any rate I still think Morgan Freeman is an awesome actor and I could fall asleep to his voice any day of the week!
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I agree with Morgan Freeman in the belief that we should not have a black history month. I think that the attention of the month is a good one, trying to commemorate and honor black history and important people who helped in the movement of this country. However, I think it really singles out or separates black as a race. It is like saying their history is different and separate from the rest of American history. Yet, this is not the case at all. Black history is also part of American history. It makes this country what it is today. Yes, major events like the emancipation of the slaves after the civil war, gaining the right to vote with the 13 and 14th amendments, and even now electing the first black presidents are events that greatly affect blacks. Still they affect the country as a whole as well leading it in a new more positive direction. In reality, have black history as a separate month does not do anything to help the issue of racial discrimination. When people are more categorized or separated by their race then people focus more on the differences which can lead some to discriminate. On another note, I do think that it is important to learn about major events of black history and leaders who helped bring out change. This should be by no mean any less acknowledged or remembered. It is just that it should not be thought of as separate part of history from the rest of this country.
Even though I do agree with Morgan Freeman about not having black history month, I do not think we should stop talking about race altogether. For, currently there are races that we categorize ourselves by and everyone is aware of it. So, it would not help any cause to just simply ignore it. There is already so much history and tension built up behind many races. To move to a point where race no longer has to be an issue to even discuss we need to start by actually dealing with it verbally. People need to talk to one another to understand each other better. They need to stop judging or stereotyping people by their race or culture. Get to know people as individuals just not members of a group. This really is the ideal. When everyone is segregating off into group and not migrating outside of them that is where the problems begin. Everyone is ignorant about the people around them and issues arise from preconceived judgments. Once people converse with each other, first dealing with present issues, then we may be able to get to a point where it will be ok to just stop talking about race altogether. I just do not think it is the ideal solution right now.
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Ebony Martin
March 27, 2009
Soc 119
Stop Talking About Race- The Significance of Black History Month
I must say that I don’t agree with Bryson Nobles on this idea that there is a justification for Black History Month, and it is no different from having a birthday. I have to agree with the point that Morgan Freeman makes, and maybe this relates to the somewhat common feeling of being a person of African decent. Who’s to say that only one population of an ethnicity can have a month to celebrate their history, and how can we say that there is no division between ethnicity here in the U.S and racism as well as discrimination is slowly ceasing to exist when they separate us for a whole month. Yes, we know that Black History Month is meant to commemorate those that came before us and the struggles that they overcame, but we also understand that a rich history such as that could never be consolidated to one month.
When Morgan Freeman mentions the fact that there is no Jewish History Month, I think he raises a valid point. Jews migrated to the U.S just the same, and hold a strong history within their culture and yet they are not singled out. Therefore, why would you single out one particular group of people only to mention them from time to time? I say, if it doesn’t occur in the same way for all groups of people, then there shouldn’t be one.
Morgan Freeman also mentions that the problem with race relations is that people judge and then also talk about the issue for decades. Why can’t we all just look at people for exactly who they are…people and not try to categorize them?
The problem with this concept is that whatever we continue to carry on throughout our lifetimes will be the same morals and beliefs that our future generations and our offspring will model. So if we stopped talking about how drastic everyone’s differences are, and focus on just who they are, then the problem if not eliminated, would be significantly minimized. The thing about character traits that people don’t understand is that they are passed down if they are not forgotten or disintegrated and that does not just include characteristics, but culture and assumptions as well.
For so long, the problem with our culture is that we embed these ideas into everyone’s minds and then yell at them when we want them to believe otherwise. Yet, I think if we acted upon the fact that “race” and other concepts shouldn’t take up as much space as they should in this world, then maybe we could actually make a difference that wouldn’t be as forced as it is today.
Therefore, my conclusion is taken the present as it is and let’s not dwell in the past. If we choose to emphasize something, it should be across the board and not just a state of correcting something in a ethnic culture’s past because we feel guilty.
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Since Freeman’s statements became public, I have read many editorials written by black intellectuals calling for the end of the celebration of black history month. What I can grasp from this claim is that they believe Black History month is no longer necessary, and that a 28 day observance both confines and trivializes the historic contributions of African-Americans in this country. Prior to even thinking about what Freeman was saying, I had to first get over my continued outrage at white people asking black actors, athletes, and entertainers what they think about issues that are outside of their areas of expertise. Publicizing the opinions of Morgan Freeman doesn’t make him a spokesman for the black race. I don’t see anyone seeking out Robert DeNiro for opinions about Iraq, but that’s a whole different discussion. But in response to Freeman’s comments, all I can say is, “Please.”Celebrating Black History Month no more confines the history of African-Americans than the one day MLK holiday confines the achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King. Or that St. Patrick’s Day confines the history of Irish-Americans to March 17th. Mr. Freeman and others maintain that in place of Black History Month, black history should be incorporated into the mainstream history of America. Their thought process is that black history can be celebrated every day by its proper inclusion in American history. Mr. Freeman went so far as to ask Mike Wallace, “Which month is white history month?” The sordid reality is that every month remains white history month in this country and it is precisely for this reason that Black History month remains relevant and necessary. When Mike Wallace asked Freeman how we can get rid of racism, he replied:”Stop talking about it.” Clearly, this man is stuck in the pre-encounter stage on the race continuum. I don’t know about you, but I simply cannot agree with Freeman. We will not solve racial issues in this country by putting our collective heads in the sand and hoping they will go away. We can’t run from our own racial past and delude ourselves that everything is okay in America. Our society still remains segregated in many ways, from where we live and where we worship, to who survives a hurricane. We like to think that we are a society beyond racism, but reality doesn’t bear that out. Race is America’s great taboo, and the fact is that there are differences — cultural and physical — between people of different races. We need to acknowledge those differences. Pretending like they don’t exist is ignoring the elephant in the room. Mike Wallace is a white guy. Morgan Freeman is a black guy. As much as I would like to see it other than this, I won’t and I can’t.
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I am not black, brown, or African American. I am not Jewish, Native American, or Asian. I am a white girl from northeastern Pennsylvania. My ancestors came over here on a boat from Europe and I barely know anything about their cultures. I am educated enough to know my culture’s history, which is American History. In classes in high school, and even college, we learn all about the United States and the beginning of our country and what made this country what it is today. I agree with Bryson Nobles, that it is silly to dedicate one month to a specific culture. America is such a melting pot and there are so many different cultures that I do question why only one specific group of peoples has a month to themselves? I feel like Black History Month came about as a result from the civil rights movement. I do feel like black people were mistreated back then and something did have to be done, but I feel like dedicating a month to their history is kind of silly. It is almost doing their culture an injustice. It is almost exploiting their culture more because they are the only ones with a month dedicated to their history. We should just celebrate all of our history as American history, because whether we are black, brown, red, yellow, we are all Americans.
I could see why Morgan Freeman was mad, but at the same time, he flipped out on Mike Wallace. It was uncalled for and completely unnecessary. He definitely could have controlled himself a little better and address the issue in a calmer manner maybe. I think that if Mike Wallace were to say that he thought Black History Month is silly, Morgan Freeman probably would have flipped out about that too. Seriously, this is what puts white people in a predicament. I know that I feel comfortable talking with different races about race when I know them and know how they are. I sort of feel comfortable talking to other races about race, but it definitely is easier if you know them because you know what you can and can not say. It is not worth talking about something if it is just going to end up in a huge battle. I have a lot of respect for Morgan Freeman as an actor, but after seeing this clip, I really felt bad for Mike Wallace. This poor guy was probably just reading questions from a cue card and was completely attacked. Plus, he was not the person who implemented Black History Month. That was people years ago, and I really do not know if there is anything we can do about it.
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Thank you, thank you very much Morgan Freemen. I too find black history month to be ridiculous. Now Webster’s definition of ridiculous is arousing or deserving ridicule. I think Morgan Freeman choose ridiculous because it is amusing to him that the white man only gave black people only one month to celebrate all we have been through, all we have accomplish, all we have gained in this white world. The definition of ridicule is the act of exposing to laughter, and to me this is some funny stuff. Like Morgan Freeman said how can you relegate my history, our history, the black history to a month? My question is how is it possible to put people like Booker T. Washington who was one on the first African Americans to be honored on a stamp, George Washington Carver who thought former slaves farming techniques so they could become self sufficient, Lee Elder the first African American golfer to play in the Masters tournament, Shirley Chisholm the first African American woman to be elected into the U.S. Congress, people like Paul Cuffe, Richard Allen, Frederick Douglass, Sonjourner Truth, Herriet Tubman, W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wella-Barnett, A Philli Randolph, Roy Wikinins, Thurgoog Marshall, James Farmer, Whitney M. Young Jr., Benjamin Hooks, Malcolm X, Ralph Abernathy, Andrew Young, Colin Powell, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I know some of you might think this is a lot of names, but these names are just a petite amount of the people who combine to make black history, so it is truly amazing and historical to give one month to celebrate these wonderful people legacy and what they and so much more have accomplished on behalf of blacks and the whole of mankind. When Morgan Freemen asked the host which month is white history month, he was baffled and his answer was he is Jewish. There is no answer to the question because white history month is celebrated throughout the year everyday and black people just je twenty eight days sometimes twenty nine days to celebrate our history our precious history, American History. That’s the thing why is it called Black History why isn’t call American history?
The host asked a very important question that I though Morgan Freemen Answer very well. He asked how we are going to get rid of racism and Morgan Freemen just out right told him the truth “stop talking about it.” As long as we keep on talking about racism all the time, seeing each other as blacks, whites, brown, yellow, pink, blue, racism will never end. If we address each other by our names and push color aside then all this race talk will be avoided but as long as we see color then racism will never end. It’s not that white people will never win the Race Game; it’s that they created the race game and now they don’t want to be held accountable for their wrong doings. It’s like creating a monster but when it starts to destroy you disown it, Life does not work like that.
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I found the video clip very interesting. I would have to agree with Morgan Freeman when he says that he does not care much for or want black history month. First of all black history is apart of American history. Separating these histories does not make us any closer to finding common ground; it just further divides the races. The fact that blacks get their own history month separates them from every other race. Having a black history month singles them out from every other race. When I was younger I was actually a bit jealous and curious as to why blacks had their own history month and wanted to know why whites did not have their own history month. The whole idea of singling out races and dedicating a month to black history just seems sort of pointless. In my opinion there should not be a black history month. It almost seems to cause more division. For example, when in class, Sam talked about Penn State and how at one point they had a white prom queen and king and a black prom queen and king. It seems that that would suggest that skin color creates such differences. In fact, so many differences that a white couple and a black couple would be in a totally different league. The idea just seems stupid and seems like it would cause more problems besides it just being unnecessary. As for Bryson Nobles saying that he thinks having a month to celebrate black people is no less silly than having a day to celebrate birthdays, I would have to say these two types of celebrations are pretty different. Birthdays are all about the individual and how the individual wants to celebrate it. Also, almost everyone has a birthday. No one or any particular group is singled out because of their birthday. I do agree with Bryson Nobles when he says that not talking about race is not going to get us anywhere or fix any problems. However, I don’t think that is exactly what Morgan Freeman said when he said let’s just stop talking about it. I feel sometimes that people blow race issues out of proportion. If skin color is not such a big deal then why do some people really seem to make an effort to make it an issue. I’m not saying that race is not an issue and that there aren’t major problems that should be addressed. In conclusion I think that Morgan Freeman did say something constructive by not making such a big deal about the question. He said what he thought. There should not be a black history month and I agree. He said few words but got his point across.
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You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. White people have always had advantages over black people, and unfortunately, will probably continue to have them. However, I’m not ashamed to sympathize with the white team on this one. I have no guilt saying I believe Morgan Freeman is wrong by forcefully rejecting the olive branch he was offered by Mike Wallace. The race card is definitely something black people have on white people. I agree that one month hardly accounts for the entirty of black history, but what Holiday fully represents why it was established? For example, St. Patrick’s Day hardly sums up Irish culture, so should I be offended by its celebration? I feel quite the opposite and enjoy the parade in Pittsburgh year after year. Morgan Freeman’s response probably isn’t unique, and these negative responses further complicate an already complicated matter. For lack of a better solution, white people do look to other races for ideas of how to interact with them and more often than not, mistakenly end up generalizing entire populations. Sometimes generalizing or stereotyping can be taken lightly, such as by saying white people can’t dance. As the article “Say ‘Hello’ to my New Black and Brown Friends” points out, such generalizations and stereotypes can also be harmful and dangerous to fall into. African Americans for the most part aren’t poor, although this is still a commonly held belief in the United States. The racial identity development scales presented in class I think will be very productive in enlightening both sides just where we are in trying to build meaningful relationships with each other. The last couple of classes have helped me to see which stages I’m lingering in at least. I feel somewhat empowered by the second half of this semester and feel like I belong at the race table just as much as black people, who might have intimidated me before. I know Mike Wallace was caught off guard by Morgan Freeman’s response, his intension being only to shed light on a celebration and to relate to the person he’s interviewing, something he can never do. Hopefully Mike Wallace isn’t totally discouraged from offering the olive branch in the future, and hopefully Morgan Freeman will recognize one man, one celebration, cannot undo years of injustice. All Morgan Freeman has to do is take the branch in his hand, maybe see how it feels. The last point I want to make is the fact that I love Mark Twain’s quote, “”Don’t let schooling get in the way of your education.” I love this quote because it applies to so many things beyond this blog. Text books can teach us some things, but experience has led me to know what is comfortable to say around my friends of different ethnicities. Like my white friends, my black friends are all different. I appreciate the fact that they know I’m just curious about things, especially trivial things like the differences between our hair types. For once, it felt good for someone to call me ignorant because it meant I wasn’t racist. I think learning from experience illustrates the Mike Wallace/Morgan Freeman situation quite well.
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I actually remember watching this interview on 60 Minutes with my family. One of my favorite quotes came from him on this interview: “Life has been good to me, so I try to be good to life. But how do you be good to life? You live it.” But his “Stop talking about it,” quotation when asked what to do about ending racism doesn’t escape my memory either.
At the time I first watched this interview, I agreed with Morgan Freeman. Why wouldn’t no longer calling attention to race help improve race relations? I’ve said in my previous blog responses that focusing on the differences between the different races won’t improve the current relationship between the races, but instead looking for all the things that the races have in common can bonds be formed that will overcome racism. But since that seems an impossible goal, ignoring the subject entirely seems to be the next best solution.
But Morgan Freeman’s method of addressing race was exactly as Bryson put it: unconstructive. Here is a prominent person of color who has a very strong fan base who has the power to make people listen to him and would at least consider his opinions to be valid. And when he had an opportunity to make the situation better between the races, he dismissed it as something that despite how many times it had been talked about, no progress had been or would ever be made.
That said, I can certainly understand the perspective that at his age he would be tired of discussing the subject of race, but what he fails to understand is that at his age, he can also help do something about it. The voice of experience has the power to inspire change, and Morgan Freeman ignored the opportunity to make change in the world of race relations.
I agree completely with Bryson’s opinion. Ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away, and there is nothing at all wrong with celebrating a person’s culture for a short period of time. Now, I do understand Morgan Freeman’s perspective that it seems that black people are the ones to be singled out, as they are the only ones to have an entire month dedicated to them, but on the other hand, Bryson hits the nail on the head when he points out that people are indifferent to it. Some people enjoy celebrating Black History Month, others it doesn’t affect either way, and some dislike it for one reason or another. It all depends on whether or not the person or culture being celebrated enjoys the attention or not.
I personally am indifferent about Black History Month, but I certainly wouldn’t fault a person one way or the other if they wanted to celebrate it or not. Morgan Freeman doesn’t want the attention called to his race, but everybody deserves a little attention now and then. Everyone has a right to choose when they want the attention, regardless of their race, and one person’s choice to be celebrated or not does not necessarily reflect everyone else’s choice.
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I thought that was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. Morgan Freeman was so funny, plus it so went with his personality that it just added to the hilarity of the situation. Add in a guy who was blustering because he made a stupid and ignorant mistake, well, it was funny to say the least. I mean I can’t believe he would generalize and then try to defend himself by saying that he was Jewish. I mean what kind of idiot do you have to be, but I feel for him since he was dealing with the great sarcastic mind of Morgan Freeman. That was an overexageration of his coolness but it still does not take anything away from his coolness.
I do like Morgan Freeman’s point though. I agree that we put to much emphasis on race, and while this is a good thing, it is detrimental. I think that we should be able to be proud in our heritage, but we should stop being so obsessed with race. Yes you are a person of color, but once we recognize that we should move onto how he are all similar and different as people. I believe that people should be seen as individual people just as Morgan Freeman, and not judged based on how similar one looks or dresses. People are individuals that differ in personality, moods, idiosyncracies, and backgrounds. There are far too many variables which make us human, that we cannot truly comprehend what makes us so similar.
I think that the old coordinator was wrong about Morgan Freeman. It wasn’t just that he was tired of the black actor role, he was just an individual who wants to be seen as Morgan Freeman. He doesn’t want anybody to associate and assume things about him. To be an independent person is who we should all strive to be.
What was the point of this, “Try to imagine the overplayed black guy who grew up in “da hood,” plays basketball, wears “do rags” and “tims,” will eat a small mountain of chicken (with hot sauce, of course), wash it all down with “red” kool-aid and top it off with watermelon flavored Now ‘n Laters for dessert . . . then throw in one more ridiculous stereotype for fun – that’s the Bryson Nobles you’ve been responding to.” I mean, so what if some do, that’s the point of a generalization, and I think it’s universally understood. He just wants to be funny, but really any intellectuals can understand stereotypes.
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White people will never win the race game
I remember when we had the speaker on Thursday and he said that when he went to Africa they thought differently. When he said “I’m African like you” and the man responded with the neighbor comment, I completely agree with that African man. Its not that Africans criticize the way that Black Americans want to be African but they question it because “what have you done for our country?”, as my grandmother would say. I come from a very strong East African family and they think every American is white. My mother is a very cheerful, caring, and get to know you type of person. Her heart is shown as soon as you meet her and most people don’t have that approach to complete and total strangers as she does. I definitely took it for granted because I thought everybody was the same but in America most people wouldn’t care about their own neighbors, unless something serious like a death or another extreme case. On a regular day to day basis Americans do not care or even want to know each other, which is a very selfish approach in my opinion. I always separated myself from the Black identity even though I look “Black”, yes my hair is rough, my skin is dark and most of my friends are Black. I am very separate though, when I go home I do not speak English in my home, I don’t eat American food, and I am a East African woman not a African American woman, so that separates me from them. When it comes to Black History I actually do not care because that does not involve me. America does not speak about our accomplishments in their upcoming and how they used our people as slaves to better this country, so it does not involve me. In a sense I have this Mexican- American approach, being unwanted and very unappreciated. I have had comments from friends that I am part of the Black community to the White people so I would have to start caring but truthfully I really do not. I actually think that Black Americans complain about many things like this when they should be worrying about other important things. The least amount of slaves were brought to America and the most were in the Caribbean’s and South America yet do we see people in the Caribbean’s or South America complaining about a month. Yes, I do understand the context of it and that a month is not fair but really what race does have recognition for a month other than the Black race.
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I think that Freeman’s comment about white people not being able to win the race game makes no sense. The race game is not a game to be won, whether by white people or colored people, it is a stupid game that gets between people of different races and drives them apart or stops them from discussing how they really feel about race. Black History Month is pointless, I believe Freeman is right on this point. Why isn’t black history seemlessly integrated into the rest of our history when it is taught in schools? Its not as if its in some way special or detached from the rest of American history, so it should just be treated in the same manner as any other topic would be in a classroom. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a bad thing, its more of exactly what the blog entry says, that its just a pointless event held to appease people and make them feel important, but that’s all it is, pointless. Everyone should know black history, in fact black history shouldn’t even be a term, why does it matter that the people involved in specific events in the past were black or not? Unless the events and people being discussed have to do with racism and equal rights and other such struggles that black people faced in American history, it shouldn’t even matter whether the people involved were black or not. On the flip side I think Freeman’s reaction was a little strange and unnecessarily angry. Its hard to say that with only a 55 second clip, as I suppose theres a chance that the clip is taken out of context of the rest of the interview, but I believe that even though Black History Month is somewhat pointless, its certainly not something to be angry about, its just recognizing the struggles and successes of black people in America. Just because it shouldn’t need to exist doesn’t make its existence wrong. In addition any attempt to remove Black History Month from existence would almost definitely be treated as racist, and wouldn’t solve anything. I also believe that the fact that Black History Month was created by black teachers would have ruined Freeman’s argument, had Wallace brought it up, so even though I agree with him on some level I think his argument is partly built on false information. How would a holiday created by black people be a holiday created to make white people feel better about racism? That simply makes no sense. Another side to this whole situation is that in all honesty, you can’t teach everything about the history of the world to kids who take one history class a year tops for their elementary, middle, and high school careers. There’s simply not enough time.
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After reading Bryson Nobles comments regarding Morgan Freeman’s response to Black History Month, I agree with everything he had to say. The race game is one that the Caucasian race is never going to win. Blacks use their treatment in the past as means to making whites feel uncomfortable in many situations. In the 60 Minutes interview, Morgan Freeman is very insecure and is still living in the past.
I think Black History Month is a great idea because it acknowledges the struggles that black people have gone through. Having a month to recognize the hardships of blacks allows people to reflect on their hard times and remind citizens never to go back towards those times. Even though slavery still exists in many forms, I believe that Americans are moving towards a more free nation. With black people gaining access to better schooling systems and health care, America is becoming a much more equal. Blacks and browns are moving away from poverty into areas that foster a much better learning and growing experience.
At the same time, Black History Month is the means for many whites to learn about the black race. Growing up in high school, I was not really faced with much diversity. There were five blacks in a class of 700 people. By no means was my school racist, but they tended to stick together and not branch out much. I got to know one or two because of my involvement in sports, but still did not really talk about race related issues. Being involved in Soc 119 has allowed me to become more comfortable when engaging in race related conversations. If I had the teaching in high school that I have in college, I believe I would have tried to become closer friends with the few black kids in my high school. Not talking to them about race really put me behind my peers at Penn State.
I noticed this on my first day in class when I felt very uncomfortable with the number of minorities in class. For once in my life, I witnessed equality between races. My discomfort was not bad by any means. After a couple lectures and discussions, I came to realize that all people are very similar. I had previously thought that many black people were “thugs” because of the typical people you see on the news, or the crowds on the streets. Talking race with people of color really brings things into perspective.
If races are not educated about other races and do not interact with each other, no ground will be made on the race issue. People like Morgan Freeman taking offense to ideas meant to educate makes it difficult to move in the right direction. In the future, younger generations need to be educated at an earlier level so they can leave their segregated views of America behind.
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After reading the blog “White People Will Never Win the Race Game” I feel like what Morgan Freeman said can be taken two different ways. One is that only one month is ridiculous we should be thinking and learning about our history as a nation all the time, not celebrating it just one month. But on the other hand he could look like he does not care about his own history and some blacks could take this as hurtful when someone does not care. At the race table we white people sometimes think that black people want more things dedicated to them or want more attention to be paid to their ancestors and where they came from. So when Morgan Freeman says that he does not care about Black History Month it sounds hypocritical on what so many black people have been asking for. Though maybe I’m wrong? After Morgan Freeman said this it looked like Mike Wallace did not know what exactly to say back. He had to be careful what he said because if he said something wrong he could look racist. Hypothetically if he said that “Yeah Black History Month is ridiculous” people would have an uproar with this “racist” reporter. That is probably what he means by saying that “the white person will never win.” They really can’t because like Sam said in class African Americans are give a whole month to celebrate their history and then there are some blacks like Morgan Freeman who don’t like it. I know that all blacks or African Americans don’t think this way though, so you can’t make everyone happy. This goes for every race and ethnicity. Though going on what Mike Wallace said, he is Jewish and there isn’t a month to celebrate Jewish history. This is why white people have such a hard time at the race table, because if they say one thing they’re not being honest and if they say another they look racist. Yet a black person can “diss” Black History Month and it may look wrong but he’s not called racist straight out.
I agree with Bryson Noble on the fact that talking about race should not drive races apart. I believe that Morgan Freeman said nothing helpful for the race table. I’ll admit that I don’t know how to talk at the race table, but that doesn’t mean I’m not open to learn and join in on one. I do think that the schools use this month to the fullest to put it in their lessons plans, which is great. It gives teachers the time and excuse to talk about the race issue, but I think that just because there is a month set aside for black history teachers and race tables should not limit talking about them during the month of February. Just like every other ethnicities history should be talked about equally as much.
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After watching the Morgan Freeman clip, I completely agree with him. Why should there be a black history month. Bryson states that Black History Month is just a time for everyone to acknowledge something that is celebrated all year round. I don’t think that it needs to be a month. If it can’t be celebrated all year round, or if it is, then don’t bring any more attention to it. Blacks all over are trying to get over the fact that they were slaves, they are trying to start believing and thinking that they are equal, as they are, to everyone else. Why devote an entire month to the fact that blacks had to fight for where they are today, and remind them of the hardships they had to face and what they had to overcome.
On that note, we don’t have a women’s history month. What about all the women who had to fight to get to where they are today? How women had to fight for the rights they have, and to be seen as equals and have the same opportunities that men have today. They don’t have a month devoted to women’s history and the things they have overcome, so why in the hell is it fair to have one strictly for blacks? And for that matter, why doesn’t every race and religion and anything else that has had to fight to get where it is today have some month dedicated to their recognition and acceptance? It doesn’t seem quite fair that we devote one whole month to Black History and not to the other people who deserve it. Then again, who brought about Black History Month and why is it still in existance?? Was it someone white who felt guilty and wanted to do something to bring about peace? Who keeps it going, and why hasn’t the question of having it be eliminated come about yet? Are there really that many blacks that actually had to go through the slavery age still around? I’m guessing there probably aren’t and that the people in today’s society, of every race, atleast here in America (BY LAW) are given the same rights as the next guy. I can’t account for discrimination, but by law we should all receive the same treatment! I am sick of white guilt. I didn’t do a damn thing to any black people to feel bad for the fact that they were slaves. Therefore I’m not going to feel sorry for them, and I sure as hell am not going to celebrate an entire month (ironically the shortest month) to them when the people growing up in today’s society (for the majority) didn’t do a damn thing to get the black race where it is today. Black History Month is a thing of the past… and it should remain that way!
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As I watched the 60 Minutes clip with Morgan Freeman, I laughed when Mike Wallace said he was Jewish. Even before Morgan could ask Mike if he wanted a Jewish History Month I thought about what that would be like. I am Jewish and I have to agree with Mike Wallace on this one, I would not want a Jewish History Month either. Let’s see, there’d be a day or two on immigration into this country, a day talking about Sandy Koufax and then about three weeks of talking about the holocaust. Most of the Jews in this country know a lot of them came from Europe, that Koufax missed the World Series for Yom Kippur, and that Hitler was bad. To be quite honest, I would have no desire to see famous Jews on TV reminding me about all the great things we as a race have done. If you had Jewish History Month, then everyone is going to need one. Let’s just stick to normal month names like January, February and March instead of giving each group it’s own time to shine. Now Morgan Freeman said how white people can never win this race game, and I do have to agree it seems that a lot of times if we say a comment to someone of color, a lot of people tend to find a way to turn it into a racist remark. Morgan Freeman did bring up another thing that I strongly disagree with, mainly because of taking SOC 119. I don’t think we can get rid of racism by simply just not talking about it. I feel that what goes on in our discussion groups is amazing and that by talking about this kind of stuff, dealing with this stuff, and working through this stuff, we are making far greater strides than if we just sat back and kept our mouths shut. Before taking this class, I did tend to agree with Morgan Freeman in that if we stopped talking about racism, it would go away. However life teaches us that if you ignore something, that doesn’t mean it will just go away or get better. By talking with people in my discussion groups I have learned new things, I have become more comfortable with people of different backgrounds unlike my own. In high school for most of us, almost all the students we graduate with have the same social, racial and economic status. When we get to college, everyone is thrown together and mixed. Granted we don’t have the largest ratio of black students to whites at Penn State, but there are certainly more than the amount I went to high school with. Being comfortable talking about race is the biggest key to eliminating racism.
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I agree to a certain extent with Morgan Freeman on his views on black history month. I have always thought that it is important to recognize the history of different cultures but I never understood why there was a black history month and not a month for any other race. Are their histories not as important? Should we all just focus on black history and nothing else? Surely Asians have a rich and interesting history they would like to focus on as well.
Many times over the years when black history month rolled around, I would mention some of these thoughts to a friend or two, but only to get looks of disbelief in the words I was saying. I could read it in their face, every one of them thinking that I was some racist for not thinking black history month was special. I am not saying that black history should not be talked about or celebrated I just want to understand why it cannot be celebrated as American history month.
I also enjoyed the obvious awkwardness that the sixty minutes host had when Morgan asked him why he thought there should be a Black history month. The only thing the poor man could think to say was that he was Jewish, which is either here nor there. The truth of the matter was that Morgan Freeman was counting on the man not having an answer in order to prove his point of why there doesn’t need to be a black history month.
On many things I do agree with Morgan Freeman but in one thing I do not and that is to stop talking about race. I feel like race is something that should be talked about more. That people should break out of their uncomfortable shells and say what they think about race instead of hiding their thoughts and misconceptions. If people stopped talking about race the whole issue would be just like a purple elephant standing in the room that is the world. For an example let’s say that I have views on race that I know are not shared by everyone else in the world but I have never talked to anyone about them because I know they will view me as racist or worse. But if I could talk about these views with others and have them help me understand a different way of thinking and their perspective on race I could open myself up to new ways of thinking and living.
By talking about differences in people such as race we will hopefully be able to someday celebrate the awesomeness of having so many different people in the world with such different histories. I know that not all histories are full of happy memories but all histories deserve to be remembered not just a select few.
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When I first saw this clip, I was pretty shocked to see Morgan Freeman act so hostile and offended by the thought of us having a Black History Month. After reading what Bryson said, I can understand a bit better where Morgan Freeman is coming from. If my entire image was important as an actor because I was black, and everywhere I went, the fact that I was black was mentioned constantly. It can be annoying and insulting. Its like, “Well I’m more than just a black actor.” It can be tiring to have this “image” behind you all the time. With this being said, it does not mean that he should have acted that way. Black History Month – although just a month, can still stir up conversation, which is needed in order to discuss race and the issues that occur today. At the same time, a month to remember Black History Month is like saying that the rest of the year we can talk about other things. Most children also realize about racism and slavery because of Black History Month, which can be good and bad. Good, in the sense that they can learn facts, but bad because many people can twist things around and have them perceive things differently. An example of this being the twin sisters we saw in class (although this is about the Holocaust) we can still see how a huge event is considered “overrated.”
Watching this video also made me think, why wouldn’t anyone else want a Jewish history month? Jewish people were oppressed and killed because of their culture, shouldn’t they have a month of remembrance as well? And why would Mike say no that he wouldn’t want one. I’m not Jewish…so I don’t necessarily know why not. But perhaps people wouldn’t want to feel as if they only have a month in order to for others to remember the struggles that their ancestors went through. Whatever the reason, I think Morgan Freeman overacted and should’ve done what Bryson said, and just moved on. Going back to having a Jewish history month, perhaps having this will increase the attention Jewish individuals will receive during this month, making it more of a event rather than a remembrance. I can also see the media making a huge deal about it, every commercial being about it, shows, school plays, all of this can be painful to some. Not only this but very personal memories and questions will probably be asked of Jewish people. This is a memory that some may not need to be recalled. This being said…the importance of race being discussed is more important than it being swept under the rug. Black History Month, can at least start some discussion.
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As a white person, I somewhat agree with Morgan Freeman. While I am not trying to relegate the month, I think that it is about time we begin to stop distinguishing ourselves as black and white. When Freeman asks Mike Wallace if he wants a Jewish history month, he quickly says “no”. The reason is because it undermines the significance of the Jewish Heritage just as Black History month undermines the significance of African Americans. To me (and most other people), it would not make sense to have a White History month because I do not think it encompasses all of our history. Are we telling black people that because we do not have our own history month that we have a more storied history than they do?I believe that we have come far enough as a society to realize that we do not need to set aside a month to recognize what black people have accomplished–it simply does not do them justice.
Like Freeman said, black history is American history. With black history month, we are not incorporating all of the accomplishments into American history. Furthermore, by separating the two is basically a slap in the face saying that black people were not an integral part in the development of the United States, but something separate. When Nobles says that we are being courteous by designating February as Black history month, I think that it defeats the purpose of race relations. In class, Sam always talks about white people feeling guilty, how we are afraid of black people and how we should move past this. The only thing that we are doing with black history month is showing how guilty we are after more than two hundred years. It is time to move on from this.
While I disagree with Nobles on the topic of black history month, I agree with him on the fact that we cannot ignore race. All of my life I have ignored race, but after taking my first class of SOC 119 I felt like an oblivious first grader. Race is all too prevalent to ignore and is something that everyone needs to be educated on. We are only making matters worse when we pretend like we do not see color. When people say that they do not see color, they are either lying to you or are fake. Growing up in a white township, people would feign as if they did not act differently around someone of color. Yet, when one of them came to their house the white person would follow the person of color’s every move. If you see color, like all of us, the only solution is to be open about it.
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After seeing clip of the 60 Second interview of Morgan Freeman I have to say I kind of agree with him. I’m always surprised by the pride Americans take by saying they are the most diverse nation in the world today or the biggest sociological experiment in history or call this country ‘a melting pot’ when really, if you dig deeper most people in this country don’t even associate with people that are too different from them. Yes I admit it is a bit of a broad statement but look at the discrimination against Mexicans, and I can also speak from personal experience because I’m a foreigner. It all sounds good on paper but really this country is still a fledgling when it comes to truly understanding race relations and letting everyone live out the American dream.
For me the whole purpose of Black History Month is kind of defeated because most people here are saying that they never stop to think of what this month represents or tries to teach. So at the end of the day the only people who care are usually Black people and not the people who the Black population is try to reach out to and have understand their points of views. And because of that simple fact that people don’t even care enough to research something as obvious and as public as BHM, it makes me annoyed when people say they don’t know anything about Black people when they don’t even care enough to take the initiative to learn anything. I understand that no one who isn’t Black can never truly understand what it means to be Black or fully understand Black peoples experiences, but doing a little research never hurt anyone. At least become more knowledgeable on the basics that everyone can understand than hide behind the skirts of ignorance.
The point that Freeman made that really struck home with me is that Black history IS also American history. Out of every history class I have ever taken in my academic career in this country, usually only one chapter is used to explain the Black struggle that took place in this country. It is such a complex matter but it is all wrapped up in about 10 pages of reading and at the end you come away knowing nothing of substance. So really, how is one month out of a year supposed to compensate for a life time of lacking education? And to make matters worse, even less attention is paid to Native Americans, The REAL Americans. What do people say to that? I’m not saying that it is completely a bad idea but I think that this month was only created so that political figures and people can deflect the question as to why they aren’t doing anything about race to some extent. And this is a silly question but why is it during the shortest month of the year anyway lol.
I don’t completely agree with Freeman’s comment that we should just stop talking about race, because nothing will change unless people speak up. Look at what Martin Luther King Jr. did. It was all through speech that he got people to understand the Black struggle and made it possible for this country to take one step closer to eliminating racism. I understand that having been in the spot light Freeman might just simply be tired of talking about race. I mean I can imagine if I had to talk about it and fight about it my entire life at some point I would get a little annoyed but I wouldn’t go as far as telling people to stop talking about it. Just simply stopping people from acknowledging the fact that they are white or black doesn’t fix the problem at all and to some extent robs people of their own personal history and sense of identity.
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The history of Black History month dates back to 1926 when it was Negro History Week. Dr. Carter G. Woodson is credited with establishing the annual celebration. While attaining his Ph. D. at Harvard he was disturbed to find that there was no mention of black history. In 1915, Dr. Woodson started with the Journal of Negro History, which started to integrate black history into American culture. At that time when it was first recognized for celebration, there were really no studies or research actually done. It wasn’t until later on that true research was being done.
For many many years, black history was ignored and wasn’t really spoken about. Today, black history is as relevant and studied as the pilgrims, maybe even more. This shows that we have come a long way but I think until we stop separating the two, and making it American History and not dividing the two, we won’t ever stop thinking of inequality and racism.
I was in a way a little surprised to see what Morgan Freeman had to say, but after listening to the whole conversation I wasn’t really surprised. He reminded of the Bill Cosby interview where Bill Cosby once commented about Black Americans throwing the race card and the slavery card. He said that it is hindering growth for these kids. He stated that instead of complaining about things that happen many years ago and not even to these kids that they should get up and gets jobs. Now I am not saying that I am advocating that we forget slavery and the history that this country has. I think everyone’s history should be with them always.
As an Armenian, I am constantly in tune with my heritage and culture. I am so proud to be Armenian. I love my culture and where I come from. Being first generation American is important for me to brace. America is one of the very few places in the world if not the only place that there are no set nationalities, cultures, etc. Some people in this country think that there is a right and wrong. This country was founded on the principles of Christianity, but that isn’t the only way to live. America is unique in that it allows all of us no matter where we come from to be proud of ourselves and remember and celebrate our history and at the same time allow us to decide for ourselves. Being apart of a family where culture and values and heritage were taught to me and surrounded me constantly I grew up in a Lebanese/Armenian/American culture. I have the best of three worlds. I can go to any of the three nations and “fit in”.
I feel it’s about time we start to look at each person as the person not as the history. We spoke in class that white people would feel guilty…I don’t. I may feel lucky at times, but not guilty.
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As much as I regret to say it, Morgan Freeman is wrong here, when he points that he doesn’t see the need for Black History Month. People all around the world have, and will, continue to celebrate the lives and accomplishments that change the course of humanity.
If there is no need for Black History Month, maybe we shouldn’t celebrate MLK Day, or Gandhi’s birthday- or even the Oscars. After all, why celebrate the accomplishments of great people, who sacrificed everything they had for freedom. What Morgan Freeman doesn’t realize is that were it not for the people who are celebrated in Black History Month, life might have been very, very different for him. Maybe then, if Mr. Freeman chooses to continue to say that it is an unnecessary occasion, we shouldn’t nominate him for an Oscar or any kind of award for acting- because hey, if we aren’t supposed to celebrate life changing events, why celebrate life changing acting right?
I sometimes wonder if both sides will ever truly meet eye to eye. I’m not black or white which is why I feel like I have a great view of what’s going on as an unbiased spectator. When white people don’t care, they’re said to be ignorant, and when they do it’s being ‘fake’. Likewise, it is definitely true, that some white people try to get along and play the part of a concerned and wonderfully law abiding citizen who believes in race equality. Yes, Morgan Freeman is right, partially. Then again, you’re going to meet fake people all your life, people who pretend that they’re something they’re not.
Nobles, too, is definitely right when he says that there are consequences to growing up in an education system that ‘compartmentalizes’ everything. That is the core of the problem. We aren’t taught to respect race from the start, and that is key. Teachers need to tell us how to behave with each other, long before the prejudices of the world have affected us, and shaped the way our minds think about people from different cultures.
Prejudice and racism needs to be eliminated and it needs to go now. Some people think that it serves to separate our society into its ‘appropriate’ levels. Those people are wrong and it is up to all of us who know what is right to send out the message of anti racism whenever we can.
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It was a surprise to me the Morgan Freeman would say that he does not want a Black History Month. It seems like a good idea that people learn about black history because many people do not really know about black history. I do think that he has a point though; black history is American history and should not really be viewed as something separate from American history. He could have honestly done it some sort of justice rather then put it down; the dedication of February for black history does help society to learn about what has happened to the black race throughout history. There have been many events that have happened that should be more known than they are. There should not be just one month dedicated to black history, it makes it seem like that the rest of the time black history is just swept under the rug until next year.
Well honestly, I think black history month is stupid, why do we need to dedicate a month to black history when it’s a part of American history. Personally I think society has come a long way since Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement. Furthermore, it seems that the goal of black history month would be to create equality for the African American race. However, I think that black history month has the opposite effect. By drawing attention exclusively to their race, black people are setting themselves apart from the rest of the population. On the other hand, I do also think that many members of society are incredibly ignorant toward racial equity and black history month could offer a solution to this problem. So black history month probably does something good, is does help to get the information out about black history. But it’s not really going to make a dent in the way most people act when faced with a racial conversation or racial controversy.
Morgan Freeman seemed to overreact to the concept of black history month; honestly he might not like it and it might not actually benefit society in a big way, but it’s not really hurting anyone to have to have it. Yea, I don’t think that if you sat down a member of the KKK during the month of February to watch black history, I don’t think it would tell them anything they didn’t already know. It could be seen as another way to increase white guilt; honestly white people have no individual say over some racial topic. I don’t think were going to get past racism by not talking about it like Morgan Freeman says, that’s just not bringing race to the table at all. By just putting it away someone one who views race in some sort of negative form, those people wont get any help from talking about it.
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This interview with Morgan Freeman seemed to be an intense one due to the fact that these are thoughts that I feel have been within him for long and felt that this is the time for him to let the rest of America know his true thoughts on black history month. From what I have observed about the celebration of black history month, I see that numerous African – Americans are really into it and take time to reflect on what has gone on in the past and find ways to progress into the future. But to some extent many people feel that it does not really get the recognition that it deserves which may anger some people. But at the same time, I do somehow understand Morgan Freeman’s sentiments as to why the history of black Americans which is a huge part of American History is celebrated in one month as compared to what had gone on for so many years. He also raised something very important by saying that addressing that it is when people stop addressing each other by the color of their skin that is when we will realize the long time goal of the emergence of race relations. I mean think about it, there are so many people who cannot have a simple conversation without address the race of the particular person. Like what does the race of someone have to do with anything these days? Does the race of a person determine his or her inherent qualities? This is definitely something that we as a people will take a very long time to recover from or to change. Additionally, for him to say that we should stop talking about racism, in my opinion is not the right approach to setting things unto the right path. If we do not have race relations or speak of race how will we as a people learn to understand and appreciate each other? It is through talking about race relations that we can urge the younger generation that will come after us to correct the mistakes that we have made so that we can all live peacefully and really administer the true values of American citizens and how they try to portray themselves to the rest of the world.
I think that there also should be more education in middle schools as well as high schools. Especially as this is the time that these children become very aware of what is really going on around them in terms of race relations. This is the point where they are more likely to identify with their culture and assimilate more into their close knit society and discover themselves.
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I have always thought that black history month was a bunch of bull. Why should learning about black history be limited to one month out of the year? I have always thought it would be better to include the history of black people into history classes rather than making it separate as if black history is different than American history. By having a separate month for black history, it is indeed enforcing the fact that black people are different. On some level, I do agree with Morgan Freeman, why does everything have to be a black person or a white person and not just a person? I feel like Morgan Freeman is just tired of being seen as a “black” actor for so long that it just irritates him when everything is seen as race. Why can’t that person be seen as an individual rather than a race. Although race cannot be completely ignored, it does not have to be such a big issue when it comes to frivolous things as occupation, being the black actor or black doctor. I do think Morgan Freeman is wrong in saying that in order to get over racism we need to stop talking about it. How else are we supposed to overcome it, if we do not try to understand how someone else feels on a particular subject or about a certain issue or conversation? In order to understand the other side you must look at it from that stand point. Yes, we are all human beings but it would be naïve to think that because we are all human means that we feel the same. It would be equally naïve to think that every black or every white person thought or felt the same but there are huge differences that do come from being black, brown or white and growing up in a white society.
I think the quote, “white people can never win” means that white people will never understand the struggles that black people have gone through in history as well as today. No matter how much you try and learn about the history of black and brown people unless you are black or brown you will never fully get to experience the world as they see it. Although I do believe that when white people do ask questions and try to see the “other side” of things they are sometimes seen as racist or ignorant because of certain questions they may ask. But on the other hand when they do not ask any questions at all they are seen as not wanting to learn about the culture of black people and being closed minded. In this sense this always explains the quote, “white people can never win.”
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I hope this journal entry in response to this previous blog entry is not too far in the past, but as I took a look at the blog entries this particular one struck a nerve with me, and now I have to write about it! I remember hearing and seeing this video footage of 60 Minutes reporter Mike Wallace’s interview with Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman back in 2005, but not really paying any attention to the controversy it sparked in America over the topic of racism. Freeman is such a respected performer in the entertainment business, so I was taken aback after seeing this interview repeatedly. When we think about Women’s History Month or Asian American Awareness Month we don’t even give it a second thought and say, “Wait a minute, why don’t we get more credentials for our history?” In fact, if a commercial on TV or an article in the newspaper claims that it time to recognize these groups we think, “Oh wow, I totally forgot this month was ______ month to celebrate!” I think Freeman missed the mark on what these months represent. Last year, I was a reporter for COMradio at Penn State and one of my first stories was to focus on the Hispanic Heritage Month and the students who kicked off the celebration for the first time it was celebrated nationally at Penn State. When I interviewed Executive Director of the Governor’s Commission of Latin Affairs Norman Bristol Colon he had nothing but positive things to say about group being “marginalized” to a month and instead insisted that this month was a way to make people aware of Hispanics contributions to the community. That’s what the awareness or history months represent in America. Too often is knowledge and information misconstrued regarding the history of all races in American history. At the end of the day these months’ ultimate purpose is to celebrate the struggles and accomplishments of those groups and to educate others. Freeman states that to get rid of racism we must, “Stop talking about it.” As uncomfortable or contentious the topic or race is, we must talk about it in order to stimulate our thinking of each other’s background and culture. Freeman is letting the race game get to his head. He thinks that not talking about race and ignoring the issue will ease the possible tension. Isn’t the resolution usually to talk about the issues we are initially reluctant and hesitant about? Lastly, I think Bryson’s quote, “that white people can never win,” means that no matter what white people say or act in situations dealing with race they always seem like the bad guys…it may have been ok for Freeman to make that statement about Black History Month. Hell, it may have been ok for a Hispanic or Asian person to say something relevant to that. But if a white person made a comment like that, there would be an immediate uproar from society. In conclusion, this blog entry concerning Freeman’s opinions about Black History Month made me realize that sometimes we take for granted the history and establishments different people and their past generations across American created.
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