Posted by Sam Richards
This question is getting at the issue of white guilt. If past history of discussing this issue offers any clues about how people will respond, most white people will say that they don’t feel guilty, that it’s silly to feel guilty. And I respond to that by saying that most of these white people are missing the point of white guilt, that a deeply rooted shame for past history exists in most white people. Remember the example of walking through a Native American reservation…and not take this example and walk through other communities with a full understanding of their history. What I’ve experienced is that white people have an inner sense that things went really wrong in the past, and that there are lingering affects of those wrongs still with us today–although they cannot readily articulate what those are. Anyway, this is an interesting questions about how we might move beyond white guilt if we just talking about things more openly…
I have to say that I like many others do not really feel guilt for what happened in the past. I know that that what happened to the Native Americans was one of the worst things that has ever occurred in human history, but I personally do not feel the guilt. I am 21 and was born in America, and my family has only been here since the 1900s. I know that all of the land that we live on was their land, but I do not really think that the feelings of guilt that I sometimes feel about this are enough to make me want to leave the country.
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My issue with "white guilt" is really an argument of semantics. I do not believe that the word guilt really defines the emotion that I feel over the various disparities between white people and people of color. How I feel is that I see something unfair, and I think it should be fixed. I see that I have been given some beneficial treatment, but I do not feel guilty about receiving it because I think anyone and everyone takes every advantage they can to get ahead in life. I think the appropriate term for this feeling of wanting to impart some form of reparations is really more of racial justice. It goes along with the American ideal of equality. We believe that all are created equal in America, but when we find out they are not, then we simply want to fix it because of our sense of fairness.
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Changing the history books to tell only white history is an interesting thought, but a terrible idea. First of all, what about the non white minorities in the schools? I think it makes a lot of sense to think that black and brown students would want to know about their history. Also, what about Native Americans in the school system? They barely exist in text books as is. Just neglecting to mention certain parts of history does not make it so it didn't happen. Just because we would not be teaching our kids things doesn't mean we don't have anything to feel guilty about either. Finally school is only one place that we learn things. Actually I think I may have learned more just randomly looking up stuff on the internet and watching the History Channel and Discovery Channel. Kids are going to have a lot of questions when they start seeing different information being thrown at them from different sources.
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This is an interesting point, but I’m not sure I agree entirely. Despite going to a nearly all white school, we did learn a lot about black history. We learned about the horrors of slavery and about the poor treatment of blacks prior to the civil rights movement. I can’t remember what the books were called off the top of my head, but we did read books that were focused entirely on slavery or civil rights. I do not think that black history is a topic that is overlooked in schools. And of course I feel guilty about it. You can’t read books that go into detail about slavery and not feel guilty, whether it was directly your fault or not. I do think that Native American history needs to be better taught though. We learned virtually nothing about the poor treatment of Native Americans in school and that is an equally important topic that needs to be discussed, and which we should also feel guilty about.
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When the subject of guilt comes up with “white” people it seems like it’s very forced upon us. ( me being white myself) personally I think it should be a requirement at all universities to take class like SOC 119 it for me at least has become an eye opener to the world of race relations. And when this subject of white guilt comes up for me it’s a mix of a few things that have happened in our past and seriously it PISSES ME OFF! The whole genocide of the Native Americans was MESSED up and does it bother me? YES. What can I do about it now? I have no freaking IDEA. I can’t go back in time and change the things that happened. Can I stand up and fight for the peoples that are still around today and go up against the government of the USA, the supposed best country in the world that is soooo free and amazing? I watched a show on MTV abt a group of guys traveling the country to do their dreams. Anyways one of the dreams was to play basketball with the president of the United States. Sounds simple right yea NO freaking way that simple request was denied going to show you how impossible a task it is to try and get something so simple done. So back to my topic how am I supposed to do anything abt the native Americans today when I would get shut down in a second??? Also with slavery was it a fucked up idea and was it wrong to do to the Africans YES. Would it bother me if I was enslaved or my people were enslaved yes! But the same question comes up again what the hell can I do today to fix what my dumbass ancestors did 200 years ago? Now one thing that is stupid to do is to just continue to bitch and whine about it then when we go to talk about (whit people) we get shut down and were called racists. Sam was right in class abt how we get yelled at and chastised today about what happened 200 years ago than when we go to talk about it we get shut down and were IGNORANT that word is such a freaking copout!! So how can we fix anything we need to relax and come to the “race” table holding hands and talk it out try and work our “shit out” so to say. When it comes to native Americans we as a whole society need to repay them that’s probably the best and only way to fix that problem. How can we “ “repay” them I have no idea. Could it be through land or money I mean its just such a crazy thought to ponder that allll of the land that we reside on today is RED LAND. And to think that we literally killed an entire society because they were apparently on “our” land? Its just nuts the whole idea of slavery and the native Americans situations are soo unorganized I have no idea where to start.
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apd24 Reply:
March 20th, 2010 at 12:30 am
I definitely come from a similar situation, small town pretty much all white and never really had to face race issues at all growing up. After taking this class it has definitely opened my eyes to a lot of issues that I never really was exposed to or knew were still going on, and yeah I totally feel bad about it. I think that the only way to get over the guilt is to actually talk about it and be exposed to the issues. Its pretty much impossible to repay all of the people that have been wronged through taking land or slavery, but the only way to make the situation better is to official end discrimination of all kinds especially in the work place and judicial system.
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I am a white male and am twenty years old. I am from a small town outside Pittsburgh. My graduating class had 170 white Christians in it. Thus it was very non diverse and I never really thought about race at all. I never thought about having “white guilt” because I never really saw racism take place. When you have 170 white individuals there is no direct racism that takes place. Thus, I believe I never really thought about the “white guilt.” I can see what the speaker is saying with the history books though.
While slave trade is looked at in history books, Native Americans are really not looked at in general. I believe African American history is looked at fairly in the school system. However, I do not feel there is white guilt with my generation. I believe I have done nothing wrong with regards to racism. I do not even know if my ancestors ever had slaves or if they did not. I am not very familiar with my ancestry lines and I feel that is how most of Americans are. Would I feel differently if I actually new my ancestors had slaves or if they did not? I have no idea what I think of that. Sometimes I believe African Americans expect too much from white people in America. We cannot do anything now to make up for what has happened in the past. What was done was truly horrible, but we have moved on! America is no longer a racist country. We have moved on from the past and we are a mature and not as ignorant as we were in the past. However, with situations like mine we do still not know how to act when talking with people of different races. Once I came to Penn State and was exposed to different races I realized that everything I had heard about different races was not true. I feel lucky to have finally experienced different cultures and I am pleased with the strides I have made when it comes to trace.
I do believe that the curriculum you learn in school can effect what you think of races in general. I would have liked to known of the history of America better. The history books portray America to have been empty and isolated, without human life. They make the native Americans to be negative and the ones who attacked and killed the Europeans when they were just trying to find a safe place to live. I would like the school systems to change the curriculum and open the youth to more of the real history of American. I hope one day race will not have a factor in every day life at all.
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There should be no white guilt In the first place. This question shouldn’t even have to be asked in today’s society. We are well past the days of slavery and the civil rights movement. Can’t we all just move on? This issue keeps on dragging on and on, and I am simply just sick of it. All I have been hearing throughout this class has been white guilt; I don’t have any white guilt at all. The next thing you know we well be hearing about reparations. Listen people we are not responsible for what happened in the past. That was not us, get over it.
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I have so many issues with this comment. First off I have no guilt and I’m white. There is no guilt at all, and it’s not that I don’t understand the issues; it’s that I just don’t feel guilty. I suppose the rebuttal could be I don’t fully understand the issues and there is no way over the internet to prove that I do, so this only works if my remarks are taken at face value. I get that white people “took” land from Indians and killed them too, but that’s the way it works. Technically speaking Africa had the first human beings on Earth and thus everything belonged to them. Over many years and evolution many wars and struggles for land occurred where land was won and lost over battles of blood. Technically speaking, if you believe in white guild, you believe that all land still belongs to those Africans and their ancestors and we should give it all back? The way of the world and of social Darwinism shows that when two cultures battle to the winner goes the spoils. The early Americans fought the Indians, won, and took their land, that’s how it works.
Now to the post. I don’t agree with the message the poster tried to make. To discuss her comment one first has to acknowledge that everyone has white guilt, which I don’t, but for the sake of argument I will. Some assuming everyone that is white has white guilt should they change history books to fit more for blacks. My question is what history books? Obviously she has to be referring to American history books but to talk about blacks in American history would be to only talk about slavery. Other than being slaves, there really isn’t much more to it. Even still, history books have been rewritten to discuss the history that was slavery and why it was wrong. Other than that there is not much to discuss about early black history in America.
It is possible that the speaker is referring to early American history post slavery though where there is actually history and progressive changes being made. Fortunately there are books about this issue, in fact there are whole classes about this issue. If this student is so interested in learning about black history then read up on it, take classes on it, or do something related to it. In a semi-related topic, do black people have black guilt about having TV shows which criticize white culture, or have their own television network? Probably not, and to the student who posted if I am interested in seeing a picture about white culture I won’t be turning on these programs. The point? If the student is interested in learning about black history then take a class about black history and learn about them. Other than that, I hate that because I am white I have white guilt. I see it as the claim from class that everyone is bisexual. I am not bisexual nor do I have white guilt.
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I haven't done my grade school or high school in the US, so I cant really talk about the system here, but there is a similar situation in India, where I have studied for the past 16 years. I wrote my theory of knowledge essay on this topic, the first movement of freedom in India against the British oppresion in 1857 was known as the freedom in Indian textbooks but it was called an act of terrorism in British textbooks. I think both the governments try to prove that they were right in whatever they do. They don't like to show their government in a bad light.
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I feel the question of changing the history books is pretty obvious and unfortunate. The reason we learn history the way we do is because of the white guilt. I mean white is the majority in this country and the dominating group is going to right the rules. Think about our history as Americans from the late 1700s to 2008 we have had no other U.S president other than the "white guy". So when we teach our children about history of course we are going to sugar coat what happened. Of course the editors and education administrators know that slavery has to be mentioned since it was a big part of America's short history. However due to the "white guilt they are going to limit the topic because it is a always uncomfortable to talk about something very wrong that happened especially when your ancestors could have been involved. I mean I wonder how much students in germany learn about their history during Hitler's reign of power. They probably sugar coat it more than an American would. In this country we do the same with NAtive Americans. As Sam has mentioned in class, we feel guilty about what we did to the Native Americans and we sugar coat what happened to the Native Americans because the largest genocide in the western hemisphere can not be acknowledge because it would ruin the image of the United States. Our white guilt goes so far, that we deny this genocide and invented a holiday to celebrate how the settlers and native americans "got along". It is like we think if we shine some misconstrude positive light on these events then they will go away or at least not seem so bad and then the guilt will be lifted.
However this is the white majority perspective, not that all white people deny what has really happened in history but it's easier and less controversial to just go with the flow. But as a nation known as the "melting pot" rich in diversity we need to stir things up and get all these issuse out in the open. It is not that I think white people should have to apologize for what their ancestors did or other people of any color did in the past, but I think we still have white guilt because we avoid discussing these issues. I feel this white guilt will begin to diminish if just stop denying wrongs of the past and just acknowledge that these issue exist. Because like the Senator from West Virginia thinks that the issues our behind us and we can just forget about it. This only makes the guilt worse because we are now denying that their are any problems and everything is just fine. We can not get rid of white guilt if we don't accept and embrace the true past so that we can learn from it to better the future.
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Guilt is something that I don’t feel that the average white person ever actually feels. I’m sure there is time that they do actually feel guilt, but not for race relations. The feeling of guilt is a feeling that is often felt by people but for all the wrong reasons. The average person feels guilt for things that they have done to their friends, family, and most likely their significant other. This feeling is often soon forgotten about and then often reoccurs over and over again. Guilt is more often felt by people that feel that they have done something directly to those of another race. Why should anyone feel guilt about the things that their ancestors have done to people of the other race? It’s not really a hypothetical question; it’s a thought that is often shared from people of extreme groups. A majority of groups won’t even feel guilt about their direct actions let alone those of the generations that have come before them. Those generations have most likely felt no guilt for the things that they have done, so why should we?
Honestly, I don’t feel guilt at all. I feel that I’m fair to those of all genders, races, and ethnicities. Looking back through my very short life I feel that I have much more serious and important actions that I should focus all my guilt on. I have by far brought more shame to myself, family, and friends then that of any other race or ethnicity. How does one really measure guilt anyways? Is it the amount of tears, shame, or embarrassment that you bring to others? Based on that I have never made someone of another race cry, feel embarrassed, or feel ashamed about themselves so I feel that I’m off the hook on this issue.
It wouldn’t matter if we went back in history and rewrote the books because like I have already said race relations guilt is not something that the average person even thinks about. Like Sam had said; how often does the average person even think about the things that we have done to the Native Americans or African Americans for that matter? Does the average African American feel any guilt about the things that they might have done to people of the white or brown race? The bottom line is you can’t really live in the past and that is half the problem with race relations today. The only choice we really have as a society is to move forward and change the present. Half the problem with race relations is that people of a different race, gender, or ethnicity try to stress the guilt point way to much, which is why we have the problems that we have in society today.
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I'm not quite sure why we need to change the history books? Every history book I've ever read or been lectured on has depicted slavery correctly and described what happened as it actually happened in history. I don't think history books, at least the books I have been aquainted with, have ever been manipulated or written under faulse pretenses. I went to Wendover Middle School in Greensburg, PA and Hempfield Area High School in Greensburg, PA. You can check the curriculum and the books used and taught yourself for anyone who doesn't believe me. In regards to white guilt–there is nothing anyone can do now to change what has happened in the past. Of course white people are going to experience a deep feeling of guilt regarding what has happened, and as Sam said in lecture this can lead to paralyzing consequences. However, slavery happened, and we can't change the past. We can only look forward to the future and hope to never treat people as horribly as black people were treated during slavery and even after slavery.
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I think that the history books have already been written in favor of the “white” people. In the history books of the Americas, the truth about the genocide that was committed by the Europeans against the native Americans is not clearly documented and taught at all. I think that the history books have nothing to do with the guilt feeling that white people may feel. I also think that rewriting the history books to compensate for guilt is something that should never be done? Is that a wrong way to think? If you write the history for a nation in way to ease on a level of guilt, you are not teaching anybody anything right. The way for white people to not feel guilty for something that many of them have not done is to lead a life of equality. How can you expect the offspring of people who have committed racial predjudices to be responsible for their crimes? It also all depends on the situation you are raised in. If you are an American born kid who grew up here with parents who taught you that everyone is equal, and you have enforced that idea throughout your life, then what is there to be guilty about? You have lived a life of truth and in no way are a racist whether you know it or not. On the other hand, if you grew up in south Africa during the end of the apartheid and your parents are highly influential from the old ways for life, obviously the level of guilty for how you think will have to be adjusted. That was an example of why I think that white people should not feel guilty for the forefathers unless they choose to have the mindset of them as well. We all have ancestors that surely weren’t model citizens at one point or another. But who are we to take on their sins and burden ourselves into guilt? The smartest thing to do would be to learn from their mistakes?! Obviously if we are committing the same mistakes they are then we should feel guilty. But on the other hand if we live a life of truth and stay true to ourselves and society then why is there a need to feel guilt? Back to the history books. Like Sam said a Texas company is rewriting their history books to accommodate their best beliefs. In no way should this be ok and people need to realize that there is no positive outcome of that. If people don’t learn about the mistakes of the past how can they learn to recognize the same signs for themselves and avoid those same mistakes? To me rewriting the history books with false truth is the worst way to go.
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This is a very interesting question. If our history books portrayed slavery a different way would there be the same amount of white guilt? The first thing that came to mind after I saw this question was Christopher Columbus and the way we are taught about him in elementary school. Knowing what I know now about Columbus, how he exterminated an entire race of people and never actually landed in the United States of today, I am taken back that have a holiday for him. I think Sam hit it well in class. One of the reasons for white guilt is the way that colored people think or judge the white people who speak their minds. For example from Laurie’s book when Sam was considered the “racist white guy” in his race relations circle that he participated in, Sam was being open and asking the right questions but many of the people in that group judged and attacked him.
If the history books were written differently I don’t think there would be white guilt. Going back to the Christopher Columbus situation, if he were touted as a explorer who carried out a genocide in our elementary history books there would not be a holiday for him. So white guilt probably wouldn’t be white guilt if no one owned slaves. But then the question is would there be as many black or even colored people if they were not brought over in the first place? I’m getting a little off topic.
I think white guilt does stem from history, but I also think it has to do with the majority of many areas being white especially Pennsylvania. How can white people be more tolerant of other races if they aren’t around them at all. So segregation may play a large part of it as well. I also think one of the factors of white guilt is the social status of white people. As we saw in class white people have much more wealth than black or Hispanic people, but is that because white people are better off or have a better advantage?
So if I think if slaves weren’t in the history books there would be less guilt but I think there is a lot more to it than slaves. Hispanic people aren’t portrayed as slaves in the history books yet there is still some white guilt toward Hispanic people. So I definitely think it has to do with income wealth and social status.
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As a white girl, i really dont know how i feel about white guilt. i constantly hear the term and i do not know how to respond to it. i walk around everyday and see people of different races, however i do not judge them because of they are not white. I never feel as though i am better, in fact i feel more often that i am being judged. i have blonde hair and blue eyes and i am as white as white can be, and i hear people who are not white making comments about me daily. I believe its people in general being judgemental of others that we don not know. Stereotypes take over how we think and view people who look different than us. in this day and age, i think that we need to move past the idea that white people have an advantage in any aspect of life. there are so many different types of people, especially living in america. most of us cannot even track our heritage back to the countries our ancestors originated from. i can personally name 8 countries my grandparents can track back our roots to. its not about being black or white or hispanic or asian or whatever, its about the relationships you establish with people. My best friend is Hispanic, her parents are both from mexico, and she forgets to identify herself as Hispanic rather than white. especially in america, who the hell knows where their ancestors came from some of the time? Im from new jersey and I am the butt of all of my friends’ jokes, no matter what their color is. i think we need to move on and focus on the present and future. i had nothing to do with the past treatment of people who are not white, why should i feel guilty? i have plenty of black friends and they dont blame me for the treatment of their ancestors. the idea of white guilt is so racist. we should be able to cohabit without feeling remorse for events that occurred in the past. while the situations may have not been ideal, society today is not based on the behaviors of the people who lived in america in the past. almost every group of people have faced some sort of scrutiny in the past, but today we focus on Americans and slavery in the past. If white guilt is what we are supposed to be feeling, then why don’t we feel bad for irish people who were given terrible jobs and working conditions in the nineteen and twentieth centuries? Its seriously time for us to start focusing on other things besides the importance of skin color.
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TorreyLFranklin Reply:
March 20th, 2010 at 1:28 am
I would have to agree with you on this. I don't really feel guilty or know what to feel but at the same time I feel like subconsciously there is something that make white people feel as though they need to filter what they say and be careful around certain kinds of people. This I believe is part of the problem. We are all human, we as a human race too often place each other on pedestals and make each other to be more than human. In the end what we all need to realize is that we all are human and do things all humans do. We all all eat, sleep, exersice, are happy, sad, excited, nervous, we all fell pressure in many situations. Our behavior and patterns are essentially the same. In my opinion the most respect you can have for a person is when you don't do anything particularly special just to be you and care about one another then we will begin to extinguish some of this racism.
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That is very interesting I have never thought about history in that perspective. If these tragic times in history of whites oppressing other into slavery, segregation, and manslaughter where written from the other side’s, the guilty tone may not be there. The perspective of writing would be completely different if a man of color was writing about segregation rather than a white man. The man of color may have relatives who experienced the segregation who can give him detailed description of what went on. The white man would write it and most likely consider political correctness which can cause a guilty tone. During my race relation discussion require for section 33 students to take we discussed the possibility of teaching the story of the Native Americans in a different way. All of us remembered growing up and being taught that the “pilgrims and Indians” where peaceful and ate Thanksgiving together. The earliest any of us remember being taught about the genocide that took place on the grounds we trek daily was in high school and that’s unacceptable. The truth needs to be taught early so children do not grow up believing that the Native Americans were treated fairly. They also need to refer to them as Native Americans not Indians. The question is how can this be done, how can a tragic event, a genocide, be taught to elementary school children without scaring and horrifying them?
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While the history books have told us for many years that the white man should feel guilty about the actions of our ancestors, I do not feel this way. Many people have forgotten about our true ancestors in various parts of Europe who were indeed ‘white slaves’. The history of the white man is very extensive, although we have made our mistakes in the past, we have atoned for them thoroughly. As a native of Eastern European descent, my ancestors have never made any mention to be “oppressed” by anyone for the simple fact that we have moved on. In 2010 America, it is hard to say that we are an overly oppressive nation, with Barack Obama in the White House and many African Americans in influential positions in our country. The history books need no revision, while there may be “white guilt” by few, the majority of Americans are more worried about the bigger issues in our country then to worry about the things that have happened hundreds of years ago.
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i think she makes a really great point, but i don't know how that would work without having exactly what happened to the native Americans would happen to the African Americans. but maybe it would be ok becuase it has been so long since that happened, but i just dont think that would be the right way. i just think over time colored people and white people will soon be getting along a lot better because of a lot of it would have been so far back that most will just know through wise tales. and are generation when there older wont be as racist because we are a lot better off then we were 100 years ago.
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I guess I am confused about the question that the girl in the video has proposed because why would we just erase that whole thing from the history books? That does not even make any sense when what we're trying to do it move past that… I feel that to erase that period of time from history would be to completely disrespect the black and brown people as a whole. It would be more beneficial to learn about that time period so that children can learn the issues of our past and see how far we have come since those days of oppression.
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I think this is a really interesting question. Changing the history books could be a really good idea and I will always think this should be done. The history of America is too multifaceted to just focus on the parts so many texts concentrate on. Still, no matter how much of a wonderful idea this may be, I don’t think that including all of this would exactly help rid whites of the guilt they feel. I’m not saying that it couldn’t, I just think it would make it harder. If anything I really think it has a higher potential of increasing the guilt simply because it will expose (if not highlight) the strife that many black and brown people had to go through during the earlier years of this country of ours.
This is not to say that only oppression would be put into the new books but having such a narrow view on American history just falls into the “Out of sight, out of mind” mentality which emphasizes the feelings of guilt. If everyone knew more about the strife and tribulations so many minorities had been subjected to in the past, it makes the “King of the Hill” game being played so much easier to spot. I really think it may even make white people feel even worse. I know I would feel terrible. Still I think there’s a good chance that several things could happen. Either all of the issues would be swept under the rug to make the majority look good (which really doesn’t help anything), the generations coming up after us would be inspired to end all of the hate, OR there could be a race riot.
Anything’s possible.
Still, maybe if the history books were changed maybe it could help the feelings of guilt. I could be the catalyst for the need of improvement in American race relations and it could also bring many people beyond the pre-awakening stage at a very young age. What I can speculate is that minorities would probably feel more like Americans because they are being represented as important, they aren’t being shut out.
I just think that the history of America should begin with an extensive covering of as much Native American history as possible. Not enough Americans today (myself included) know as much about their culture and history as I think they should. It would great for the younger generations to learn more than just about the traditions of Thanksgiving and the sadness of the Trail of Tears. There’s more to their people than just that.
From there it would only make sense to go in chronological order. The texts should spend time on the pilgrims, the revolutionary war, slavery, the industrial war and so on. No matter what our skin color is, all of these factors came together to shape our rather eclectic culture as Americans. All of it matters. And the only way to get past guilt is to face the ugly truth and fix things in the future.
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As a white person I do not feel any guilt whatsoever for things that happened in the past. Its not like you can choose to be white, you are born that way. Do you think someone who was born into a royal family feels any guilt for what they have because of it? Most likely not. Slavery was a horrible thing that happened over one hundred years ago yet most blacks still refer to it when it comes to racism. My ancestors were not even in this country when it happened. A bunch of ignorant people who just so happen to have the same skin color as me decided it was a good idea and because of it my race always gets a bad reputation.
Black people have to realize not all white people are racist. We also aren’t all rich and have everything given to us. Other than our skin color and culture we are the same people.
History books have more then just white history in them. When they highlight slavery its not like they put a positive spin on it. I don’t get a sense of white pride when I read about it. It helps me further understand what happened. History is always written by the victors and I guess in this case white people are the victors.
I think the best way of understanding each other is by real life situations. You can read all the books you want but it wont help you know what its like to be a black or white person. The world will always be filled with racism and hatred. People don’t like things that aren’t normal to them. That is why white people mostly hang out with white people and black people mostly hang out with black people. Its not that we don’t hate each other its because we feel more comfortable around people who share the same background and culture.
I think a great way of thinking about this is by taking Sam’s example of the handicapped and how people without disabilities think of them. Since I don’t use a wheelchair I really don’t know what its like to be them or how to act around them. Black people should do the same thing but for white people. You don’t know who we are because your not white. If you were white I am sure you wouldn’t feel any guilt.
One thing that I think white people always get labeled for is that we think we are superior to everyone else. This is very untrue. There are whites who are just as poor and in need. They didn’t get a leg up or any special attention. When my ancestors arrived in America they were not given a job and a house. They had to work their way up.
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The term white guilt is a bit ridiculous. First off there is the term itself. It implies that just because a person is of white skin color they should feel guilty about past oppression to minorities. As a person of white skin, I feel this is somewhat discriminatory to my race. Just because I look white does not mean I should feel guilt about past oppressions against minorities. For all anyone who looks at me knows, I could be half Black or part Asian or a quarter Jewish. My appearance may not reflect minority blood, but I may very well have that background. The term white guilt should be changed to reflect those who should feel guilt. The term should be altered to Nazi guilt for the oppression under the Third Reich or early American guilt for the oppression of Native Americans.
Secondly there is no reason why every white person should feel guilty. I personally appear white, but have a Native American background. My ancestors had not moved to America when black slavery was at its peak. I have personally never oppressed a minority during my lifetime. Why should I feel guilty because I have white skin? Even if my ancestors had been involved in minority oppression in America, why should I feel guilt for actions I personally did not commit? I should not have to feel guilty. That is the end point. Those who were responsible or those who harbor oppressive feelings should feel guilty because they are or were involved in the oppression.
Thirdly I do understand the issues. I understand the horrible oppressions because they occurred to my ancestors. White people can feel the sorrow for oppressions without feeling directly guilty. White people can understand the horrible actions taken against minorities. I can go to Europe, view the former concentration camps, recognize the events and how horrible they were, and not feel directly guilty because I have German ancestors.
Finally people who think all white people should have guilt are undereducated idiots. If you want to blame someone for the oppressions against you or your ancestors, blame the people who were actually responsible. The Japanese government decided to attack Pearl Harbor and caused my grandfather to go to war because of it. Do I hate all Japanese people? No. If I want to hate or blame someone, I will hate or blame the Japanese government of that time. We cannot lump any group into one and blame them all. The few people in the world who actually should be blamed typically ruin the feelings towards all members of their group. It’s a shame that anyone would want white people to feel guilt because the majority of white people most likely have not done anything to deserve that guilt.
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I am sort of confused by this question. Does she mean that we should pretend none of it never happened? Or meaning that we only read about what white people did in society? If so than it would really harm us as a nation because white people are not the only people on the earth and they could not have gotten anywhere without the help of other nonwhite people around the world. I’m sure many white people feel guilty they just don’t really see it or understand the feelings that they feel.
I as a white person feel guilty all the time about my skin color. I know that I actually was not around when my ancestors owned slave owners and I wasn’t involved but they are still my ancestors and that kind of sucks. It doesn’t mean that we have to walk around all the time feeling shitty and saying “I’m sorry” every five seconds but to acknowledge the fact that our people hurt their people is not bad. It also can help us change and not let the mistakes of the past happen again.
Also when I was in Elementary school I didn’t really hear any of the atrocities that the white people did to the Indians. I think perhaps maybe history was already written from the white mans perspective. Which needs to change because we will never grow if it doesn’t.
Another thing that got me thinking was although I do feel guilt I wonder when in the world it will happen that we don’t feel the guilt anymore? Do you think that eventually it will fade or will we have to pay for what the people of the past did for the rest of time? I think probably yes. I just hope that people who are not white know that not all white people suck as bad as they used too. From personal experience with my friends I know that they do know this but I wonder when we think about it when we will actually feel less guilty.
I think that one of the ways to feel like we are doing something and reduce the guilt we feel is to get involved with race relation things and also help the people that are suffering. Not only will they be happy because they are getting what they need but also white people will feel better because they are doing something positive with race relations.
I think it is important to see where we’ve come from to help us get to where we are going in a healthy, peaceful way. I don’t think that we should ignore nonwhite people when we learn about the history of the past because if that were the case we would never grow.
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I am a mathematician. I spend a majority of my waking hours studying the world of logical ideas, and this flavors my views in a way that probably seems strange to many. I view morality and rightness as a system based on simple rules: People should have equal opportunities and rights, independent of individual characteristics. People should be allowed to pursue their own goals, to the extent that those goals do not interfere with the goals and rights of others. And in the case of a conflict, laws should be designed in a fashion which supports individual choice.
There isn't much more to it. Murder is wrong because it means that one individual is impinging on the right of another to reasonably preserve their life. Homicide in self-defense is justified when there would be reasonable expectation of bodily harm. Assisted suicide is not inherently wrong, because it supports the right of a person to pursue his or her own goals. (It may be that society wants to put checks in place that restrict this choice to individuals who are mentally sound, e.g. not depressed or schizophrenic.) Abortion is a gray area, because the question looms as to when in gestation does a person become a person.
Unfortunately, this view leads me right into Sam's subtly derisive generalization that "white people … say that they don't feel guilty". I'll be frank: I don't feel guilty. I understand and appreciate the historical racism that led to the current state of society, and I would be the first to express regret over that history. It wasn't right under my view of morality, and the world would be a more reasonable place if the racism hadn't occurred. So I feel something for it. Regret? I regret the wrongs of the past. But guilt? Guilt is remorse for past wrongdoings. I try very hard in my day-to-day life to not commit racial wrongs, so guilt is not something that I feel concerning racial inequality.
Concerning the accuracy of history books, I have to note that I am a scientist, and so I espouse the views of a scientist. I believe that there is an objective reality, and that every effort should be made to reflect that reality precisely in academic writing. If there is inaccuracy in history books, a possibility I do not deny, I would fully support revision to more correctly represent the events of the past. And certainly changes in my understanding of the past would impact the regret I feel over the wrongs committed then. However, it would not instill in me a sense of guilt. The fact remains that I make reasonable efforts to live in line with my views of morality, so I do not feel individual responsibility for the inequalities in the world.
With that said, I also believe that we should try to address the wrongs of past generations. This is not out of a sense of guilt, but rather out of a sense of wrongness. Racial inequality does not directly contradict my moral system, but the societal racism which is closely associated with racial inequality does. In order to promote a society which comes closer to natural law, it is necessary to reduce the racial inequality around us.
Sorry if I fall into your stereotype, Sam.
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I love how white people write and teach history. I also like how it’s always in a way that makes them seem innocent and like they never did anything wrong. I guess it is because nobody wants to find fault in themselves. We are taught throughout school in the “white perspective”. I never questioned it before because it was so integrated into my school curriculum. However, I now realize that we are taught to think white people are the innocent ones when they really are not. In the same way, we are taught in American history that Americans are completely innocent.
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I want to start off by saying very good comment and I agree that there was a big difference between the reactions from, in my opinion, equally rude comments. I really think that the texting software program is a cool tool to get instant polls and reactions from the class but I find it very amusing that people are upset that people aren’t being very mature with it. Take a look at Beaver Avenue on a Friday and Saturday night for crying out loud. And then we expect these same people to pull it together in class? I find that very naïve.
As for the actual issue of the disproportionate response I would have guessed the reactions to be as they were. It has always been my observation that black people are more sensitive to off color remarks than whites and I understand that due to their not so distant past of being extremely discriminated against. One idea that I thought of in an attempt to explain this to myself is that of getting picked on. If someone gets picked on all of the time due to something such as their height than that person, in my opinion, will be more sensitive if someone would make fun of them for that. That is opposed to the person getting picked on for the first time because of their height. In simpler terms, “hitting a raw nerve”.
I also feel that this is a perfect example of what Sam is talking about with white people at the race table. A white person says something off color and the other side flips out. So would the other side not want people to say what they think? Do they just want empty words? That will never get us anywhere in the discussion of race relations. Also when a black person says something off color about them I feel that whites can’t respond because then they are racist. In my opinion the whole topic of race relations is a huge catch 22 for white people and I do not know what can be done to fix it so that the two races can make some progress together.
Now understand that I have no ill will for anyone of another race and I feel that I understand the injustices and challenges that other races have to deal with, to the best ability that a white person can, but I feel that black people have to dial down the racial comment radar a few notches. Through personal experience, whenever I interact with a black person I cannot help but get the feeling of trying to negotiate a minefield in the dark and I don’t have the slightest clue of how to detect a mine. In conclusion I think that black people just have to chill out a little bit and not dissect everything a white person says looking for a racial attack.
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I don’t think white people should feel “guilty” per se only because they have no control of the past. I feel as if they should recognize that what happened in the past was a terrible, terrible thing. But then we ALL need to try and make the current situation better. This whole white guilty makes me think of the white man’s burden which also should be irrelevant at this current time. By saying you don’t feel any guilt whatsoever of the past is not right in my opinion but people still feel that way. It’s hard for me to say what white people should feel and think because I am a person of color so I have no right to tell them they should “feel” any type of way towards people of color. I honestly wish it could get to the point where we don’t have to discuss race and it have a stigma that it currently has. There honestly shouldn’t be “white guilt” or any type of guilt whatsoever because when will the future make up for the past? I don’t think we will ever truly get passed the past because it is so engraved into our history and culture.
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She brings up an interesting point. We already know that history is written by the victors, so the stories that we are told in history classes about groups such as the Native Americans always seem to be a desensitized version that justifies what was done as being "for the good of the nation" (at least it does to me). I know history class isn't necessarily the place for emotion, but it always seems like we're just given the cut-and-dry version of what happened. I have to wonder if this isn't some form of 'white guilt'. If it wasn't, wouldn't more of the true suffering and hardships people faced be talked about instead of just brushed under the rug? So in some sense, I think it was removed from the history books is some sense.
Before people get their panties in a bunch over this, understand that this has happened for other events in history too. If we hadn't won the Revolutionary War do you think it would be romanticized the same way in our books? The same goes for the Mexican-American War and other events in U.S. history. It makes sense to edit things so that you don't look like the 'bad guy'. After all, who would be sadistic enough to write about themselves in a villainous manner?
Now of course you can't just go and completely erase certain events from history without causing an uproar. At least not as long as there are still people who know the oral history of what happened–the knowledge of what was passed down from family members. But who knows what things will be like in the future? Maybe there won't be enough Native Americans left to object to the removal of their past from the history books. Or maybe there will be some major events that will happen in the future that will overshadow what happened back then and it will be removed from the books to make room for these new events. There's no way to know right now, but it'll be interesting to see how the history books change in the years to come.
Maybe this is part of the reason why Whites cannot fully comprehend the experiences of people of color and why they are so passionate about the struggles they face. If you haven't grown up in a place where you were readily exposed to people of a different culture, then the only other place you make seek references from may be history. But you can't know the real, complete truth from the books. What's in the books is only a small portion of what really happened. Yes, it's made clear that what was done was wrong, but it doesn't even begin to do justice to the true suffering people have faced.
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She brings up an interesting point. We already know that history is written by the victors, so the stories that we are told in history classes about groups such as the Native Americans always seem to be a desensitized version that justifies what was done as being "for the good of the nation" (at least it does to me). I know history class isn't necessarily the place for emotion, but it always seems like we're just given the cut-and-dry version of what happened. I have to wonder if this isn't some form of 'white guilt'. If it wasn't, wouldn't more of the true suffering and hardships people faced be talked about instead of just brushed under the rug? So in some sense, I think it was removed from the history books is some sense.
Before people get their panties in a bunch over this, understand that this has happened for other events in history too. If we hadn't won the Revolutionary War do you think it would be romanticized the same way in our books? The same goes for the Mexican-American War and other events in U.S. history. It makes sense to edit things so that you don't look like the 'bad guy'. After all, who would be sadistic enough to write about themselves in a villainous manner?
Now of course you can't just go and completely erase certain events from history without causing an uproar. At least not as long as there are still people who know the oral history of what happened–the knowledge of what was passed down from family members. But who knows what things will be like in the future? Maybe there won't be enough Native Americans left to object to the removal of their past from the history books. Or maybe there will be some major events that will happen in the future that will overshadow what happened back then and it will be removed from the books to make room for these new events. There's no way to know right now, but it'll be interesting to see how the history books change in the years to come.
Maybe this is part of the reason why Whites cannot fully comprehend the experiences of people of color and why they are so passionate about the struggles they face. If you haven't grown up in a place where you were readily exposed to people of a different culture, then the only other place you make seek references from may be history. But you can't know the real, complete truth from the books. What's in the books is only a small portion of what really happened. Yes, it's made clear that what was done was wrong, but it doesn't even begin to do justice to the true suffering people have faced.
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I was also a little bit confused about the question. I really do not think that we can just pretend that it did not happen in our history books, but maybe that is not what she was getting at. However, I do really appreciate what Sam said in this post. I had the honor to work with the Lakota people this Spring Break in South Dakota, and one thing I learned was that their sense of pride is a little different than ours. To them, the past, present, and future are all the same, so what we have done as white people to their great great grandparents is considered to have happened to them as well. Just thought I would add that part as well!
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Well taking slavery and other race related issues in our history doesn’t necessarily mean that it will become “all white history”. Even how it is now, we see in the textbooks that slavery wasn’t just about black people, because if it weren’t for white people then that wouldn’t have occurred in our nation (most likely?). White guilt can be caused by many things, I know I feel it. I’ve felt it strongly as a child when I first learned about race and how much evil history we have in this world revolved around it. That guilt slightly faded as I grew older and able to have friends who were able to experience life just as I have no matter their skin color.
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If I understand the question correctly, I think you mean just pretend like slavery and the tragedy with the Native Americans just never existed. I mean I get what you're saying and all, this would eliminate the problem that is "white guilt." If we got rid of these events in history books, our children would not learn of such events, and several generations from now, no one living would have ever been taught any of this. However, we can't act like that would be successful, because there would certainly still be evidence of it occurring. We would literally need support from every single person in the world in order to make this occur. It would only take one person keeping a history book and passing it down generation from generation to keep the fact that this happened instilled in the minds of all of us.
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I, personally, think that ignoring the fact that these events happened would be a tragedy in its own sense. No one alive today slaughtered a Native American to build a house on his land. For this, I feel as though we should all accept that fact that it happened and move on. There is obviously nothing that anyone can do about it. We can't release people from slavery who died decades ago, nor can we bring any Native Americans back to life. The important thing, now, is to recognize those who died, and try to move on while teaching to others the fact that we can't let anything that horrible happen within our country every again.
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As far as what we teach our children, however, I don’t think that we should change what we’re doing. I agree that when I was in grade school, I didn’t learn the entire truth about slavery or the Native American slaughtering that occurred in our country’s past, but I don’t think I would have completely understood had they told me anyway. What child wants to hear such terrible things? As long as we continue to teach them from an early age the importance of race relations, by the time they grow old enough to learn about our country’s entire history, they have a fundamental set of moral values. As long as they get the main underlying message from an early age, that will help out the United States enormously in moving forward from these tragedies.
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In conclusion, I don’t think changing our history books would be an effective way of dealing with white guilt. Not only do I believe it wouldn’t cause everyone to forget about it, but I feel as though the better way of getting over what happened is to recognize it, without spending too much time having feelings toward it. As long as we understand that it happened, and do everything in our power to prevent something like it from ever happening again, that’s the best we can do to create a healthier, happier America.
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I think it is obvious that many white people feel some way or another about the issues of race and deal with the blame they receive in different ways. I think that it is time that people stop accepting the blame that people of color impose on them and realize that they have nothing to feel guilty about. I know that it is hard to do, but white people need to stop allowing other people to put the blame on them. Personally, I feel some sort of guilt for having an advantage as a white person, and I don’t think that white people should have this benefit. However, it is unfortunate that that is the way the world of race relations works and people shouldn’t feel personally responsible if they haven’t directly contributed to this. White people have no choice over how they were born, or their skin color, just like a person of color has no say as well. People need to realize that much of the issues of race occur because of things in the past. I refuse to take the blame for the actions of my ancestors many years ago that I have no control over. However, regardless of whether or not I allow myself to take on some of this blame, I still feel guilty to some extent. What did I do to deserve an advantage over somebody else just because of my skin color? It is not fair that this is the way the world of race relations works, but it is unfortunate that it does work this way. I am not too sure what this question is asking exactly, but I don’t think that by learning only about white history in our textbooks and in the classroom that our problems will be able to be resolved. It is important for people to learn about other people’s races and backgrounds and where people came from. By erasing this or forgetting about this, we are stripping people of their identity and most people are proud of who they are and where they came from. Creating a history of only white people would be a bit extreme and very unnecessary. Instead, I think people need to realize that they need to accept other people and forget about the issue of race. We are all individuals who feel strongly about our backgrounds and it is important that we share our different beliefs. We can’t solve our problems by creating one history to learn and all conform to that belief. Our society runs the way it does today because of the many groups of different people. Diversity helps us create an atmosphere where many different groups of people can exist, but it’s up to the people to accept others to make things run smoothly.
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I completley understand the reason for guilt. However I don't really know how I feel about the application of it. I myself am mixed. I'm German and Irish from my mother and Puerto Rican from my father. My girlfriend is always trying to assume my roster on the "white team" but I don't agree. I am in no way ashamed or down playing my ethnicity, however, the way I was raised, and the place I was raised account a great deal for how I veiw the world. I play for the "black and brown team" as Sam calls it. I made the point the other day when I was told that I'm white so I should answer the question presented to the class. I looked at the person and said what do you call Obama? Black or white? They responded black and It seemed as if black was the "majority" no matter how small in determining what to label a person as. I said if that's the case than I'm a person of color. I'm half Spanish and Obama is mixed so I should be in the same boat. I don't know which team a mixed person plays for. I've grown up around both types of people. I was born in State College and when I was very young I moved to Brooklyn. I've went back and forth to visit family hundreds of times and am equally as comfotable in both settings. I'm not saying I'm oblivious to the obvious differences of both cultures, I'm saying that what does it all matter. I don't feel "white guilt" I am deeply disturbed and against the way my ancestors have treated the. Native people of this land, and every other group of people unlike then, including the ancestors of my other half. However my generation did not cause that, we did not choose to be born where and from whom, we just were. Our job is to try to end all the struggle and bad blood between each other. How much longer can we see color ? We all need to take seats at the race table and be unafraid of political correctness, or saying something "wrong" we need to all engage and finish the quarrel. People shouldn't have to feel that one group naturally will not like them. It is SO much more complex than all of that. Take into account peoples living situations, their familes, their environment. Why is it that we must include color with everything? Why when people tell stories do we feel the need to involve racial details that are obviously unnecessary. What does it matter to me if some "black dude" told you to shut up or "some dude" told you to shut up? Either way, you got told.
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I think that if we were taught about the history of other races, we would all definitely have different views on the white guilt issue. I think that we wouldn’t be the focus as much as we are now, we would have other things to talk about and maybe white people wouldn’t look so bad then. Like Native Americans there had to be some kind of history before they were on the land. You can say this may sound dumb. But how deep do we go in history how do we truly know what was there before them and how do we really know they were the first I mean it’s always just like if it’s in a history book then it has to be true, but maybe not will we ever know the truth of everything probably not.
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Indeed it is a true fact that, in this day and age, the history books in most schools, specifically elementary and middle school, are entirely dismissive of race issues in my personal opinion. The goal in mind is to keep children away from the dark side’s of history, primarily only feeding them the information they can handle at their mind state level. This does nothing, but feed the continually growing problem of an evasion of the discussion of race issues. While indeed the history books may specifically point out the wrongs of the enslaving of African Americans, it almost seems to glorify what the Native Americans had to endure during the times of the pilgrims. History books mainly point out the friendship between the white men and the Indians, but barely focuses on the level of harm and destruction the white men caused to them. It would completely overlook the suffering that the Native Americans endured, but in turn, praised the white men and gave them a heroic look during the Thanksgiving period.
Though this may be true however, who are we to know whether young children can handle the ugly truth of our history. Who are we to burden them with the consequences of the atrocities of their ancestors? I for one, doubt that I would be able to handle the bare and ugly truth at that time in my life. The mind of a youth is very fragile, and placing unnecessary burdens on them could turn out disastrously in the future.
So I can not say that I disagree with the history books of this era keeping certain details of the truth hidden away from the younger generation. Rather I would suggest a different alternative to teaching children a more detailed version of the history books. Maybe by providing electives for middle school and elementary schools can help solve this problem. An alternative such as culture based electives. However, it would be the choice of the guardians whether or not to allow their children to enter these types of classes. Only if the child’s guardians felt their kid was stable enough to handle a lot of the truth, would they put them through these courses. The courses wouldn’t be too graphic, but it would be more detailed and more precise than the average history book. The classes would be based on the many different cultures in the world. These classes shouldn’t be graded, but more of an extra credit to their history course.
This is pretty much my idea of trying to keep the minds of these children active and aware to the fact that, not everything is as pure as it may be portrayed through the average history book. And I don’t feel that the white children of this era should have to feel the burden of the “white guilt.”
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Too many white people jump on the defense when they hear the phrase "white guilt". Guilt is something, bred in our American culture most specifically, to be something that nobody is proud of admitting. Nobody enjoys hearing that they are wrong.
As a person of color, I am not sure how I feel about white guilt. I guess the instant inclination by many, understandably, would be to reject white guilt because people also have a way to feel about pity. Not many people want to be pitied.
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i dont believe in this whole white guilt thing, i mean i really dont care what my ancestors did , it is not my fault that they had different enviorment and it is not my fault that they believed different things. how is that my problem, or anyone 's problem for that matter. no one should be responsible for the for what their ancestors have done, no one. this is an ignorant idea, why would you blame this generation for something that happened a long time ago ? we have done nothing wrong. can you seriously be foolish enough to blame someone for thier ancestors's actions , that is just as bas as being ignorant enough to be racist against someone because of the color of their skin. i mean think about it, blaming someone for slavery means it was thier fault for being born white in a white family, and thinking less of someone because of the color of their skin is just as bad because you are saying it is their fault that they were born black. what happened to this world, i have never seen so much hate, it is everywhere, and it is about culture and color and all these things that doesnt matter. the worst part is it will never stop, people will keep hating each other for being different because no one can stand it, and yes there is no such a thing as white guilt, it is just a theory, i mean why would anyone feel bad for something that they have not done. i wouldnt, what if you were born in gemany and suddenly they tell you hitler was your great grandfather, would you feel bad for all the jewish people that were murdered, i feel bad too but would you think it is somehow your fault, would you have jew guilt, i dont think so , because you have done nothing wrong, it was all hitler's fault, this whole white guilt thing is the same way. i cant imagine what you can say to convinvce me that it was my fault that all black people were slaves, but yes if i was white , i would be lucky but like you said, some people are lucky , some arent, it just how the world is and we cant do anything about it. that is just how it is, you are born with a white rich family sometimes and sometimes you are screwed and you are born with a very poor family and maybe a drunk father or a divorced parents , whatever the case is, life is unfair and there is nothing we can do about it but work hard to make it better because that is all we can do, and yes others are less fortunete but that is just how it is
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axg5068 Reply:
March 20th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
I have to say that I agree with what this young lady had to say in this video clip. In the history books, we are really shielded from the true genocide and somewhat disgusting reality that took place in the founding of America. I think it’s a disgrace, that as such young kids when we are very easily moldable and believe most of what we hear, we are taught a distorted reality of history. Obviously, most of us don’t even feel an ounce of guilt because our history books tell us that we had peaceful arrangements with the Indians after whites traveled here and Christopher Columbus founded the United States. It is true that this whole notion of Christopher Columbus founding America and being the first person to come to this land is an idea that is drilled into our heads over and over again through history classes as children. The whole holiday of Thanksgiving in which we feast on turkeys is supposed to represent the “coming together” of the whites of Pilgrims and the native people or the Indians. This is obviously a fallacy and misrepresentation of history and the actual events that took place with the Native American people. It is a shame that we have not been taught the reality of what happened until we are much older and thus, it is difficult for true “white guilt” to exist because our white ancestors’ cruelty toward the Native American people is somewhat new information to us by the time we enter our high school and collegiate years. I can’t even imagine how the Native American people feel when they see the kind of nonsense that we are taught in our history books. Indeed, this is “red land” and though many of us can not feel guilt, we cannot continue to ignore the cruelty that took place against the Native Americans who were here in America before Christopher Columbus and Co. arrived.
However, “thecorruptedon3” I don’t think you fully understand/realize what Sam means by white guilt. Take me for example, I am white, and I can honestly say that I have not felt guilt one time during my life about the fact that Native Americans were brutally uprooted from their land because I did not know much about this information until my high school and college years. However, now that we know this kind of information, I don’t think Sam wants us to just drop down and start feeling guilty about what our ancestors did and us to be held accountable for what our ancestors did. We are not being blamed for what our ancestors did, I think he just wants us to come to the realization that this is “red land” whether or not you like it or wish to believe the historical facts.
And even though you or I may not be personally responsible for the genocide of Native Americans by our white ancestors that took place a long time ago, we still continue to purchase and live on “red land.” Moreover, we don’t even acknowledge the fact that this land is in theory, still rightfully theirs. Ultimately, I think what Sam means by “white guilt” is that we should acknowledge the true history of our ancestors, publish it in the textbooks without any nonsense biases and/or misrepresentations, and understand that we live on land that from many many years ago, belongs to the Native American people.
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When I was younger, that is true that I had no sense of guilt, probably because of the way the history books are written today. In Kindergarten and elementary school, thanksgiving is glorified as the joining of the indians and the pilgrims. We are not told much else besides the fact that white people traveled here and we had peaceful agreements with the Indians who we had feasts with and then one day they decide to let us live here. In High School there is a realization when they add one paragraph about the trail of tears in the textbook and briefly describe our cruelty to them. I think that is why till this day, here in college, people can say it has no effect on them. Especially because we live at a school which is predominately white and the only time we see Native Americans is when we are watching videos in Soc. I think this information should stop being so censored, as suggested in the video. It is very ignorant towards Native Americans to continue using the textbooks which glorify the pilgrims and Christopher Columbus even though they are immoral figures. By the time you're 12 you have probably heard the name Christopher Columbus thousands of times and how he was the discoverer of America! At the same time Native Americans were described as simple people who we taught much about Eastern ways. The cruel and immoral founders of our country were obviously blind to what is now considered clear cut issues. This needs to be accepted and the facts should stop being skewed in the history books. I think if more people know the truth, sooner, we can stop making it such a big secret. I think this would help eliminate hate towards other races if we teach our kids about discrimination in the past, and how it is wrong. Maybe then everyone would be more motivated to creating a cause for Native Americans today rather than pushing them into reservations and ignoring them.
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I have to say this is one of the questions posed during any of the classes that ever truly struck a chord with me. I completely agree with Dr. Richards in the statement he makes about white people having a deep rooted shame from the past actions of our ancestors. And I must say I am truly tired of being held responsible for those thoughts or actions of my previous generations. Yes, the time of slavery and belief in white power was absolutely awful and has destroyed relationships between those of white skin and those of color. But I can say without hesitation that I was not raised to be prejudice or to think negative thoughts towards those that are different than me. I went to Catholic school for 14 years and if anything has been drilled into my brain it is to be accepting of others, no matter who they are. It is clear that Caucasians deal with this guilt (or lack thereof) in many different ways: some lash out, some shy away from others of color, some try to mend the hurt feelings. I just wish that we could accept what has happened in the past and realize that the actions of our ANCESTORS and not US (although there are the exceptions) are the main cause of this diversity. And diversity, which is rarely a bad thing, has led to the remembrance of bitter memories and feelings. One way I believe we can jump start this movement would be not to rewrite the history books but to alter the dominant view of white supremacy that has always been taught, just as my classmate above has suggested. Children in elementary and high school are very influential, and the knowledge of the period of time before Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Jim Crowe laws has always been portrayed as one of the worst times in American History. Yes, it sucked, yes white people did horrible things. But that view of supremacy had been instilled in the minds of those people through improper education of a distorted world view. I believe at a school as big as ours, the knowledge gained from this race and race relations class definitely has the ability to shape the way each ethnic group sees one another and can maybe help us be a little more understanding about where we came from and, more importantly, where we are going. As my father always says, "water under the bridge." And although I do believe we must recognize what has been done to belittle those of color in the past, if we can never let go of those feelings of hate we will NEVER be able to move forward as a society and learn to better accept one another.
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I absolutely this question. What if we did change the history books? That’s a tough question because no nation wants to come across as looking like the bad guy when it comes to history. Every individual group makes themselves look like the hero because people are more likely to feel pride for their group or country or whatever because everybody wants to be on the right side. I feel like this can be attributed to the fact that the majority of people have difficulty admitting that they are wrong. Imagine what the world history would be like if the scribes of this earth kept accurate histories! We wouldn’t have to worry so much about white guilt because people would be raised to understand and appreciate what actually happened. It makes me wonder what the most famous history book of all time, the bible, actually contains that is truthful. If you think about it why wouldn’t jesus’s followers want him to look really good, or why wouldn’t they want to include their own beliefs and ideals. I am not saying that Jesus wasn’t amazing or anything im just asking people to consider that maybe he did not actually do or say some of those things, or that maybe he wasn’t quoted correctly. It is so hard for people dealing with monumental events to be completely objective. Thinking of that if you look at all of the large battles and world changing events we’ll never actually know what happened because the winners always right the history and those that try to say otherwise get squashed because they are part of the minority anyway. We have a basic idea of what happened to Native Americans and after this class all of us know that what we were originally taught was not correct but there are an infinite number of other examples. Think of it this way, if you are given a set education and one single aspect is false or a lie why wouldn’t you challenge everything you learned? That’s why I don’t get why people still follow organized religions, if you believe in something because of what people have told you and it turns out that parts of what you were told were flawed how can people continue to follow that religion. I get that faith is the ultimate answer but I would think that flawed information would make you challenge you faith, especially if you are using it as a guide to live your life.
So in regards to white guilt and thinking of history I think that everyone should reflect and challenge. Think outside of the box man. Check out other options, here the other guys point of view, and actively seek out other sides of these issues. Peace.
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I agree that history lesson and books are part of the problem. Whites might be able to move past their guilt if they actually understand what happened and are able to speak about the issues more often. Also, white may begin to take more of a stand on issues if they feel like they have enough knowledge about a particular situation. Children are taught one-sided history from the very beginning of school. For example, Thanksgiving is taught in a way that is incomplete and in some ways inaccurate. The white pilgrims are portrayed in a sympathetic and kind light. They were not very kind, loving or accepting toward the native Americans in the real history. However, we are not taught the genocide part of Native American history. This leads many of us, including myself, to grow up in ignorant bliss. We do not realize the awful things our ancestors did. Therefore when we are finally shown this side of history, we feel an immense amount of guilt. I think we feel guilt not only for the past issues but also for the ignorance we have been living with for so. Long. Changing the history books and teaching the whole truth might cause guilt to hit us sooner and make it easier for whites to deal with. Maybe we will be more willing to take a stand and help the cause in our futures.
Obviously showing a first grader pictures and stories of genocide are out of the question. Those children will not be able to handle issues like that. However, maybe we could just portray the pilgrims in a different light. In first grade children realize there are bad guys and good guys. Maybe we should tell stories that portray the Native American as good and pilgrims as bad. This may show the children that moving the Native Americans was wrong. Just giving children a taste of the truth will help. This will also help children grow up learning that race has nothing to do with evil. Every race has good and bad people. All races do evil things and whites are not always good. Children of different races will feel proud when men and women of their races are portrayed as heroes. It will give them a role model and hero. When we show all sides of history, we will be able to see that every race has good role models for the children. White guilt will not ever be completely erased because of the past and the outcome. Our society will not totally change, but altering of education might create a better world and lessen the guilt. Whites will feel more comfortable talking about the issues and that is how problems are solved.
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This girl brings up a good point. Maybe one way we can attempt to solve race inequalities is to rewrite the history books and write them from the points of view of people of all races, rather than just the white people's point of view. In all of my history classes I have learned little about the struggles of other races, really the only thing I learned was about the blacks being slaves. Other than that, we have mostly learned about the hardships of the whites.
As for white guilt, I absolutely feel it, especially after being in this class. The things that were done to the blacks and Native Americans are horrible and inhumane. I am ashamed to say that my ancestors engaged in that type of torture. However, I think it is hard to blame those of us on the white team for things that happened decades and decades ago. We were not there to engage in the discrimination nor were we there to be able to stop it from happening. I think a student in one of the classes raised a good question. She said, when does blaming white people for the past end? Will it ever end, or will white people be forced to experience guilt and be criticized forever?
I know this is definitely easier said than done, but I we all need to sit down and discuss our feelings about race and allow each race to explain their frustrations. If we are open about our feelings, it may be easier to leave the history in the past. I think people of other races need to learn that not all white people are prejudice and that not all white people think they are superior to another race. I know in my own life, that I see all races on an equal playing field. I did not always see things this way, because I did not have many encounters with people of other races, but after coming to Penn State and taking this class, Dr, Richards has made me realize that every race has their ups and downs and everyone is equal.
I get really frustrated when people use their race to get what they want. If we want to get rid of inequalities then we need to take race out of everything we do. While I am not naive enough to think that discrimination is gone, I do think that a large portion of the US population has learned that everyone has an equal opportunity and each race can succeed in society. But that small portion who still believes they are not seen as equals might be held back by white people who are not letting them have the chance to be equal or maybe they are holding themselves back by refusing to believe that we have made progress with race equality.
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I really agree with what you are say. I think white people who don't live in a mixed race community are very blind to race until they are finally awakened to the fact that there are other people with different experiences. I never really thought about our history books and how we never really touched on racial issues. If we were all taught more about race in our younger years we would be more open minded about race and the way we speak about it. Personally I hate how I feel like I need to be politically correct in certian situations. I really want to be able to say whatever I feel and I am working towards that. That is why I took this class. I want to learn more about other races and different situations so I can speak freely without guilt. I am slowly working towards that but it is hard. I agree with what sam is saying we all feel guilt even though I didnt put a race down myself I still feel like I have a part in it because of my skin. I don't want to feel like this anymore I have always been open to race I grew up in the heart of Pittsburgh so I was around alot of black people when I was younger but the older generations felt a certian way about it because they grew up in a different era. We eventually left our home because the town was getting "Bad". More black people where moving in and many whites who had lived there most of their life felt the need to pack up and more to a " good" community. Now my dad never said it was the black people but it was a known fact that the black people who were moving in where low income families so the town was slowly becoming run down. I dont know where I am going with this but there are just so many memories from my old home and race relations. I remember me and my friends walking home from school and girls starting fights with the black girls from the local public school walking home them starting fights with us. I just feel like we went about it all wrong, and so did our schooling. That is why I have been taking courses that involve race relations. I am an art education student and I would like to work in a multiracial public school oneday and I want to be able to work with these issues and to help younger students feel more comfortable with race. Once again this blog response does not make sense, but I am still working through my thoughts and how I feel about this internal battle I at times feel.
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I believe that your question is a very thought provoking one, and one that also has many answers. My viewpoint, however, is that even if the history books were re-written, the events that cause whites to have such guilt would have to be included in the books because of their widespread effect that they had on all races. I believe that you outlined a good point, that the books display predominantly white history, and these books should definitely be reworked so that they include the history of other cultures and races. Overall, I believe that these books could be reworked, but we cannot omit the acts of certain groups of whites that we now find to be so atrocious.
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The term "white guilt" is confusing to me. I feel that there are many perspectives in which you can view and understand this concept. In my personal opinion, I feel that I do not know what I am supposed to do. Do I play out the guilt card and take pity on those who feel personally offended by the acts of the past, or do I pull back and let the world know that I feel that I am in no way connected with the past actions of the white race. I think if I had to choose, I would pick the second option. I really do not think that I could actually attribute myself to the actions of my ancestors. I understand that it was a horrible occurence, it was a terrible time that needs to always be remembered so history does not repeat itself, but other then that what else am I supposed to do? Should we beat ourselves up over the past? No! We need to embrace the present and work to make our world today a better place. I don't feel that I need to apologies for something I had nothing to do with. I have no problem sympathizing with the terrible things that occurred and I 100% feel terrible, but in no way do I consider myself responsible in the slightest. There is also the issue that the people who feel vicitimized by the past will not let us make peace with it. They think it is wrong if we sympathize with them and they think we are being arrogant if we don't. Its a lose lose situation and there is no way to get around it. People need to realize that we had no control of what went on and that today is a new world. Clearly we don't live in a perfect world and there are still millions of problems, but we live in world that is much more advanced and civilized then it was in the past. We need to move on from feeling guilty and sympathizing. What we need is to find something that we can unite over instead of continuing to separate ourselves. The more we find things that differentiate the races the more issues we are going to come by and the harder it will be to overcome. White guilt is really a tricky subject and I truly don't know how to feel about it. It is hard to determine what is right and what is wrong. I really just can't attribute the past to my present. I don't connect with the horrible things that went on. Maybe if I try to see things from a different perspective I can better understand both sides and can get a better understanding of why I should feel guilty about the past actions of my ancestors, things I am so distant from.
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I agree with that fact that a white person would feel extremely guilty walking through an indian reservation. However, wouldn't a white person feel equally as guilty walking through a group of blind, disabled, or deaf people. The fact that they're native american I feel does not have as much to do with it as the fact that they are poor or addicts or whatever the case may be. I understand that they may have not been in that situation if our white ancestors had not kicked them out, but I feel like the white guilt has more to do with their current situation and not how they got there. It's the needle of depression almost that gets to us when we see people that are less fortunate. The saying is always true that there is always someone who has it worse off than you, but never do I actually feel thankful for my fortunate circumstances. It is always just feeling terrible that there are people in this world that truly have to fight every day for what they get. It’s not like it’s our fault that someone is poor, or that it is current day white people’s fault that Native Americans have such poor living standards. This is one of the few times in class that I think that Sam’s views may be a little off. I am sure that he was or used to be very involved with Native American life, so he may have a better understanding of how they are oppressed and what should be done about it. But I just feel like there is too much emphasis on what has happened in the past. I really feel like, to a certain point, people do have a choice in how to live their life. Just because someone if raised catholic does not mean they will always be catholic. Just because someone is raised by racist parents does not mean they will be racist. And just because a native american is raised by an addicted parent, does not mean that they will be into drugs. Obviously there is a much bigger chance that this will occur, and I am sure there are hundreds of examples of this. I just feel it isn’t right to say that either all white people feel guilt or they are sociopaths. Sometimes people just don’t feel guilt because they haven’t done anything wrong. I see myself as a very open minded person that can be objective in all situations. Whether a misguided person is white or black, they are still wrong. If you oppress someone, you’re wrong. Maybe I am a sociopath and just don’t see the world as I should, but I don’t think race has anything to do with intelligence, social status, or financial stability.
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