(December 4, 2021 at 7:42 pm)T.J. Wrote: When I mention sins I'm talking about the fact that hundreds of years ago the people who came to this country slaughtered the people who were here first and took their land. Later they enslaved the blacks, treated women like property and wouldn't even allow them to vote until as soon as 1920. Sending the Japanese people into camps after the attack at Pearl Harbor. And I'm sure the list just gets bigger and bigger.
Is there anyway for America to truly confront its past and change for the better or is it just too great a wound to heal?
Discuss.
I'm going to skip over the intermediate posts (I don't want to talk about white supremacy), and just reply to the OP.
Every generation does bad things, either out of fear, wrong-belief (i.e religion or bad "science"), ignorance, or greed.
All we can do is create a framework whereby everyone can succeed and have a decent live, regardless of what happened to their great grandparents. The idea that I am libel for atrocities of the past, or that I personally benefit from them today, is ludicrous.
If someone is disenfranchised today because of continuing or recent systemic discrimination, that is bad, and needs fixing. It doesn't mean I personally benefit from it. I hate the idea of "white privilege", as if I got everything in life because I'm white. My parents were not rich. We lived in a small bungalow in a small town. I worked hard to get where I am, and if someone else is being prevented from that opportunity, that needs to be addressed.
I reject "race" as an object of identity, and I reject "ethnic origin" as an object of identity. My ancestors are Scottish, and I don't give a darn, except for a mild interest in Scotch. Culture is a real thing, but it is fluid, and changes with each generation. There is no point defining your existence by it, even though we feel more comfortable in a culture we are used to.
I do believe in liberal "ideas". Democracy, human rights, personal freedoms (and some degree societal responsibility) are things that cross cultural lines, and are worth fighting for. Without them, all the whining about "identity" means nothing.