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Old 07-03-2004, 02:51 PM   #26
richlevy
King Of Wishful Thinking
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Philadelphia Suburbs
Posts: 6,669
Quote:
Originally posted by lookout123
back to cosby's original statements - i think he is trying to say that the black community fought hard to get to a certain point and now there are some individuals who are actually slipping backwards while blaming it on the white man.
-edit-
i think all he is saying is that these are problems that need to be fixed, not things to be proud of.

i think the same thing holds true across racial lines. too many people in america today are searching for a way to be a victim.
In that I completely agree. First of all, disgust with the system or not, everyone eligible should vote. Just the act of going to the voting place and voting, even for Mickey Mouse, is an act of citizenship.

What I disagree with is conservatives, especially those born to wealth, who say all debts have been paid and anyone who has a problem is completely responsible for their situation.

That is bullshit. We as a nation have to confront our legacy with African Americans the same way we had to confront our legacy with Native Americans and Japanese Americans. Pretending that everything was fixed the moment the Civil Rights Act was signed is as silly as writing a $20,000 check out to every descendant of a slave.

In Judaism there is actually a prayer thanking G-d for not making us women . While we have never had one to thank G-d for making us black, a majority of people in the US would agree that all things being equal, having black skin at birth limits the range and height of opportunities.

Would Reagan have been president if he had been born as a black man? There are certainly opportunities for black conservatives, but who believes that there is no ceiling?

I'm in the middle on this one. I believe that reparations and treating adults like children is a terrible policy. I also believe that pretending that barriers do not exist and that the United States has discharged all obligations is delusional.

I agree with Cosby. If people are backsliding into self pity, then they need to get off their asses. The most anyone should hope for is to be met halfway.
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