Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Racism and Bigotry

Let's proceed with the current trend of destroying the proof that America was built by racist bigots. Let's destroy every monument and burn every book referring to it. Let the black children later question why their ancestors were so upset about things there is no proof ever happened. Let's forget this country was stolen from the Native Americans.  Let's create a generation of Slavery Deniers.  They can hang out with the Holocaust Deniers who exist even though we haven't yet destroyed that history at all. Let's stop teaching about any president who ever owned slaves or even sexually harassed a woman. History class will be much shorter and won't we shine bright.
Yes,  Little House on the Prairie speaks of native Americans in a negative way. So does Caddie Woodlawn and hundreds of other books.  It's not pretty in our "enlightened" society so lets erase it. None of these books in any way tell anyone to think that way Now. They are the language of that time, they show how far America has grown and we can take pride in that. When we try to deny it existed we learn nothing.  We end up with a picture of America growing up out of the ground flawlessly like a city built by angels.
No, I am not white. In fact, my ancestors were rounded up and locked in concentration camps right here in America. I find it offensive how few people know about it. I went all through school without ever being taught about it. Many people wouldn't be able to guess my race from these clues.
I have no desire to desecrate statues of Truman for Hiroshima. The decision to nuke Japan was so horrific that no one has done that to another country since. Why? Because we remember it. There are still documentaries being made about the resulting devastation. I was personally affected by the bombing, my mother was trying to flee Hiroshima when the bomb fell and the American government asked to study my family to study second generation radiation effects. If we erase what happened we erase my family history.
We wish America had not been built by racist bigots. Yes, all lingering prejudice should be eliminated. But to deny it happened turns Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks into nobodies fighting a nonexistent battle.
We don't need to and shouldn't destroy out statues and flags representing the states who fought to keep slavery. All we need to do is label them correctly. Let future generations see and remember the battles for equality. Don't try to Deny but instead to Teach.
Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it in the future.


Sunday, July 5, 2020

Childishness

Odd, I was on my forties when I started this yet I find a lot of the writing seems very immature!!
Would what I write today seem childish to me in 20 years?? Do we ever finish growing up??
Or is it just me??