WHITE PEOPLE...WHAT DO YOU...

I think it's a terrible injustice, and (as another thread here talks about) I don't subscribe at all to the ridiculously simple belief that blacks should just "get over it" or "move on" as if it never happened. Genocide and slavery leave deep psychological scars, as well as more immediate, tangible ones (economic disadvantages, etc.). Anyone who tells another race or class to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" has almost certainly never done it themselves.

The worst part, for me, is the people I love are prejudiced. My mother is a wonderful, kind woman. I love her. She would never deliberately hurt anyone. But she also has definite traces of racism (inherited from her father, though not nearly as strong as his were), and believes that "blacks get all the unfair advantages," etc., etc. She truly believes that things are slanted in "their favor." This hurts. There's not too much I can do about it--I've tried having rational conversations with her, but those prejudices are firmly in there to stay. So in the interests of having a peaceful Thanksgiving, Christmas, or family visit, we simply avoid the subject.

This, I think, is how it would have been if we lived during slavery. Our family would never have had the economic status to own slaves, but believe me, I have no doubt that the vast majority of my ancestors fully supported the idea and practice. (My dad's family is from the rural south.) Maybe I would have been then as I am now: a radical liberal who's naively idealistic enough to believe that everyone deserves equal opportunity to pursue happiness and be treated with dignity. Maybe I'd have been an abolitionist, a transcendentalist, a Quaker, or member of some other group that helped. Maybe. It's possible to break away from the prejudicial thinking of your family and find new enlightenment (my dad did it, to his credit). But it's damn hard. And maybe I'd have had the same tensions with my family as I do now--maybe, in the interests of peace, I'd have said or done nothing then too. And if I did grow up in a slaveholding family, I'd have to choose between my liberal humanist principles (assuming I had them) and having the comfort and wealth I was accustomed to. Which would I pick? I honestly don't know.

It's not a pleasant thought. It makes me feel sick and depressed...but not exactly guilty. No one is responsible for the sins of their fathers. But we ARE responsible for moving forward, changing the way we look at things and helping to make progress for everyone. I'm doing the best I can right now. Maybe it's not enough; what could possibly ever be enough?

I remember seeing this series when it aired back in the 70's. I was a little girl, and it horrified me, but I think it did me good. It made me hate racism, and resolve to raise my own children with a respect for all races. I make sure my older son (the other is still a baby) either watches or reads the "I Have a Dream" speech every year on Dr. King's birthday. I've taken him to a civil rights march, and plan to take him (and the baby) to more. I must admit my own mother did have a little to do with all this, since she, herself taught me about Dr. King when I was very young, but seeing Roots really sort of made everything "gel" for me. How dare people kidnap others, force them to work for no money, and treat them like animals. Were the people making money from the slave-trade even human (I think not... honestly, I have to wonder if they were really demons from hell or something)? I'm still puzzled as to how this could have been allowed, ever, in any society on Earth!

It makes me so angry and ashamed to hear other white people arguing that they are the ones getting the "raw deal". These are also the same people who tend to distort things to their own twisted belief systems, however, so I suppose there is nothing to change their minds. They were probably abused as children or something by their sadistic racist parents.

I would appreciate any input on how else I may help the cause of ending racism and promoting awareness of the tragedy brought on by the slave trade.

slavery was wrong, but most whites are NOT from the south! yes it has nothing to do with me, and the same goes for blacks today, what happened in the annuals of history can't be changed, but my question is native americans, the irish, and the jewish people were treated just as bad. do you hear any dwell on what happened to them NO! why do blacks do???

My ancestors did nothing to blacks. They're from Poland and Italy and didn't immigrate here till just after world war 1.

So I say it has nothing to do with me. But I think slavery is a horrible thing and applaud the fact that it was abolished. (maybe some of the white folks that died making that happen should get a nod)

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I do feel bad about it. I wish it had never happened. (I'm a white man, by the way.) I support any effort for the USA to collectively remember the horrors of slavery so that no such thing EVER happens again.

For me, one language is NEVER ENOUGH!!!
Also, Fred Phelps is a LIAR!!!
GOD LOVES PEOPLE!!!

I'm Jewish so I don't feel responsible. My family came here in the 1920s. From then on, I'm sure certain family members were racist to black people so I know that I'm part of the racist system in place. Absolutely. My grandfather worked his ass off to make it (coming here at the age of 16 with nothing, after his parents died of cholera in Russia) but he wouldn't have been given the same opportunities to advance if he were black.

So the short answer is, I feel bad that my ancestors benefited from racism but slavery had nothing to do with our family. I blame WASPs. And actually, growing up, I was taught to hate the WASPs probably almost as much as you were taught to hate white people. Maybe, it's more distrust than hatred.

A question: should we blame descendents of slaveowners? After all, they are not personally responsible.