| Re: Phallic Plate Heads for Oxford |
Turn On, Tune In, Drop O .. |
| elag (elag@cloud8.net) |
2004/01/05 22:55 |
Paul Heslop wrote:
>
> elag wrote:
>
> >
> > > Our problem here is that the rules the governments put in place to protect the minorities are being over used and abused to such an extent
> > > they are actually causing more trouble than they're worth. People see what they think of as bias in favour of other cultures etc and the old
> > > green eyed god shows his head. The gutter press are certainly fanning the flames of another forest fire of hatred here.
> >
> > Same thing here... "reverse discrimination" and "white male rage" are
> > issues that won't go away. On the other side you have people looking
> > for slavery reparations and extension of affirmative action. Really,
> > in view of the history of slavery and "Jim Crow", segregation and the
> > "color barrier" I have to come down on the side of affirmative action.
>
> I would, if it didn't piss so many people off. More and more people are becoming right wing here, it's scary. There also times when minorities are
> literally seen to get away with murder (riots etc) when they claim that police or whoever handled things wrongly due to their
> religion/colour/sexuality blah blah and the courts agree. People look and see this unfair treatment, knowing if they did the same they would be
> languishing in prison. Affirmative action should only be used for the good.
Sure, but who determines who is "good"? I think it's about basic
justice. A freed slave society which, except for a short post-bellum
period, was forced into vitual serfdom in the south and harshly
oppressed in the north as well. Subject to segregation, and wary of
lynching a whole population was kept back and left behind. The
aftermath of these injustices persist to this day.
I don't think justice should be tempered by fear of the inevitable
reactionaries. It was necessary for the National Guard (under Federal
orders) to fend them off so a black girl could go to a (formerly) all
white school. People were angry, people were offended, but justice was served.
I don't think redress has to go to an extreme, but any look at inner
cities around here offer ample reason that something be done. I would
like it if poor & underpriveledged people of all ethnicities could get
similar help. I know that some of the poorest in the US are in fact,
white.
.
>
> >
> >
> > I can see that things might be played out more equitably with a goal of
> > eventual real equal opportunity, but I do think that past injustices
> > have not quite been wiped out yet. Any statistical analysis of relative
> > opportunities in the various ethnic groups will bear this out.
>
> The sense of injustice here is not as great. I know there was slavery here but there seemed to be a period where the past was forgotten. What
> we're seeing now looks like "I am entitled to this, gimme."
>
> I despair when I see uneven handedness on either 'side' as i know it will lead to more anger and resentment from the opposition.
I know that the situation is a bit different in the UK and probably
demands different solutions. I don't neccessarily have a lot of
answers, but I would like to see people - all people given the
opportunity to escape the depredations of poverty... lack of
education... violence...
We all deserve better.
>
> >
> >
> > >
> > > Personally it makes no difference to me where someone was born , what colour they are or how they speak as long as they mean no harm to
> > > anyone. There are those who spoil it for others, we do get gangs of eastern europeans professionally begging etc etc and of course it is
> > > easy for the nationalists to use them as the big stick with which to beat all immigrants and asylum seekers.
> >
> > We have our Xenophobes as well... significantly, all are descended from
> > immigrants, many of whom would be considered quite unsavory in the light
> > of the XXIst century. Them lousy furriners are us.
> >
> >
>
> :O) We say this often, we are a mongrel nation, as Eddie Izzard puts it. This area has been under everything from Roman, viking and French control
> with influxes from all over the place. Hence our strange accent.
I thought it was we Merkins who had the accent...
Of course, there is no such thing as a pure Briton or Indian or Chinese,
or whatever... if you follow things far enough back there is always
mixing between ethnic populations... and since there is only one "race",
the Human Race (Homo Sapiens Sapiens) none of it much matters. We
should all celebrate our differences.
--
replace "8" with "9" to reply
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