You would not believe all the positive comments this discussion on race has generated. In most cases, I hear what an eye opening discussion. Unfortunately, for some others I have received an apology. I say unfortunately because I know far too many white people carry around with them this tremendous burden of guilt. Guilt for all the atrocities of their ancestors. As a pastor and an African American I wanted to offer them absolution just to ease their pain. Instead of doing that on a one-on-one basis I decided to address this issue in this particular blog post.
William Shakespeare described guilt in Macbeth as “life’s fitful fever.” And the wise King Solomon, gives a solution to guilt’s grasp in this way “Love and faithfulness reconcile
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By using that guilt time and time again it achieves its desired results. You get some victories. However, you also create resentment and anger. By playing on people’s guilt you don’t create a culture or atmosphere where people care about you as a person. You create a relationship founded on coercion. The people you guilted into a decision may give you what you want, but they have very little respect for how you achieved what you got. And the more this practice is on display the greater the gulf between the relationship …show more content…
I will avoid dumping on any particular political party because both fall into the similar traps. Nevertheless, in the political arena you see this played out as political groups try to use the racial divide to get votes. One side will accuse the other of wanting to go back to Jim Crow days in the South, and put blacks back into the cotton fields. The other side then has to fight back on yell all the louder we are not racist. Meanwhile, the real issues go unaddressed. Poverty and underemployment are real factors destroying the communities. The family structures are breaking down. Young people are committing genocide in their own communities with the rampant gang violence in our cities and we are not addressing it because we are focused on how bad the other side is for America. What is bad for America is that this growing detrition or our inability to work side by side and solve the issues that are ripping our country apart. The more we fight and call each other names to more the black family is at risk of extinction. Ok I needed to get that off my chest. The white guilt thing is destroying
There are many open wounds in the African-American community that have not healed what so ever. Disintegration of family structures in the African-American community has been a persistent problem for far too long. High out of wedlock birth rates, absent fathers, and the lack of a family support network for many young African-Americans have led to serious problems in America's urban areas. The persistence of serious social problems in inner-city areas has led to a tragic perpetuation of racial prejudice as well. African Americans still face a litany of problems in the 21st century today.
It felt like there is still a sense of guilt or embarrassment . Slavery is a difficult topic , for both black and white people. ”“Conversations about slavery in today's society are contentious precisely because understanding
It is important to evoke negative feelings of guilt and shame in the audience because appealing to emotion is a great way to influence people, with strong negative feelings being one of the most powerful emotions that can be used to influence
No, no! They were not all bad, I dare say, but slavery hardens white people 's hearts towards the blacks; and many of them were not slow to make their remarks upon us aloud, without regard to our grief--though their light words fell like cayenne on the fresh wounds of our hearts. Oh those white people have small hearts who can only feel for themselves. (11) Here, Mary Prince calls out the utter lack of compassion of the white community.
Without the American culture questioning the fact that slavery has caused pain for many people, how would we be able to determine whether or not it is possible to mend supposed pain? Or better yet, how do we as a country restore this pain? Is it fair to say that ancestor’s of American slaves have had troubles resulting directly from the actions of slavery? If so, would that not be justified reasoning for the ancestors themselves to deserve reparations? Due to the hardships and struggles enforced upon the African American culture, wouldn’t it only seem fair that they be compensated in some way for their services rendered unwillingly?
Racism has long been present in society. Since the beginning there has always been the inferior and the superior. Marianne Williamson wrote an article call “Race and Repentance in America.” Throughout her article she took an absolutist standpoint, in which she clearly points out that racism was wrong, is wrong, and will always be wrong. She believes that something needs to be done to make up for what was done.
Short term guilt is a useful message from ourselves to ourselves telling us to stop doing something we know is wrong. Long term guilt means we are ignoring the message. That is a sense of moral responsibility. In the heart of the great depression, responsibility was just as important in everyday life as it is today. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows us that people have responsibilities in life, even if they’re unwanted.
By recognizing that this is a definite race issue that happens nearly everyday in America, our society then has to address the issue through the court system and within ourselves and our communities. Facing these flaws that we’ve created in our society is an intimidating and immense task and by addressing them we will forever change our own nature. When I found these flaws within myself, that I contributed to the prejudice and discrimination black people face, I became impassioned with the Black Lives Matter movement, but I also became more and more disheartened with the future. I realized that although my generation is more willing to change with the times, we are too young to change the system. These mixed emotions regarding what you’ve done, what you aim to achieve, and hope for the future, is what makes addressing this issue of race so hard to
Deeper than blood, what blood is thought to be today is just scratching the surface of the significance of blood in the play Macbeth. In Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, blood is more than just what keeps all of the characters alive, it symbolizes guilt and eventually regret. Macbeth is one of these victims of guilt. His evil heart is pumping all of the regret and guilt through his veins and making him miserable.
The guilt can expand the thinking that a person might have but when a person thinks about the guilt they can start healing because they come to realize the truth. In the text it states, “ We often take responsibility in a way that goes beyond what we can reasonably be held responsible for. ”(para. 6, Moral Logic) This quote from the text shows that people all around the world usually take blame or responsibility over things they may have not done.
Finding a Path to be Good Again Guilt is an emotion of a sinner, but guilt is not an emotion of evil. In fact, guilt is only felt by a conscientious individual who is aware of doing wrong, and through this strange emotion, people learn what wrong is. Therefore, guilt can be an emotion of opportunity to fix wrong if responded in the right way. However guilt can also intimidate as it is a forceful emotion that haunts people when it is not dealt with.
Our African American youth is suffering the most because of our race and reputation. Most of the problems happening in the black communities are caused from a white man's perception of what the world should be. Meaning, white privilege. White privilege is an excuse for
During the raid on our hiding location my wife and I were able to escape and headed west to seek asylum with another tribe. Our lives would never be the same and that is in all parts due to the arrival of the white men in our
This lack of knowledge leads many to believe that a mental health condition is a personal weakness or some sort of punishment from God. African Americans may be reluctant to discuss mental health issues and seek treatment because of the shame and stigma associated with such conditions.” Growing up in a home with a mother who suffers from severe mental illness I noticed that my family would avoid conversations
Guilt controls people's lives by making them feel regretful, keeping that person stuck in their past situation. “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have