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Reply to "s/o what are AA parents teaching their kids?"
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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP you mentioned that if you had an AA child you would tell him that if the cops stop him and ask him to do something he should do it, even if it's dumb even if it accuses him unfairly or whatever. You said that you would deal with fixing the situation later he just needs to make it out of the situation alive. That's wise advice and it's advice that many AA parents do in fact impart upon their children. Still, if you were AA you would know that first of all there is no "fixing the situation later" because there's nothing to fix; they're black there's no way to change that. Secondly, if you were AA you would know that while encouraging your child to follow that rule of thumb may indeed be wise it isn't exactly easy in terms of doing it continually and consistently throughout ones life. Everyone has their breaking point. For example, consider Rosa Parks. She was a quiet and compliant black woman in the segregated South who theoretically could have conceded to to stay quiet and compliant in order to avoid confrontation and instead patiently bide her time till conditions changed, but one day she just got "tired of giving in" and realized that being recognized and respected as a human being was not something to wait for and hope to see someday. She didn't refuse to move to the colored section of the bus to start a movement or to be a hero, she refused to move because she believed she had rights as a human being and she was weary of others dismissing and disrespecting those rights. She knew there would be consequences for her actions - she could very well have been bashed upside the head by the police or malled by an angry mob. Luckily as it turned out she was only arrested and fired from her job as a seamstress in a local department store, but still she suffered those consequences and she concluded that those consequences for defending her rights and dignity as a human being was a price well worth paying. Now don't get me wrong, no one is comparing Michael Brown in Ferguson or Eric Garner in Staten Island to Rosa Parks by any means, nor is anyone saying that any and every belligerent black person who dares to defy the police is a civil rights icon either, but the sentiments and motivations behind their actions are largely the same. Plain and simply put, at some point people get tired of giving in. At some point people get frustrated and fatigued with following orders that betray their basic human rights and at some point every black man and black woman reaches that point where enough is enough. "I should be able to stand here if I want. I should be able to sit here if I want. I should be able to walk here if I want. I shouldn't have to move just because I'm black." Sometimes the end result of their disobedience is epic. Sometimes the end result of their disobedience is tragic. Most times the end result of their disobedience is neither - it's negligent - just another all too common unfortunate life experience that comes with being an African-American. If you were AA you would be all too familiar with such experiences and consequently you would understand that it's not a simple matter of pulling up ones pants and being polite. Ask your black friends and neighbors and co-workers if they've ever had such moments of fatigue and frustration and if they've ever found themselves in such situations and confrontations as a result. You may be surprised to find out that they all will be able to share stories with you of times when they just simply had enough and got tired of giving in and determinedly demanded the respect they felt they deserved as a human being. AA parents do indeed talk to their children about the harsh realities of how they are predominantly perceived throughout society, but even when armed with that knowledge and aware of how best to deal with certain situations it still doesn't insulate their children from the daily wear and tear of it all or give them the strength to endure the daily doses of dehumanization. Unfortunately there are no words to prepare them for that. Unfortunately experience is not only the best teacher but the only teacher when it comes to that.[/quote] :!: [/quote]
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