Anonymous wrote:Do you feel all white people are guilty over slavery? All white Americans? Are you angry? Are you grateful that, despite the way your ancestors got here, YOU are here? How do you feel when people site statistics about the prevalence of (fill in the blank bad thing) amongst blacks? Are you embarrassed?
Do you think there really are any significant genetic differences between whites and blacks that are more than skin deep? That blacks are better at some things (taken as a group) and that maybe whites are better at other things, taken as a group?
Does your question mean to ask if all white people feel guilty over slavery or if all white people are to blame for slavery? If it's the former, no. If it's the latter, of course not. Not every white person's ancestors were slaveholders and even then you don't have to be guilty over the sins of those from whom you descend. However, I think it's sad when many white Americans deny the very existence of white privilege, even when it's brought up in a non-accusatory manner, and begin listing ways in which their whiteness hasn't led them to privileged lives. That's not the point- I realize that I have thin privilege, straight privilege, and class privilege. Am I guilty about it? No, but I'm conscious of it.
Angry? I get angry and upset just like when I read about any other injustice in the world that has happened in the past or is going on presently.
As far as gratitude- Am I glad that some of my ancestors were enslaved because the end result was me being a US citizen? No.
As far as people citing negativing statistics- It's sad, but I understand that those things do not exist in a vacuum and that they're mostly a result of the historical inequality facing blacks and poor people in this country. It is maddening when people cite statistics without understanding the root cause of the results. For example, when people believe that AAs are inherently more criminal or more prone to drug use, when the truth is that rates of drug use and sales are about equal across all races, but blacks are disproportionately incarcerated, reflecting racial bias in the criminal justice system.