As a white male, should i have "white guilt" for what was done to blacks in the past?

Question

As a white male, should i have "white guilt" for what was done to blacks in the past?

Answer 1

no

Answer 2

No you shouldn't you werent even a thought in daddy's p***s back then so no, just like some people say "we were slaves"  Well, 1/2 of the people that say that again weren't even a thought... so why should we suffer from our an-sisters mistakes... and why should they benefit the rewards for something they didn't even go threw!

BTW no said anything about being racist..... most people that ask question like this arent!

Answer 3

yes

Answer 4

No. Youre not responsible for what others do or did. And not every white person owned slaves or sanctioned slavery. If you do some research you'll also learn there were some blacks who owned black slaves. I was shocked when I did my genealogy to find out I have ancestors from Virginia, North Carolina and Missouri who owned slaves (All the family I know is from the northern states). I dont feel responsible for my ancestors owning black slaves. I also have Greek ancestors and I'm sure some of them owned white slaves. I dont feel responsible for that either.

Answer 5

No.  You are not responsible for what people did in the past..you are responsible for what goes on in the future!

Answer 6

No more than Muslims should have for the actions of their extremists since 2001.

Answer 7

Yes, because you're white.  Racism is an awful thing, but it's okay to discriminate against whites because of what their ancestors did.  

If the above phrase doesn't sound like a load of c**p, then go ahead and feel guilty.  Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the rights of the oppressed people of America.  He didn't care what your race was.  He had done a lot for the poor man.  Just look what he did for the waste management community.  Garbage men are given much more respect and much better working conditions than before, and a big reason for this was MLK's fight for their rights.  I've never had a black garbage man, but I have had plenty of white men take care of my trash.  Most people forget about race until someone brings it up.  The true racists are the one who point out the differences in races, and then curse those who don't.

Answer 8

no why , whats done is done , you cant change the past

Answer 9

No.  You weren't responsible, no matter what anyone says.  Feeling bad for people in the past and being guilty of what was done in the past are two entirely different things.

Answer 10

Why stop there?  Your European ancesters were probably guilty of all sorts of murders, rapes, thefts, lies, etc. long before they even knew Afica existed.  Why only shoulder part of the guilt?

Thankfully, a Man died on a cross about 2000 years ago that wiped the slate clean (with God anyway).

Answer 11

problem is its still happening to blacks in the present- inequality-  and many pretend its not. So no quilt as long as your doing your bit for equality now

Answer 12

No. you should not have guilt, but people always seem to look at history and never read between the lines.

i agree with Queen, but as aperson we should never forget, but more importantly understand "why" it happened so that it may never happen again.

the things we do to hurt one another are simply manifestations lessons of history left unlearned.

Why did people own slaves?Why does one person feel that it is okay to subject someone to treatment that they themselves would not like to be subjected to?Why not treat others as we would like to be treated?Do you think that we have all learned this lesson?No, look around you...history does repeat itself, just what we refuse to recognize within ourselves.

It is not about about a black and white issue. Or whites owning blacks. All races and cultures had slaves at one point and there are some races and cultures subjected to more cruelty and inequality than others and why is that?I think that it is arrogance and refusing to acknowledge truth. Not wanting for the next man what you want for yourself and the willingness to take from another something that is not rightfully yours to take by any means. Taking a persons dignity by any means. Cruelty in any form. I know that this seems that i am going off of the subject, but i hope you understand that it is almost pointless to feel guilt about slavery because you weren't there, but can you see how and why it is important about how do you treat others today?

Answer 13

If you should have white guilt for what was done to blacks in the past, then I should have black guilt for the African kings and queens that willingly sold Africans as slaves to the whites for money.

Answer 14

No. Can't rewrite history. Just be a compassionate human now.

Answer 15

no i just think that you must try to understand what they went through but it is personally not your fault and you are not responsible for the world! just try to be understanding and then it will all be ok

Answer 16

absolutely not. im so tired of hearing about how whites bought blacks..... well you know what... they couldnt have been bought were they not for sale.... go blame their king!

Answer 17

No.  In fact, I think as long as people continue to make excuses blaming the past for what is happening today, the future will not be much better.  

The black community in part has embraced their African roots, but continue to blame solely whites for slavery.  A, no one now alive today has been directly affected by slavery, now well over 100 years since it ended.  And why is there no blame for the black Africans who originally sold other blacks into slavery?  Why is Africa not being made to repent and asked for reparations like the United States is?  

It's always easy to be a victim, and much harder to stand up and take responsible actions.  This whole topic should be laid to rest.  Thanks to Obama's rev., Al Sharpton and Jesse, we will continue to hear more and more of this.

I will say that atleast MLK had concern for all of humanity and didn't concern himself solely with what was best for blacks.  He was truly a leader.

Answer 18

No, you did not do anything bad to the blacks in the past-you did not own slaves or enforce Jim Crow Laws.  HOWEVER, not standing up for social inequalities that you see is the same as doing it yourself.  Watch the documentary "Blue Eyed" with Jane Elliot, it will change your entire perspective on racism in the past, present and future.