Why do we have black history month?

Question

Really, i was reading an article about white people hating black people, one man stated "i dont hate the ones who are in the black countries, just the ones who are here because they do not belong here, i want them out"

I dont know what point that dude was trying to make, but im slowlyyyy starting to agree with all the racist people.

Im also black, and black people im see'ing today ARE ignorant, obnoxious, snotty, and they think they deserve more respect than anybody else.

I do not like who they single out black history in school and make it a main thing, i think if they will do this culture history, they need to do EVERYONE or just dont single it out at all. Because it is making alot of people mad, my friend said its not fair that he has to spend a couple weeks learning about the "great" people every year and he isnt hearing any other cultures.

Some black people are destroying neighborhoods and/or cities because they are just stupid, and that reflects on the whole culture in my point of view.

As my friends say i am not the typical "black guy" i listen to rock and mostly rock, skateboard, gave up baggy clothes because it just became a little stupid, and doesnt watch BET and MTV, so its safe to say i prove alot of stereotypes wrong.

I really kind of got off track here =P

So, what do you think of different cultural months.

Answer 1

Black History Month is an attempt to keep the new generations from forgetting the trials of ancestors whom had to fight just to get some basic acknowledgement as being part of the human species. Unfortunately, this has backfired and has actually strengthened tensions. Good intent has fallen to misconceptions, distortions, a lack of apreciation and a general lack of education detailing "the truth" of what it was really all about. There is only one "race". Until people accept that, we will continue to hate each other without ever even knowing each other. I am an American. I do not want to fill in "the blank" any other way: Black, White, Yellow, Green. What ever. It is great to know ones history but it is tragic to live in a past that cannot encompass the future as long as it continues to single itself out, often without a true conception of the trials that people had to endure just to have a right to eat, drink and breath the same air. I am a true American,a mutt, and proud of all of my heritage even if some of my ancestors made mistakes (which all do). The key is to learn from history by not repeating the mistakes of history. Why can we not just be Americans? Is there any group in history that has not been beaten-down by another at some time? Is it not repeating history when we allow one group to single themselves out, in the name of having been singled-out, causing the same divisional thinking that has plagued humanity all along? United we stand divided we do fall. While I do not agree with many many MANY things that the U.S. does stand for, it is still my home and part of my heritage. We need unity and not division before we can expect other peoples to look to our culture with any sort of respect. Right now we are only hipocrytes, as a nation, fighting policaly and physically in other lands in the name of something for we, ourselves, do not pocess because we chose not to implement these very ideas of unity, acceptance, understanding and tolerances in our own daily lives.  

Answer 2

IT ADVERTISES AND PROMOTES RACISM.

Answer 3

I get so sick of February I could puke, what makes them so special from the rest of the races?, time way over for it to stop, just keeps fueling the fire.

Answer 4

It is difficult (for me) to try and answer this question without coming off as a racist.  Everyone who sees me assumes I am white -- I am not.  Having studied the history of Slavery in the U.S. beginning in Africa, I've made some interesting and still questionable observations.  Slavery there has been going on since the dawn of time, with the questionable exception of during the colonial period.  And now that the Europeans have left, leaving infrastructures intact, the people there have reverted to what they've always done -- genocide and slavery.  And in the process, have either destroyed with intent or let fall into disrepair the infrastructures they were given.

In the U.S., the cards were always stacked against them as a whole -- man I HATE generalizing.  The English came and had to steal from the native Indians and then build from wilderness.  The Irish and Italians came and began their lives here in the ghettos of New York, but managed to push out and establish themselves.  The blacks, freed from slavery were not given the education necessary to begin on an even footing.  A great many moved north to find work in the factories and settled in the inner cities.  With the exception of the violence of the 1920s by the KKK, they did well for themselves.  It wasn't until Roosevelt and the "New Deal" that things really began to unravel for them.  The 1960s seems to have proved to be their undoing with Johnson's "Great Society."  In both cases, it was the social programs that has allowed them to exist without having to earn their keep.  It in a sense has enslaved them to a life of poverty and reliance upon the government for their very existance.

In my lifetime, I have witnessed the people insisting they be referred to as "*****."  And then"Black" and now "African-American."  I've witnessed the birth of "Ebonics" and "Kwanza."  And the institiutionalization of a program of annual monthly recognition.  All of this leads me to believe that it is essentially pandering for a mass of people who have failed as a group to progress, trying to make them feel better about themselves.  They strike me as being lost and in search of group identity.

A short while later...

I challenge you to think first about the old slogan about America being a "Melting Pot."  Then ask yourself about what is wrong with "Diversity."  And then finally, to grasp a greater picture of what's REALLY taking place here. Grab your old Webster's Dictionary and look up the word "Diverse," noting the root Latin words that make up that word and their meaning.  How does that apply to the image of America being a melting pot VS what we have today?  Thinking THAT through completely then, might just surprise you.

Answer 5

The response given by Doc seems on target and I have seen much of what he has in my 69 years on earth.

I believe Black History Month is a way in which the U.S. Government can offer its apologies for being so slow in eradicating the racism in our country and to assuage its guilt by overcompensating in recognizing the blacks of America. It also has become a strong leverage in forced political-correctness.

Yes, I believe if one culture or race is going to be singled out for recognition then why not more? Our American Indian has, and still does, suffer greatly from the countless injustices served them through the Manifest Destiny that propelled America westward, inward, and upward.

Each February I hear the same rhetoric about M.L.K. and other notable black people that have made great contributions to the U.S.A., but seldom do many of the populace, including the blacks, have ever heard of James Pierce Beckwourth, an Army scout, trapper, pathfinder, and one that held the rare distinction of being a Crow war chief during the 1860s. This man helped pave the way for settlers traveling to northern California, prompting a mountain pass to be named in his honor. Yet few Americans have heard of this extraordinary man of black ancestry.

You have raised a good question for pondering and I'm happy to learn that you refuse to wallow in the stereotypical image of most black youth of today.

Answer 6

I do not believe that there is anything wrong with having Black History Month, but they give it so much attention, and completely ignore the other cultural months. I think, but I'm not sure, March is latino history month. But, I know that the other months have their own cultural theme too....but honestly, could you name them? Which gets more attention?

Answer 7

It's often said that history is written by the winners. If you accept the truth of that premise, you will understand why, prior to the emergence of the civil rights movement, history texts tended to be written by white people for white people There was precious little information about musicians like Scott Joplin,scientists like Luther Burbank, etc.

When it comes to history, a lot of racial groups that share a similar appearance get included. So we hear about Pierre Eiffel and his eponymous tower, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Alfred Nobel and Henry Ford, and so one could argue that people from other backgrounds are covered the year around. african-americans received the first focus because of their status of being brought here involuntarily.

The antisocial behavior you ascribe to race might more correctly be blamed on socio-economic status.

Answer 8

I believe that Doc has summed it up perfectly.

Black History Month, etc. is simple pandering to those Negroes who think they are better than everyone else and deserve so much more than others.

All this has accomplished is a festering wound which only continues to bleed. The resentment of the "Whites," "Arabs," "Orientals" - you name it is HUGE.

The government's policies, originally intended to benefit ALL disadvantaged Americans, have devolved into a way of life which removes all initiative from those who are trapped in "The System." There are very few who have had the gumption to get out of it because it makes loafing around so easy. Unfortunately, the Blacks got the worst of it - as they have throughout history.

It's like my best friend being accepted into the Law School of OUR choice, when my grades and LSAT scores were better, because she was Canadian and classifies as a "Foreign Student." I had to go elsewhere and transfer in after a semester.

Dr. King wanted ALL Americans to be "judged (sic) not on the color of their skin but on the content of their character."

Affirmative action, etc. were all noble efforts, but the individual is responsible for their lot in life - NOT the white guy who lives two blocks over.

The African-Americans who push this use our fear of being labeled racist to get away with SO much it really makes the blood of many boil - particularly those whose families came from nothing and, when THEY wanted to go to College, or obtain that job they were better qualified for, were passed over. The better of them get it done no matter how much harder it is for them. The worst of them become bigotted racists. Most of them are somewhere in the middle.

WHY do we have to WORRY about how we refer to a Negroe? Why do we have to worry about how we refer to an Indian? Because they ARE treated differently and we are punished if we are not "politically correct."

There aren't enough months in a decade to have one for every culture in this Country. German-American Month? Irish-American Month? Won't happen. I say we're all AMERICANS and should celebrate THAT!

If a culture, race, group of folks who came here from another Country choose to celebrate their heritage - HOORAY!!

Just don't force it down everyone's throat. Little kids hate it. Little BLACK kids hate it. They just want to be kids. As they grow up - that hatred turns into resentment and hatred toward the group that was meant to be honored.

Be proud to be an AMERICAN and celebrate THAT!

I wil probably be labeled a racist - but I'm not - but no one will believe it.

Again agreeing with Doc - America is in no way a "Melting Pot." If anything, it's becoming anything but. The diviseness in this Country will be it's undoing. I think "Melting Pot" was originally intended to be a good thing - but we now know it cannot and will not happen and really. should it? We all have a wonderful heritage and should be proud of it and willing to share it with others. My kids just don't like having one group being forced on them. It also leads to those children in that group getting pumped up and making excuses for bad behavior. Then other students fight back. February is a tough month for ANY educator in primary or secondary school.

As I said - I will, no doubt, be labeled a racist. I know me better than you.

Answer 9

For your information, Rock n' Roll music was invented from blending Jazz with Country, so it has both black and white redneck influences.  Also do not forget some of the early Rock stars were black dudes, the most famous of course being Little Richard.  Given black people's contributions to Rock n' Roll music its not unnatural for a black dude to listen to it.  Also, rock music speaks to anybody who is pissed off.  Extremely pissed off people for example, listen to Rob Zombie.

As to why we have black history month; you have to have a whole month to get white people to care, if it was only a day, or a week, it would be too forgetable, however with a whole month its harder to miss.  As to black people; I don't think they deserve special treatment, however I do feel whites should not make their lives harder than they are.  Also black history month is set up to educate as many people people to stop mistreating black people; see, a few courses here and there are not going to help matters any.

Ultimately though your criticism is mostly correct and valid, from a purely academic and philosophical viewpoint for a very good reason; namely the facts that racism is rooted either in resentment over the gross injustices of one race perpetrated on another, or, arrogant contempt one race has for another.  Many white people, lets face it, are self important and arrogant, so their racism is rooted in contempt, whereas many black people truly do indeed get screwed over by the proverbial system, so their racism is rooted in resentment.  Arguably of the two the latter is the more justified, while the first is extremely disgusting by anyone's standards.

Give me any arrogant brat, and I will give you a racist.  A person who is a snob with their own kind, people of other races do not have much of a chance, especially when not of the same social class.  Not that there are many racial outsiders in a given social class in the world today.  The pool of nonwhite millionaires after all, is really thin.

hope this answered your question.