Writer's Block: Free your mind

[stormkeeper_lovedoris]

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In college, I had a history professor from Africa and he had a perspective on this. He said that racism was invented. Slaves originally came largely from Eastern Europe (the word "slave" is dervived from "Slav", and Slavic people are European). Eventually it became more profitable to get slaves from Africa. Then, Professor Yeboah-Sampong said, racism developed as a result of the desire to justify the African slave trade. Because racism was made by society, it can be undone.

I'm an optimist at heart so I tend to agree with him.

Comments

[razycrandomgirl.livejournal.com]

I was trying to share a quote that I thought was relevant and interesting and have a conversation about it, but ... I feel dismissed.

I feel like it's human nature to do these things, to abuse other and the environment we live in. It's totally crazy how destructive humans, as a group, are.

What we need are strong individuals to lead us. I feel like whenever we get a great leader ... that dude does not last. :X

I feel like it's bigger than racism/sexism etc. I feel like most of it is about money and power.

Having said all that, I'm not hopeless. I feel like society = isms, so it will never overcome its self. That's why it's there, to keep us a certain way, to keep the machine moving.

We need a community.

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry! I didn't mean to dismiss you. Maybe I got discouraged reading some of the other responses people posted. One guy was like it was 'foolish' to think racism could ever be done away with. I'm like - what a thing to say on Martin Luther King Day!

But yeah, we do see in human history lots of abuse of power. Is it human nature? I don't know.

Maybe I'm too much of a dreamer...

[razycrandomgirl.livejournal.com]

They say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.

I do think it is human nature. It's ingrained and even if we were all struck blind tomorrow I guarantee we would find other ways to tear each other down (i.e smell).

One guy was like it was 'foolish' to think racism could ever be done away with.

Well that's not going to make me quit all together. I'm not going to stop doing what I can to make it a better world. I can't change everyone's mind and I'm not going to argue with fools.

"Peace on earth" is possible. It's just that when I think about it it's might grim. :)

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

Well that's not going to make me quit all together. I'm not going to stop doing what I can to make it a better world. I can't change everyone's mind and I'm not going to argue with fools.


Amen. When I was in high school, a guy literally told me to give up working against sexism because it will always exist. I'm like no way.