Homespun Blogger Symposium Q & A
What do you believe is necessary for true racial reconciliation to take place in American society?
I think that we should all just "get along" to quote that famous man, Rodney King.
Honestly, until we're all ready to play on a level playing field...and admit that we've had enough time pass since the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the issue will truly never be reconciled. The same goes for any race, be it Hispanic, Korean, Vietnamese, Arab or Jew. If you live here...you're an American! No hyphenated Americans would be a GREAT start!
Does your solution involve coercive governmental remedies?
No...unless of course that we truly treat people equally. I think that it is very condescending and offensive to treat races differntly to artificially make up for wrongs committed generations ago. No more quotas, no more special privileges or handouts.
Do you believe that Churches have an important role to play in this process?
Of course they do...when it comes to loving others as we love ourselves. I don't know that we learn bad lessons in church, but of course there are some churches out there that have a long way to go when it comes to practicing what they preach.
Short but I think sweet answers.
posted by MajorDad @ 12/15/2004 07:13:00 PM
2 Comments:
Major...You may already know this, but racial quotas are already considered unconstitutional, based on a decision by the Supreme Court. I think it was Baker, but I am not positive on that. Certainly the other part of your statement does occur in some cases, for example, with extra weight being given to minority applicants to some colleges to encourage diversity. As with almost any issue, there are a variety of viewpoints on whether this is good or bad, which I won't go into here.
Also, I wanted to say that I really liked your last paragraph. I agree that churches can, and in some cases already do, play a part in teaching us all to love each other and not to judge. Unfortunately, you are right, some need to go a long way before towards truly practicing what they preach.
Jenni: While I believe we've seen some movement towards the end of quotas or favoritism based on race, I think we still have a long way to go. I believe that there are certain elements within the minority community that don't want to see these types of programs end...if they did, what kind of jobs would Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton hold?
I'd also like to say that I think that the majority of churches are a force for good...rather than accept your admission that "some" do. By and large, churches and churchgoers do practice what they preach...I'd say that there are just some isolated pockets out there.
Jim: Regarding your comment about races not mixing...I think that it should be up to the individual to mix or not to mix. Forcing harmony on folks will never amount to much...but if we look at our contributions to a strong society, I think that the color barriers will eventually come down. As long as we keep pointing out the differences between the races and dwell on the wrongs done to them all (believe it or not...us white folk have had some incredible wrongs done to us...even by other whites. I'm Scottish and German by birth...my grandmother didn't come over on the boat with a silver spoon in her mouth) we'll never overcome the barriers and live in a world envisioned by Dr. King.
See y'all on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
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