An excellent post by Nonnie Jules that eloquently states why none of us should be sitting on our hands watching the Black Lives Matter movement unfold.
A MUST SEE!
Friends, we are living through some very difficult times. To me, it almost feels as if we’re all in this boiling pot and at any given moment, we’re all going to just boil right over. Systemic racism is a real thing and it’s clear by the marches and peaceful protests that are taking place right now all over the world, that it isn’t just the black community who is angry – everyone with a conscience is pissed at what is going on right before our eyes. And, because these protests and marches house more than just those from the black community, maybe now, change is really going to take place … positive change, that is.
I was excited when I learned that the network, BRAVO, had gathered and produced a show with cast members from various shows of their network, to discuss this racial climate we’re living…
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Thanks for sharing Nonnie’s post, John. We all need to stand together to make a real change in our world. 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by, Yvette! So true! There is lots of hard work to be done to eradicate racism from our world.
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An excellent share, John! Much to think about. We should all be outraged and ready to do our part, however small that may be. Thanks for sharing this!
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Thanks for stopping by, Jill! This entire BLM movement has been a wakeup call for me as a white man born into privilege in the sense that I never had to cope with systemic racism.
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I think it has been a wake-up call for a lot of people who truly didn’t understand the meaning of ‘white privilege’. Unfortunately, far too many people in this country are pushing back, for they like their white privilege and fear they will no longer be treated as “superior”, which they believe they are. Sigh.
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Unfortunately, my good friend, you are quite right. It is so sad that so many people have to hate someone else in order to feel good about themselves. It will take a lot of time to eradicate racism from our world.
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The more I listen to people, John, the more I am convinced that humans will never learn to put aside their differences and live in peace. Seems not to be in their nature. 😥
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I may be wrong, Jill, but this aversion to people who look different from ourselves is a learned response. I believe we were taught, either overtly or covertly, to fear that which is different. I’ve seen too many young people who socialize easily with peers of various races, religions, and sexual orientations. Older folks like myself have spent a lifetime learning to ignore the inconsequential differences among us. I’m convinced that people can change their ways.
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I 100% agree with you, John. There are those who cite ‘tribalism’ and tell me that babies are even born recognizing those who look more like them and fearing others, but I don’t believe it. Go to any playground and watch the kids … heck, they don’t care about skin colour, then just want to play and have fun … all are welcomed! As Keith frequently quotes from the movie South Pacific, “You have to be carefully taught …” I firmly believe that racism is learned, most often from family. I think people CAN change their ways … the problem is that most people don’t see a reason to. You’re a historian … look back through history … in thousands of years, we still haven’t learned to accept people for what is inside rather than what is outside. Sigh.
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Historically speaking, you are correct, Jill. Yet, if we view the last 5 or 6 centuries through another lens, we see democracies emerge and empires disintegrate. We also see the rise of a middle class and then the rise of the working class from abject poverty to a more decent life. We now have public education and until recently, racism and sexism became politically incorrect – unacceptable in society. There have been great strides forward but four years ago we took a big stride backward. What really hasn’t changed over all the millennia since mankind emerged is human nature. We are driven by the same needs, fears, and passions as our earliest ancestors. We embraced civilization at one point and curbed our behaviour accordingly. We have never been able to eradicate the basic struggle we all experience between good and evil. Both are a part of us. Trump feeds the dark side of human nature because it benefits his struggle for power. We just can’t lose sight of the fact that humanity has come a very long way – just in the last 500 years alone! We can’t give in to the disappointment and the allure of despair. He must keep feeding the good within us all!
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This is what I love about talking to you … you always make me think! And you are right. Compared to thousands of years ago … well, we’ve come a lonnnnnnggg way. So, maybe it’s two steps forward and one step back every century or so. The fear now, though, is that we really don’t have time for the backsteps anymore, for I think that if we don’t wake up, set our differences aside, and make some very real sacrifices to address climate change, the human species will have lost its opportunity to prove that they can learn to live in peace and harmony! Thanks for the perspective, John … I tend to wallow in the disappointment these days.
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Thank you for sharing Nonnie’s post, John! It is thought-provoking, to say the least!
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Thanks for stopping by, Jan. This is a great post, indeed!
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It’s up to all of us to make a stand for equality! I believe most people are decent.
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Thanks, Opher. I think that most white people like myself who were raised in privilege in that we endured no systemic racism, have little concept about what it’s like for blacks, people of colour, and indigenous peoples who have been victimized their entire lives. I think that the decent white folks need to support the BLM movement and demand real change in our respective countries.
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