I Can Think of no Better Title Than, "Dear White People..."
Historical Perspective, Whitewashed History, Critical Race Theory, Apu & Other Fun Topics Guaranteed to Trigger You
This all began in the removing statues thread in which this idea that the removal of statues would somehow distort history.
Well, history is already distorted, and it is that very distortion that some people, myself included, want to challenge. Unfortunately, it becomes another point of division. We're reduced to the usual 2 sides. On one side, the side that questions everything in the present, is convinced mainstream media is a propaganda tool, and that colleges are left wing indoctrination factories... don't have any desire to question the past. How can that be possible, but it's not possible that mainstream public education isn't an indoctrination process?
But that's not what this is about.
Back in the statues thread, Din was discussing the concept of more statues being added to provide a more balanced perspective on history. I don't know what he was thinking specifically, but I'm guessing something along the lines of a Sally Hemings statue near a Thomas Jefferson statue. Then he used a metaphor of pop culture. He compared it to Apu being removed from The Simpsons. Instead of removing Apu from the show, they should have changed him to a positive representation of an Indian American. But, that's not going to happen. And here's why. Because history is whitewashed. American history is caucasian history.
Without black labor, the American economy never gets off the ground. They literally built the American south. They also fought in the American Revolution. The Army estimates that 10-15% of Washington's army was black, and that 1/5th of the army was a person of color. I'd assume that includes Native Americans, and possibly Latinos from the West as the Spaniards had already been inter marrying with native women for 2 centuries. Yeah. From before America was even it's own country, people of color have been playing a role in its history.
And speaking of the Spaniards, don't forget that they had also colonized the Philippines. The first Asians began arriving in North America in 1587, long before the British and French. An "east Indian" was listed on the roll at Jamestown. In 1763, Filipinos establish a settlement in present day Louisiana. 70 Chinese enlist for the Union during the American Civil War, despite not being given credit for building the Transcontinental Railroad. Upon completion of the railroad, Chinese workers were forbidden to take part in photographs, their vital contribution to linking the east and west, literally erased. Or what about the Chinese and Indian Americans who fought for this country in the First World War? And speaking of war, the single most decorated unit in the history of the US Army was a segregated Japanese American unit made up of young men who volunteered to fight for their country while their families were imprisoned back home by that very country despite committing no crimes. The 1st non white player in the NBA? A Japanese American in 1947.
But we never learn any of this stuff in school. We only learn white history from a white perspective. This is so ingrained in the American school system, that we had to force people to teach black history for a single month out of the year, prompting some white people to complain, "wHeN iZ Wh!tE hIsT0Reee m0NtH!?!?!?!?!?"
This is about perspective. Do you really think a Native American and an Italian American look at Christopher Columbus the same way? Obviously not. You think a Japanese American and an Irish American look at FDR the same way? Hell no. Truthfully, what I've learned here and on HF is that white people and minorities don't see eye to eye on American history in general. It only makes sense, as we have different perspectives shaped by different life experiences. That is what this is really about. Minorities simply want history to be taught from multiple perspectives and highlight the important contributions of non white Americans in shaping this nation's history.
So going back to Columbus, the white perspective is that in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue on the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. Right? We all know that story. The Native perspective is that Columbus enslaved them, took their land and exploited it for resources so he wouldn't have to return to Spain empty handed since he got lost on his way to India. Same person, 2 very different perspectives. I guess this would fall under critical race theory, which has drawn the wrath of conservative white America lately. This idea that white people see critical race theory as "making whites out to be evil" is also heavily based on perspective. The minority perspective is more along the lines of "hey! Our voices will be heard too!" and then along come white republican governors literally passing legislation to ensure we are not heard. And the white people who support that call me racist?
It's like they don't want to hear the truth. This is why we have things like BLM and The 1619 project. I feel like some people hate that minorities are yelling at them without understanding that it is only because you ignore us when we talk. Woke culture is out of control because of the resistance of certain people to have fair, nuanced, and balanced discussions about things like history, race, gender, and sexuality. Certain white people are "silenced" on social media. Ok... entire races of people are being silenced in American society!! And the white resistance to us being heard is a cause for concern. So, I have to learn about John F Kennedy, but you don't have to learn about Daniel Inouye. I have to learn about Albert Einstein, but you don't have to learn about Chien-Shiung Wu. I have to learn about the Boston Massacre, but you don't have to learn about the Rock Springs Massacre. I listen to white people complain that they are being regarded as the bad guys while "yellow peril" is still alive and well.
And while it's frustrating white America doesn't know these things, it's infuriating that they don't want to know. And making laws to ensure they never know. Literally passing laws in 2021 to marginalize minorities. You're either fine with this or you're not.
Jefferson set up a country where only whites could vote, own land and become citizens, and we're told white supremacy is a myth.
Washington fought a war because the King of England felt the American colonies shouldn't expand west of the Appalachian mountains, as they'd already encroached enough on Native American lands. They were also considering abolishing slavery in the colonies. The man now considered the "Father of our Country" fought a war to keep blacks in chains and Native American genocide on the dockett. We're told he fought for freedom and liberty.
Andrew Jackson forcibly relocated several Native tribes from the southeast to Oklahoma. Women, children, the elderly, if they fell on the forced march they were left to die or were bayoneted by a passing soldier. Today, Jackson is on the $20 bill.
There is sufficient evidence to suggest that the 1st ever republican president was most likely a homosexual. Not only is that swept under the rug, but his party continues, to this day, to push an anti gay agenda.
FDR signs an executive order to lock up 120,000 American citizens for no reason, with no trial or due process. Becomes the white liberals' posterboy.
Take any historical event or person and think about the story you know surrounding them, and realize there is almost always another side to that story. And that's our story. It's an ugly story. I get that you don't want to hear a story about oppression, racism, marginalization and exploitation. But in order for this country as a collective to move forward, to heal instead of divide, to have a country that minorities can be part of, to get more positive portrayals of people of color (like the non stereotype version of Apu) it's a story you're going to have to hear.
Comment