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[–]_Jaemz 6 points7 points8 points  (6 children)
Talking about other people's problems doesn't nullify your own. But I get what you're trying to say and both countries should be ashamed and work to achieve excellent morals in the future.
With regards, a person whose grandfather was born on a reservation.
[–]Volum3 0 points1 point2 points  (5 children)
Talking about other people's problems constantly totally does give people the ability to act innocent. How many times have you seen reddit posts linking to the dark history of the US? We have had by and large the absolute most disgustingly racist history and it is almost never mentioned. Americans sure like talking about how fucked up everyone else is, but we sure don't learn shit about our own incredibly dark history
[–]Lestat2888 1 point2 points3 points  (4 children)
Troll? We're probably the least racist country. They throw bananas at black soccer players in Europe... today.
[–]Volum3 -1 points0 points1 point  (3 children)
You're a perfect example of how Americans covered up our horrible history. There were mass lynchings in the United States well into the 20th century. There are mass shootings and ridiculous violence towards people of color. Throwing bananas on the field is ridiculous and racist but it's nothing compared to what goes on here and what we don't even learn about in school that went on here.
[–]_Jaemz 0 points1 point2 points  (2 children)
You should eat a Snickers. Anyway, not saying the continuation of slavery wasn't terrible by any means, but Europeans were importing slaves into the Americas long before the country was even a twinkle in Thomas Jefferson's eye, so saying the Americans are entirely to blame for the brutal mistreatment of slaves doesn't make sense. And racism isn't exclusive to the US. Conservative parties in Europe? And what about WWII? Hitler's racism led to the deaths of tens of millions. I mean look at Brazil: they didn't end slavery until the late 1880s. And who says Americans aren't taught about this stuff? We spent like half of APUSH talking about how terrible it was.
Though you do make a very good point, and I recognize that racism is definitely a problem.
EDIT: Added some stuff
[–]Volum3 -1 points0 points1 point  (1 child)
First, I never said racism is all America's fault. You drawing that conclusion further proves the point that white Americans are unwilling to discuss our own history. Then, you listed the problems and pasts of many other countries. Guess what? Every German is taught the horrors of WWII and all of Europe is taught properly the consequences of racism. America, however, drew up a couple of laws to try to quell the racial divide, and then we simply dropped the conversation. In almost no American history class (I'm talking public secondary education) will an American learn about the disgusting history and even current situation is with racism. Instead, we learn about how America is and has always been the hero of the world, responsible for the victory in both world wars, etc. You bring up that Hitler's racism resulted in the death of tens of millions. America's racism resulted in the destruction of hundreds of cultures, deaths of millions, enslavement of Africans, which eventually led from one form of racism to the other (slavery -> segregation -> jim crow -> mass incarceration + gentrification). It hasn't ended, it's simply been allowed to be dismissed from the conversation.
I'm not saying we should walk around weeping and crying out woe is me over our history. However, we shouldn't act like a bunch of assholes when it is brought up ("It was a long time ago!"/"I'm not racist!"/"I never owned any slaves!", etc.) It completely derails the necessary conversation for trying to end racism.
In conclusion, do not use Europe's equally dark past as an excuse for our having done nothing about our's. Europe is trying much harder than we are, and given our abilities and powers as the USA, we should be setting the example for the rest of the West, not vice versa.
[–]_Jaemz 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
It's funny that you assume I'm white. I don't know from what planet you got that. I never avoided discussing my own history, unless talking about other countries in combination counts. (It's funny that whenever I don't talk about other countries, I'm culturally insensitive, but when I do, I'm trying to provide a scapegoat) If you read the actual comment I wrote, I said,
But I get what you're trying to say and both countries should be ashamed and work to achieve excellent morals in the future.
The conversation was never dropped in the US. It will never be dropped. Racism will always exist and as long as it does there will be people in the media complaining about it. Not a day goes by where someone forgets what happened and what continues to happen (I use that figuratively, by the way, before you go out correcting me.)
Which school did you go to that didn't discuss what happened? Whichever one it was, I'm sorry that you had to attend that institution, but at every school I've been at or I've seen they've explained in detail what happened.
America's racism resulted in many deaths, yes, and I will never forgive the government for that, but drawing comparisons with that and the Holocaust, as well as any other deaths that came as a result of World War II (some estimates have been put as high as seventy million) isn't right. We should never forget what happened to the Natives, but we should also hold even more dearly what happened to the rest of the world.
This may be a bit of a grammar thing, but racism in America didn't lead to slavery; slavery led to racism in America. But I get what you are trying to say.
"It was a long time ago!"/"I'm not racist!"/"I never owned any slaves!", etc.
I've never heard anyone say this?
It completely derails the necessary conversation for trying to end racism.
I completely agree, to be honest.
Finally, I do agree that we should try harder to address these things and what happened and we are not doing an adequate job. But is talking about it on reddit going to help? You and I both know what happened, and so does everyone else on this thread, so there's little point talking about it. But I would love a suggested solution to the problem of ignorance of the past in America. Mine would probably just be a new curriculum for schools and what they cover (and while we're talking about that, maybe take a bit of a break on the military spending/social security to help fund infrastructure and education.)
Overall, I agree with many of the things you said. The stereotype is that Americans are much more reactionary than proactionary (is that a word?) but a message to both of us, whining about it on reddit isn't going to help, so with that, I wish you a good day.
EDIT: I realize that this reply kind of zigzags between opinions, sorry about that lol. GAD gives terrible mood swings

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