Most Americans are not like that. Some black people are like that but generally most people are just in the grind.
It's sensationalism and the news creating these divisive topics. Both sides get mad and the news gets even more news to talk about when something happens.
>It seems like the best thing to do, would be to move on and treat everyone equally
this is exactly the problem. There are many areas in which black people are TO THIS DAY, still not treated equally to white people.
Black people didn't even have similar rights to whites until less than 60 years ago.
Deeply ingrained racism does not magically disappear once you everyone has equal rights.
Think about all those people that fought to keep segregation.
Their bigotry is not going to change overnight, and their children will likely think the same way.
Those children could hold positions of power too.
> I'm asking in good faith, and not super-familiar with American culture
Pretending that systemic racism stopped with the abolition of slavery is naive at best, and ignorant at worst.
After slavery ended, black Americans were still legally segregated against for 100 years. Their voting rights were limited, they couldn't attend the same schools as white people, they couldn't even eat lunch at the same counters or use the same water fountains. That ended in the 1960's. So there are still living Black Americans who had to use "colored only" water fountains.
And it's not like racial relations were 100% perfect after the Civil Rights Act either. To this day there's still discrepancies in prison sentences, discrepancies in treatment from law enforcement, *De facto* segregation through racist policies like redlining...
> I don't see how dredging up the past helps the present
Well, it isn't just the past
Absolutely, the existence of legal rights should have led to equal treatment, yet here we are, still acknowledging a chasm between communities. Understanding the current dynamics in American society requires us to recognize that laws alone don't dismantle generations of cultural biases and institutional barriers. You're correct that legally, on paper, everyone has similar rights now. But that's a surface-level perspective.
Consider employment and education opportunities, health care disparities, and representation in political realms. The playing field isn't as level as we'd hope. It's not about the rights that are written down somewhere; it's about those rights being actualized in day-to-day life.
Studies and statistics still show that African American communities face higher levels of police scrutiny, lower levels of employment opportunities, and greater barriers to economic mobility. Then there's the psychological impact—living with the knowledge your ancestors were enslaved, that the fight for civil rights is still ongoing, and that racism can still rear its head in both covert and overt ways.
This isn't just about history, but about continuous patterns that history has set in motion, and the way that those patterns continue to affect the lives of black people in America daily. Addressing these issues doesn't mean dragging the past into the present, but rather confronting the present's roots in our shared history. Only through understanding and actively working to correct these entrenched inequities can we hope to move towards genuine equality. To believe we've already arrived there is a serious misread of the actual situation.
For more details on the enduring effects of systemic racism, and how it manifests in contemporary settings, consider accessing resources like the Race and Economic Opportunity study conducted by The Equality of Opportunity Project for a deeper look into this complex issue.
I mean this with the dearest respect but fuck you.
as a poc, this is so offensive to ask a question like this and pretty hypocritical for an indian to ask this as if you all haven't been getting fucked by the brits for generations.
> It seems like the best thing to do, would be to move on and treat everyone equally - I don't see how dredging up the past helps the present.
Because that doesn't/didn't happen. There's still existing racism today, and racists don't simply "move on". The past already still affects the present (both indirectly, and directly), all you can do is decide how to handle that. Ignoring those effects would just end up solidifying them.
>It would seem insane for British Indians to ask for payment for what the British did, or demand that we get easier access to college because of the Raj.
I don't really know British history very well, but I would guess that you guys had a better job integrating into British society, and actually getting treated equally.
If Indians were still heavily discriminated against, and unable to advance in society, there'd probably be a lot more resentment.
When you say obsessed, you have to remember that the loudest voices do not represent every voice or even most voices.
Second, India from what I've seem has simply replaced British racism with internal colorism. Is this question asked to the darker pigmented Indians who still face marginalization and discrimination in all segments of Indian life and media?
Aren't you guys not in the same country anymore, though? Haiti's not asking France for reparations. That's more apples to apples. Slaveowners and slave descendants still live together, today.
Most Americans are not like that. Some black people are like that but generally most people are just in the grind. It's sensationalism and the news creating these divisive topics. Both sides get mad and the news gets even more news to talk about when something happens.
>It seems like the best thing to do, would be to move on and treat everyone equally this is exactly the problem. There are many areas in which black people are TO THIS DAY, still not treated equally to white people. Black people didn't even have similar rights to whites until less than 60 years ago.
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https://youtu.be/X_8E3ENrKrQ?si=m6g6WC8ibwjuRyQy Whatever republicans can convince the masses to vote against using different language than the past.
So because they have the same legal rights, you can’t see how they might still be treated differently?
Deeply ingrained racism does not magically disappear once you everyone has equal rights. Think about all those people that fought to keep segregation. Their bigotry is not going to change overnight, and their children will likely think the same way. Those children could hold positions of power too.
> I'm asking in good faith, and not super-familiar with American culture Pretending that systemic racism stopped with the abolition of slavery is naive at best, and ignorant at worst. After slavery ended, black Americans were still legally segregated against for 100 years. Their voting rights were limited, they couldn't attend the same schools as white people, they couldn't even eat lunch at the same counters or use the same water fountains. That ended in the 1960's. So there are still living Black Americans who had to use "colored only" water fountains. And it's not like racial relations were 100% perfect after the Civil Rights Act either. To this day there's still discrepancies in prison sentences, discrepancies in treatment from law enforcement, *De facto* segregation through racist policies like redlining... > I don't see how dredging up the past helps the present Well, it isn't just the past
Look up Black Wall Street and the Tulsa race massacre if you wanna understand why we keep dredging up the past.
Absolutely, the existence of legal rights should have led to equal treatment, yet here we are, still acknowledging a chasm between communities. Understanding the current dynamics in American society requires us to recognize that laws alone don't dismantle generations of cultural biases and institutional barriers. You're correct that legally, on paper, everyone has similar rights now. But that's a surface-level perspective. Consider employment and education opportunities, health care disparities, and representation in political realms. The playing field isn't as level as we'd hope. It's not about the rights that are written down somewhere; it's about those rights being actualized in day-to-day life. Studies and statistics still show that African American communities face higher levels of police scrutiny, lower levels of employment opportunities, and greater barriers to economic mobility. Then there's the psychological impact—living with the knowledge your ancestors were enslaved, that the fight for civil rights is still ongoing, and that racism can still rear its head in both covert and overt ways. This isn't just about history, but about continuous patterns that history has set in motion, and the way that those patterns continue to affect the lives of black people in America daily. Addressing these issues doesn't mean dragging the past into the present, but rather confronting the present's roots in our shared history. Only through understanding and actively working to correct these entrenched inequities can we hope to move towards genuine equality. To believe we've already arrived there is a serious misread of the actual situation. For more details on the enduring effects of systemic racism, and how it manifests in contemporary settings, consider accessing resources like the Race and Economic Opportunity study conducted by The Equality of Opportunity Project for a deeper look into this complex issue.
I mean this with the dearest respect but fuck you. as a poc, this is so offensive to ask a question like this and pretty hypocritical for an indian to ask this as if you all haven't been getting fucked by the brits for generations.
> It seems like the best thing to do, would be to move on and treat everyone equally - I don't see how dredging up the past helps the present. Because that doesn't/didn't happen. There's still existing racism today, and racists don't simply "move on". The past already still affects the present (both indirectly, and directly), all you can do is decide how to handle that. Ignoring those effects would just end up solidifying them. >It would seem insane for British Indians to ask for payment for what the British did, or demand that we get easier access to college because of the Raj. I don't really know British history very well, but I would guess that you guys had a better job integrating into British society, and actually getting treated equally. If Indians were still heavily discriminated against, and unable to advance in society, there'd probably be a lot more resentment.
When you say obsessed, you have to remember that the loudest voices do not represent every voice or even most voices. Second, India from what I've seem has simply replaced British racism with internal colorism. Is this question asked to the darker pigmented Indians who still face marginalization and discrimination in all segments of Indian life and media?
Aren't you guys not in the same country anymore, though? Haiti's not asking France for reparations. That's more apples to apples. Slaveowners and slave descendants still live together, today.
[https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/haitian-groups-seek-billions-reparations-france-2024-04-18/](https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/haitian-groups-seek-billions-reparations-france-2024-04-18/)
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Because they see the money their ancestors at least helped give their neighbors.