A "white" history month?

[crimsonarcher]

I remember someone posting this on a myspace bulletin ages ago, but it stuck with me; if there was such a thing as a white history day, many people would flag it as racist and discriminatory. I just wanted to see what ECers had to say about this.
Thoughts?

[djt820]

You know what? This is a bunch of fucking shit. Same with black history month. It causes pride and elitism. We dont need a fucking month to celebrate the color of our skin and insult other's colors of skin. It causes ignorant bigotry, pride, and is completely inhumane and unimportant. Wanna know about white or black history? Read a book. A month dedicated to this is dumb as all hell.
*rant over*

Originally Posted by djt820

You know what? This is a bunch of fucking shit. Same with black history month. It causes pride and elitism. We dont need a fucking month to celebrate the color of our skin and insult other's colors of skin. It causes ignorant bigotry, pride, and is completely inhumane and unimportant. Wanna know about white or black history? Read a book. A month dedicated to this is dumb as all hell.
*rant over*

True but its going to happen.

The word white has a lot of noteriety thanks to the KKK, SKin heads, and Nazi movments.Their movements were in the name of the "White" culture which doesnt really exsist. There were so many bad things that happend under for the sake of white skinned people in the past. Everyone remembers the bad, no one cares for anything good. Watch the news and you;ll know what I mean. You know as well as I do, if somthing like white history month came up kkk's, skin heads's and nazi's parties would be all over the new because of their websites and comments. Nothing about george washington or thomas edison.

[Lexington]

As the old saying goes, "every month is white history month".

Lex

[littledinosaurs]

White history is irrelevant cause they've never done anything to better their situation/themselves.
They have been empowered throughout history.

[partietraumatic]

white people have not been persecuted and been surpressed, thus they have no reason to have a month celebrating the end of being supressed and oppressed.

There is something in the point that one would probably be called racist if you suggested there shouldnt be a black history month or suggested there would be a white history one. I do often feel as a white middle class male people can say what they like about me lol

[djt820]

Originally Posted by littledinosaurs

White history is irrelevant cause they've never done anything to better their situation/themselves.
They have been empowered throughout history.

Debateable. I believe white males are becoming scapegoats and are now a target.

[Black Cat]

I feel that a whole month dedicated to "white" history would be unneccesary. What we really need is a month dedicated to showing how all races are equal, no particular color is better or worse than the other. I know it makes me sound like a total hippie, but we are really all the same, some of us just come in different flavors.

[Shevanel]

Originally Posted by Black Cat

I feel that a whole month dedicated to "white" history would be unneccesary. What we really need is a month dedicated to showing how all races are equal, no particular color is better or worse than the other. I know it makes me sound like a total hippie, but we are really all the same, some of us just come in different flavors.

We shouldn't need a month for people to know that. =/

[acorn7]

Having a white history month would be like having a straight pride parade... pointless.

[Chip]

When I was a student at Oberlin College (very liberal/radical, hippie-loving college), this was a constant topic of discussion. There was a Third World House, an African Heritage House, several other minority program houses, and a black student organization that got away with saying "every black (not just African-American, btw) person on campus is assumed to be a member of this group."

Now... I can most definitely agree that there are still, 150 years after slavery was abolished, clear signs of racism and disadvantageous treatment exist toward the African-American population. But it is funny how there really is a strong adverse reaction to any sort of implication that this is reverse racism.

Someone at Oberlin proposed (jokingly) the idea of starting an Affluent Heritage House, or a First World House, and then a discussion ensued about how whomever publicly announced that would undoubtedly be ripped to shreds.

I do think there's a value to having days or months to highlight parts of our history that perhaps are not as well taught or discussed as they should be, and so for that reason I think Black History Month serves a purpose. But I think that there's a fine line between that sort of thing and separatism, which I don't think benefits our society.

[Black Cat]

Originally Posted by SurferDude420

We shouldn't need a month for people to know that. =/

I agree, but some people out there feel otherwise.

We don't need a white history month just like we don't need a straight pride month. The vast majority of history studied is white, Western history. I can't speak for black people, but I know that I value pride events because they provide an oppurtunity to come together as a community that is often the victim of discrimination; I'd expect the same is true for black people who still face racism.

well whites already have their white history day on such heritage festivals that celebrate German culture, Italian culture and Irish culture on certain days of the year. Days like St Pats day and and Greek Orthodox easter are really good and not racist. However the term white history day is a racist term.

[Markio]

I believe there's a month to focus on "black history" because it has often been downplayed or omitted in mainstream history texts. I don't think the month is meant to segregate people, but rather it can serve as an opportunity to enrich ourselves on the history and trials of a group that still faces unjust struggles today.

That being said, mainstream American history already seems to focus on the pursuits and accomplishments of white people, and so it would be redundant to have a month t focus on what is already focused on.

I don't think there is "reverse racism". There's just "racism", and it exists for all races in some form. Recently my friends and I were loading bags into the back of a car to leave, and I asked if they needed any help loading their bags. My friend said jokingly, "You white male, you think you can jump in and do anything!" I didn't say anything back, but that hurt me. I felt like I did something wrong for just being who I am.

Originally Posted by djt820

Debateable. I believe white males are becoming scapegoats and are now a target.

Well, it also depends on your environment. If you're a minority in your area, that can definitely happen. I don't remember who mentioned reverse racism but it's definitely there. I've seen reverse racism quite a bit...and I think we're told (as a society) that it doesn't happen and when it does that white people are supposed to ignore it. And many people like to deny it but trust me, it's there.

Being bi-racial, I feel I can say black people can be just as racist/prejudiced as white people. I feel much more judged and biased against from that specific minority than any other. And that's something someone can never tell me doesn't exist--because it does. I've experienced it first hand and it sucks when you're told:

"Lol Wtf? Go play with the white boys " by a group of them.

Yeah, not fun to deal with.

If you want to discuss (or anyone at that matter) reverse discrimination or race relations, I'd be more than happy to. Got plenty of experience there. I identify as white 90% of the time. Imagine explaining that on job applications. (had a bad experience there before too)
The same thing has happened with me with black people because they assume that just because we have the same skin color that I am going to be sympathetic or chummy with them.

Wrong.

Calling me nasty words, bro, son, or even dawg annoys me more than anything. I've chewed nearly 90% of the black guys (mainly guys) who've done that to me. Some people have that Angry Black Man Phobia, but let me tell you--I don't. I don't like having to deal with that bull shit. And I've never backed down from one just because they were, 'scary.'

Besides. I hate getting labeled that. And I get that a lot. But being 6'6, and my face stuck in 'angry mode', I can tell I am intimidating. Most would never guess about my affinity for man bits.

[hiker360]

agree, sorta maybe a little more calm about it(without the angry words)

Originally Posted by djt820

We dont need a month to celebrate the color of our skin and insult other's colors of skin.

sure people should be happy for who they are, notrub it in anothers face( i guess the exception would be if you have a good reason to do it *gay pride week or month *

[hiker360]

QUOTE=Black Cat;515316]I feel that a whole month dedicated to "white" history would be unneccesary. What we really need is a month dedicated to showing how all races are equal, no particular color is better or worse than the other. I know it makes me sound like a total hippie, but we are really all the same, some of us just come in different flavors.[/QUOTE]
WAY TRUE

[joeyconnick]

Inasmuch as "racism" defines a systemic, endemic issue where one skin colour (white) is privileged over all others, there can be no such things as "reverse racism" (at least not in Canada, the US, and other "white" or "initially white" countries). Sure, black people and even groups of black people, or native Canadians or groups of them, can discriminate against white people, but they don't and can't benefit from the fact that our laws and institutions are inherently biased in favour of white people.

Saying that white people can suffer from "reverse racism" is, therefore, bunk. And the notion that white people (or Christians, who are often prone to whine "discrimination! War on Christmas!" or men or heterosexuals) are disadvantaged in modern Western/Northern society in any manner equivalent to what non-white or non-Christian or non-male or non-hetero people have to face is not just ridiculous but patently insane.

Sure, a straight guy could get harrassed by a group of gay guys in a gay village, but the straight guy doesn't have to walk around as a general rule and worry that he might get bashed for being straight. Same with women: a group of them could threaten or even attack a man but dollars to doughnuts that man does not have to think about his personal safety at night like women generally do. He doesn't have to worry about rape the way a woman does. That's not to say he can't get raped, just that it's not this pervasive fear and scarily frequent outcome for men.

[Ronnie92]

all my thoughts have been voiced....

WAY TO GO!
^_^