Roots : WHITE PEOPLE…WHAT DO YOU…

THINK about this film and slavery in general? Do you really feel bad for what your ancestors did to blacks, do you care or do you feel it has nothing to do with you?

Why?

@ DarkReviewer

True they are all dead but there's a question we should address: Would you say that America would be as properous a nation today if slavery in the USA had never taken place?

"True they are all dead but there's a question we should address: Would you say that America would be as properous a nation today if slavery in the USA had never taken place?"

I know that this post is old and all, but I wanna answer it.

Yes, the US would still be rich. Slaves did not make the US rich, the industrialisation did. Look at Europe, did they have any slaves at home there? No. Are they rich? Yes.

LOL, you're an idiot.

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veronica
Zay, I hope you sign up, because you KNOW we need you here

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uhalf right but the U.S. would not be the same had not slavery occured tobacco and cotton were royaltyamong the south these were shipped to the north where they manufactured it. slavery was the backbone of this country. if it were not for the free labor of africans europeans would have traveled back home native slavery proved failed b/c of easy escape sorry but america would be totally diff.

Europe is also rich because of the profits they made on slavery, as part of the triangle of trade. Look it up. Nevermind 500 years of European colonization of the Americas, Africa, the Pacific Rim, and Australasia.

Many European countries did have slavery: England, Portugal, Spain, France, etc., but they abolished it years before the USA did. Much like with other events later on in world history, Americans were kind of slow when it came to "waking-up" and responding to the call to follow the examples of appropriate behavior towards one's fellow man.

["Yes, they deserve to die! I hope they burn in H***" - Carl Lee Hailey, "A Time to Kill"]

Do you really feel bad for what your ancestors did to blacks, do you care or do you feel it has nothing to do with you?


It makes me feel sick. We're watching this in African-Canadian Studies right now (I live in Canada) and it's shocking. I know slaves escaped to Canada because we didn't have slaves here and there was less racism, -still a lot but we didnt have slaves. so I know that most of my ancestors wouldn't have had slaves, but it bothers me.

Well, not to be picky, but not all white people ARE of British descent. My grandparents (Mom's side) and great-grandparents (Dad's side) came from Sweden, so it would be OK to call me Swedish-American, but not British-American since I don't have any British ancestry at all.

Of course, I don't go around describing myself as a "Swedish-American" because that would just be silly. If I need to describe myself by race, I say that I'm white or caucasian.

Now, I can respect the feelings of those who prefer not to be called "black" due to negative connotations they feel the word has. I personally don't think that it's bad to be "black," and generally use that term. When I find out that an individual has a preference for a particular term, I try to use it in his or her presence.

There have been many euphemisms created for the Negro race spurred mainly from the guilt that they are considered racial slurs by non-Negros. I say return to the scientific designation and be done with it.

I agree. Africa has at least 3 distinct races that are native to it. Only one is Negro. There are Africans of Arab and middle-eastern decent and even whites. African is a description of nationality African-American would imply that you have both African and American citizenship. If not, you're just American.

Indeed. Charlize Theron is an African American. Gorgeous one at that. Quite talented too. Wish more African Americans were like her.

HAHHAHAH! My wife used to work with an Armenian woman who was born in Sudanand she insisted the 'Homies' at work called her an African American.she was tough as nail so by golly they DID!




Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?

"homies"? Learn how to regard other human beings with respect, because you're holding back civilization from real progress.

The caucasian from Africa would handle her self.


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Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?

You're kind of a disgusting racist, aren't you?

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You're kind of a disgusting racist, aren't you?

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Not at all. I'd wager you are though, but have been indoctrinated with a severe misconception as to what racism truly is, probably by some leftist propagandist. My jibe about Ms. Theron really bothers you doesn't it. Why?

By the by. Quote the phrase you are responding to if you are going to respond to more than one person at a time on a thread this long. Hard to follow you if you don't. Especially if your response is such a simple-minded sentiment.

Sorry but Canada DID have slaves as well. Much of the British Empire did until 1833. And many studies have shown that blacks experienced much of the same racism as they did in the USA when they immigrated to Canada.

I think this subject falls under the heading Mark Twain established when he observed "people can be so cruel to one another.." and I prefer to take responsibility for historical happenings in that contextwhat potential darkness lives in all human souls.

For individual opinions, ignorances, and actions of the past, I bear no responsibility. If I fail to learn from those opinions, ignorances and actions, I'm not only responsible, I'm guilty. Oppression of people is wrong. Period. In the USA that includes (to name a few) genocide of Native Americans, Black Slavery, Oppression of Women, de facto slavery of Chinese railroad workers, the share-cropping system, industrial slavery of all sorts, persecution and incarceration of Japanese Americans, Jim Crow Laws, McCarthyism, and, denial of rights on the basis of sexual orientation. And the USA represents a just a small sampling of human history on this planet.

Injustice pains me deeply. The fact that I happen to be white has less to do with it than the fact that I am human. Whether I'm watching ROOTS, SCHINDLER'S LIST, or GHANDI it is the sameI'm reminded to what depths human beings can fall in their treatment of others. Hopefully, this serves as a warning: No one is so "good" that they don't have the potential to be "evil," and we ignore history at the peril of reliving it!

Whats this ish about people's ancestors?? It was only a few Whites in the South who owned slaves. Certianly you cannot pin this on the whole white race! What about the Blacks in Africa who sold slaves to Europeans?

Sorry but Canada DID have slaves as well. Much of the British Empire did until 1833. And many studies have shown that blacks experienced much of the same racism as they did in the USA when they migrated to Canada.

I think this was an excellent film, and I make sure to watch it whenever it is on. It is a remarkable work, showing the history of our nation. It's not even the history of slavery, but about much of American history, which is largely intertwined.

It is impossible for me to feel bad about what my ancestors did to blacks, as they were Irish and immigrated to this country between the 1870s and the turn of the century. And Irish immigrants at the turn of the century were treated roughly equal to African Americans at the same time. However, even though MY ancestors had nothing to do with slavery, our nations past has a lot to do with me, as even now we have to deal with the fallout of slavery.

"Irish immigrants at the turn of the century were treated roughly equal to African Americans at the same time"

I'm a college graduate and I've never been taught this info on the Irish Immigrants being treated EQUALLY to blacks. I've heard of indentured servants who were freed after 7 years, but they are different from the slaves depicted in this movie. Is that what your ancestors were, indentured servants? If so, those are totally different oppression!

I just finished watching this and I thought it was amazing. In answer to the original poster though, I am a 26 year old white man and I feel no responsibility for the actions of my ancestors, of course it was absolutely despicable the way the black people were treated but I do not feel it has anything to do with me the same way that I don't think the Germans of today should be blamed for the Holocaust. What I think is odd though is that today in Eastern Europe there are more slaves than there has ever been before and this should be given a lot more coverage and attention as it is truly a terrible state of affairs.

Actually, my intent was to say that Irish immigrants were looked down upon and discriminated against in circa-1900 America, as African Americans were. In 1900 America, there were no slaves, and there had not been slaves for 35 years. However, ex-slaves and their children were still looked down upon and disciminated against, abused, lynched, etc. So I was not comparing the experience of Irish immigrants to slaves, at least at the time my ancestors came here, because there WERE no slaves at that time. Just certain classes of people (African Americans, Irish Americans, Polish Americans) who were looked down upon by a "ruling class".

Te_Marie, The Irish were socially relegated by White Americans as similar to Blacks. Actually every new group that immigrated to the United States was treated as such and experienced xenophobia. It's not the same as being Black, because Black is the antithesis of White, but the Irish were not accepted with open arms, but they still had privilege over Blacks because they looked White. Eventually, the Irish gained social mobility and were accepted as "White" by Whites. With a booming economy, the U.S expanded its workforce by hiring more Whites (European immigrants) and excluding Blacks. I also graduated from college.

Did you ever take any classes on race and ethnicity or gender and class? I am absolutely obsessed with race, gender and class. There's a book called How the Irish Became WhiteI have it somewhere in storage and I'm going to get around to reading it one day.

Te_marie, who ISN'T a college graduate? It's not as if it's a mark of distinction anymore.
Google "No Irish Need Apply."






Get me a bromide! And put some gin in it!

spmecevoy,

You really need to stop that lyin! Irish people werent treated roughly equal to African Americans at the time. Thats a bunch of BS!

What they did to Africans if the worse genocide in History. For every one black that made it alive to the America's Four died!

My ancestors didn't do squat. Why are the black people the only ones still going on and on about what happened? There are Holocaust survivors around today, some talk about what happened due to so many people actually thinking it didn't happen, and they are not talking about sueing the companies who profited from them, or STILL blaming white/german people for what happened. It's very annoying how we all have became so politcally correct we don't want to be honest, don't want to offend any other race; God forbid. There are white people, black people, asian people etc. Why are we all of a sudden "watching what we say"? I am a white woman, not caucasian. I have never been to "caucasia" and don't plan on it. Just like black people have not come from Africa. If you do some research you'll find that the actual African's HATE that black people in the U.S are called "African Americans". There that should piss some people off, and probably make a lot of white people think, hey yea i agree with her :) But racial tensions have and always will be around forever. We all want our own race to succeed and noone else's.

Maybe b/c modern day slavery still exist today as well as oppression against blacks. Actually, I know more non-blacks who complain about what the WHITE MAN did to them, so just because you don 't know of any complaining doesn't mean there aren't any. And how do you know what your ancestors did?

I am a white male (half anyway, white, not male) and do not feel guilty about what people that may or may not have been related to me did hundreds of years ago, or even a hundred years ago.

With that being said, I do have great sympathy for African Americans and the struggles they have overcome in the past hundred years, African Americans where not treated with the same humanity as Anglo/Wasp Americans.

However, I think that it should be said that Americans and "whites" are not the only people/group to have enslaved or treated other human beings this way but sometimes it seems like white americans suffer the burden more than other groups or countries. It's not fair, its not fair for whites or blacks, or browns or yellow or any other race, but it has been a fact of life for a very long time and YES even Africans had slaves and decimated whole populations of people.

Its a sad mark on our history as humans, one we should never forget, but should learn to get past.

anyone wants to chat about it can email I dont really check these much
RamsesEternal@aol.com

Well said.

flygrl191:

"Why are the black people the only ones still going on and on about what happened"

Ever here the expression from jews "Never forgive, never forget" about the HOllocaust?

The Jews did want and recive justice for what happened and still want war criminals hunted down.

"We all want our own race to succeed and noone else's"

That is exactly, exactly what Hitler and the nazi's preached. Exactly. Damn the Jews. We want Germany to win. But its not true. There were germans who didn't think that way and SChindler was only one. And whites marched with King.


"Just like black people have not come from Africa. If you do some research you'll find that the actual African's HATE that black people in the U.S are called "African Americans".

A chinese person born in America, is called Chinese after the country. He would be called Chinese American if he never even saw China so would the Irish, German and all others.

The posting was very ignorant.

If you do some research you'll find that the actual African's HATE that black people in the U.S are called "African Americans".

True, but (according to my Nigerian ex) it's more because Americans generalize the entire continent to represent the same people. It's the same as calling Iraqis "Asian" because Iraq is on the continent of Asia. The vast cultural/national differences deserve more respect than being considered one in the same out of laziness and ignorance.

Why do we have to compare which was worseThe Holocaust or Slavery? They were both horrible crimes to humanity.

It's sickening to watch human beings treat other humanslike they are less than human or worse. It boggles the mind how anyone could have a heart and have any morals and do these things.

Trust me, I know exactly where my ancestor's came from. It's called a family tree which my aunt found our relatives dating back to the 1500's. NONE of us lived in the south or owned any slaves. We have lived in the midwest always.

So your'e saying that you know for a fact that NONE of your ancesotrs lived anywhere else? Slave owners weren't just in the South you know. So,you can account for EVERY SINGLE ONE of your ancestors, that's interesting. I can't say that your ancestors were slave owners or not, but it's just interesting how you can account for each blood line and where they lived or did not live!

Okay, total honesty here.

I remember watching Roots in 1977 when I was in high school. I remember feeling disbelief at how blacks were treated and feeling very sorry.

But I've been watching parts of it for the first time since then on TV this week and the main thing I think now is, the look in Kunta Kinte's eyes is the look of hatred I see in EVERY black person (mainly men) under 30 I see in this world and a whole hell of a lot of the rest of them. Hatred and the "I dare you to look at me wrong or say a word if I cut in front of you or give me a dirty look if act rudely for no reason" stare. It wasn't so back then. Roots seems to have been a turning point, causing much more hatred between the races. What's sad about that is, I think whites were hit over the head with this series in '77 and truly felt some shame. But blacks have since taken the
"I want more, more, more because of slavery" thing too far and whites are sick of it. They lost any good will this miniseries could have sent their way. When I hear Fiddler in the last two eps.(who I remember being my favorite character in 1977) all I pick up on are "the white man.." this and that, it reminds me that is all I hear on from blacks on TV now and it has gotten old. In other words, the sorrow of how badly they were treated has been lost on me because of the way today's blacks act. My change in attitude is strictly because of the attitude "you whites will NEVER do enough to make up for slavery no matter WHAT you say or do." I truly feel blacks will never be happy unless white people become THEIR slaves. Do two wrongs make a right?

- I truly feel blacks will never be happy unless white people become THEIR slaves. Do two wrongs make a right?-

Wholy fright do i believe in THAT phrase! Oh and yes i know excactly where my ancestors lived. In case you haven't done your research lots of states were free states. I think what you are getting confused is the difference between slavery and lynching, two TOTALLY different things. So no my ancestor's did NOT own slaves. But let's talk about the black people who owned slaves