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I agree with the comments equating Imu's comment with those by Jessie Jackson, Chris Rock, etc. and I have very little respect for Sharpton. This entire incident and national discussion just brought to the surface yet again the fact that we, as a nation, have a long way to go in race relations.
What troubles me are the comments that blacks shoudl "get over it, "let go of the hate" and the "wounds of the past", equating affirmative action with racism"......
Despite the progress made in our lifetime, if you are black in America today, you are far more likely that those of us who are white, to still be a victim of racisim and in a much more meaningful and damaging way that through ugly and ignorant jokes or public comments...b e it in the form of job discrimination, "driving while black", redlining by financial instititutions, treatment in the criminal justice system, and numerous other ways.
I absolutely agree that we must move on...but we also must recognize that institutional racism is not the simply the slavery of 150 years ago, or the "whites only" signs of 50 years ago. It is the practices that continues today, and until we, as the white majority, accept and understand that the feeling of victimization is real...We cant simply say..."get over it and move on".
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"The perfect is the enemy of the good."
~ Voltaire
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