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From: gregbo@houxm.UUCP (Greg Skinner)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.politics
Subject: Re: White greed
Message-ID: <1140@houxm.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 17-Feb-85 11:55:26 EST
Article-I.D.: houxm.1140
Posted: Sun Feb 17 11:55:26 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 19-Feb-85 07:58:56 EST
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> From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate)

> My mother, on the other hand, never got a chance to go to college.

Good point.  My mother did, so did my father.  However, there was a time when
no blacks could go to college (let alone any type of school), not because they
couldn't pay for it or couldn't qualify, but because it was illegal to teach
them how to read and write, because if they were able to read and write they
would have been able to communicate with each other, exchange with each other
how bad conditions were on the plantation, plot escapes and free those still in
captivity.

> Sure, there are rich white folk.  There are also working class and even poor
> white folk too.  This 'inheritance' you speak of simply doesn't exist the way
> you seem to be claiming.  Those rich gentleman farmers in Virginia don't care
> about the white poor any more than they care about the black poor; neither do
> those corporate executives.  

I'll agree here.  Historically, poor whites were the lowest on the totem pole
before blacks were introduced into America.  The first indentures were poor
whites, most of whom came to America to serve under masters instead of serving
time in prison.  When slavery began in America, the indentures became the
overseers of slaves, and generally speaking were the cruellest to the slaves
(although some received their orders directly from the masters, others inter-
preted their orders to mean that slaves needed to be beaten into submission).

> Is a white street person any better off than his black counterpart?

I would say yes, considering that due to the prevailing prejudice in our nation,
blacks are generally more feared, less respected, less trusted and thereby more
mistreated than their white counterparts.

> Mr. Ellis, it is YOU, the fortunate, who has an obligation, not only to your
> black brothers, but to your white brothers as well.  I have the same
> responsibility.  I send money to a number of groups, most of which are
> spending the money in (for instance) southeast DC, where need is great.  I
> don't care whether the people it eventually goes to are black, white, or
> purple.

I agree, in fact it is the responsibility of all of us to work for the 
improvement of socioeconomic conditions for all our brothers.  (I have been 
flamed about making such a statement before, look out for an outbreak in 
net.politics about liberals vs. conservatives!)

> ... Charley Wingate points out ways in which poor whites bear the brunt
> of all affirmative action plans ...

I agree, see above.

> In this country, justice is not supposed to be based upon who a person's
> ancestors were.  Nothing I do now can change the facts of the past, and I
> find it monstrous to suggest otherwise.  

This is true.  It has been said by many (on and off the net) that *they* were
not the slaveowners, neither did they condone the actions of those who owned
slaves, and that they should not have to pay for the deeds of those that have
gone before them.  However, more needs to be done than has already been done
to repair the evils done to blacks, native Americans, and anyone else who has
paid for enabling our nation to be where it is today.
-- 
			... hey, we've gotta get out of this place,
    			    there's got to be something better than this ...

Greg Skinner (gregbo)
{allegra,cbosgd,ihnp4}!houxm!gregbo