Ancestors: Past, present, and future? Why is America so divided? Why is Race/Nationality still an issue?

Ok, this is a topic that has people completely and totally divided, but why? Where did your ancestors come from? I am not asking this to be funny, this is a serious matter! Yes, I am a white guy, but what is my nationality? Well, I was born in Texas, that makes me an American, right?

I have ancestors from Germany, and Sicily, does that make me a German-Sicilian-American? No, just an American. Doesn’t this same rule apply to everyone? No! Why is it that some won’t let go of the past?

Just because your grandfather came here from Mexico, why are you a Mexican-American? Why is it that people whose ancestors came here 200 plus years ago, are still called African-American?

Here is the way I see it, if you know who Dikembe Mutumbo is, (excuse me if I spelled that wrong), he is from Africa, and Plays basketball with the Houston Rockets, if he were to become an American Citizen, he would be an African-American, because he was born there, right? If he was to have children born here, they would be Americans, right?

Doesn’t an ancestor represent the past? I know about Germany, because I lived there, I married a girl from there and have a daughter, who was born there, guess what, she is a German! They don’t have any body that calls themselves American-Germans! So what is up with America? But my family, from there or elsewhere, became Americans! Many even changed their name so that it sounded more American, what happened to assimilation?

Ok, way back when, American’s owned slaves, none of my ancestors did, and actually, not many families did since most Americans were immigrants, so, it was a select few, relatively speaking, so, why is it that “African-Americans” as they call themselves, won’t let it go? That was a long long time ago! Yes, the civil rights didn’t get right as quick as slavery went away, but now, anybody of any race, can do anything that any other race can, right? No!Read this post, among many others on Sweetness & Light, one of my favorite blogs.

Now don’t misunderstand my intentions here, it is all of this mess brought on by that Reverend Wright, and what I now understand as that particular church’s beliefs. Here is my fear, maybe that belief goes beyond that one church? I know that when I attend church, usually watching Pastor Joel Osteen, on TV, I see people of all different colors, all sitting together, according to Reverend Wright, they are wrong! I find this very disturbing.

I know that if Paster Joel were to start spewing hatred, it would be all over the news in minutes! Why did it take so long to expose this Reverend Wright? Is there a conspiracy here? Since Barack Obama called this his church, and their doctrine is plain to see, how can he expect anyone to believe that he didn’t know? This is really a scary thought!

If this ideology of hatred is wide spread, do the darker people I know, just act like they are my friends, when really they hate me, just because I am white? That really paints an ugly picture of the future of this country! I get chills just thinking about it!

I always thought being a racist meant that a person of one race, hates another just because they are of that race. After seeing some interviews on the news, it appears that a racist is somebody that belongs to a race that has, at some point, oppressed another race! Just because someone that believes as Reverend Wright does, is black, and hates white people, they can’t be a racist, because black people have never oppressed white people! That is absurd! If a green man hates a blue man just because he is blue, then the green man is a racist! Right? (see the map above)

Maybe I am naive? I really thought that our country (USA) had moved on from these issues, guess not? I know that as a “white” guy, it has been shoved down my throat since I was a kid, that everybody is the same and to accept everybody, does this change things? If am accepting everybody, but, everybody isn’t accepting me, there is something wrong with that picture!

When I was a kid, late 60’s early 70’s, I got in trouble for asking what I thought was a good question, I must have been about 7 or so, and my teacher went off as if I had shot somebody! What was the question? Remember, that was during the civil rights era. I asked, “Why is there a show called “Black” ViewPoint, but not one called ‘White” ViewPoint”, wasn’t that a legitimate question? I know that we didn’t even have a black kid in my school, who was I going to offend?

It just really gets me, that a preacher can get away with all that hatred, remember what I said about preachers? I just don’t trust them!

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