National White History Month

Not sure how long this thread will live but I thought I would at least give it a shot. For those that need reassurance via words, I'm not racist. I am for everyone getting a fair shot which is why I want to see Affirmative Action go away. It's not useful any longer.

What is useful is knowing every February, my family (wife, 2 sons and myself) along with the rest of America will learn how various past/present African-Americans were able to help our country one way or another. That is great! What I would like to see as well is a White History month. A month that we learn about past/present white Americans would be equally great. Keep it fair. No reason we couldn't do with a little reminder about some of America's forefathers along with some from our time.

What's interesting is that women have a Women's History Month (March) which includes all races of women. So why not change February to Men's History Month and learn about all races of men? Or if you want, make one month just for White Americans. Either way, I think it is only fair to have a White History Month or a Men's History Month.

We have to be fair to everyone, right?



-edit to fix splling

[edit on 15-12-2009 by Roadblockx]

Well If we have one, we should also include Latino history month, Asian history month and Arab history month. Personally I think we should do away with all of it. singling out one or two races or one sex is prejudice.

reply to post by Roadblockx




We have a "White history" month/year etc.... it's called History.

I see what you're saying but... i dunno man.



The reason those other, specifically focused "history months" are needed is because crusty old white men wrote history and left much of it out... ie, women and anyone not white.

What about a native american month, do you have that?

Let's add cow and turkey month, they've been abused pretty harshly for centuries.

That was my point. If you are going to focus blacks and women, aren't you missing a little bit more like whites, indians, asians, etc, etc.. and men? I say you have a women's month and a men's month and learn about the various races of those men/women in the month.

reply to post by TheLaughingGod


Forgot that one in my list, i knew I was missing someone. Of course then we would also need to add a gay history month.

Yes White men wrote the history books, but the truth isn't hidden so much any more. In my History 1b class we spent more time learning about African Americans than anything else. I was quite disappointed because there were a lot of other topics I was hoping to learn about, I wasn't expecting just to focus on one subject for the entire semester, especially when we were supposed to be covering all U.S. History from the mid 1800's to the mid 1900's.

I would hate to break it to you, but think back to your own elementary school experience. Doesn't it seem that you were learning a European history? In America, history is told through the white man's lens. That's why when other cultures and races appear in your high school history book, such as Native Americans, they are written as a side note or they are simply reduced to food, fabric, and festival.

Whiteness is already the transendental norm, so it would be repetetive to have a white history month because history is already white and male. Hence, we have women's history month and the history months for different cultures. There does not have to be a month for white American men because that is already the history lesson taught in schools 24/7.

Benjamin Franklin, you know how it wasn't mentioned that he was a white American male specifically in your history book with a side note on White American culture and struggle? That's because white and male is the norm when talking about American history.

And I'm sorry, but even though you may believe that every person is on the same playing field in the real world, there is still a lot of prejudice that exists under the table. You don't realize it because you aren't exposed to it. Equal opportunity...we're closer but not yet there.

I highly encourage you to read "White Like Me" by Tim Wise and you will understand more than I can possibly explain here. Amazon it. It's worth the read if you're truly interested in the reasons why there is no white history month.
I appreciate your honesty in asking the question.

Originally posted by blupblup
reply to post by Roadblockx

 

The reason those other, specifically focused "history months" are needed is because crusty old white men wrote history and left much of it out... ie, women and anyone not white.

Roadblockx, I see what you're saying, but I tend to agree with blupblup on this one...

This is an extremely sensitive and very personal topic to a lot of people that may be a lot less understanding, so don't be surprised if you get flamed for this one...

Originally posted by Roadblockx
That was my point. If you are going to focus blacks and women, aren't you missing a little bit more like whites, indians, asians, etc, etc.. and men? I say you have a women's month and a men's month and learn about the various races of those men/women in the month.

Why should we learn more about men and whites when we have access to history books/wikipedia?

Black history month and women history month is rather a celebration due to their adversity because of their race/gender.

reply to post by blupblup


Oh man.... That's not completely accurate. History is filled with a lot of interesting white people (I think you are helping my point of view). I would kick it with George Washington on some Rock Band or play Modern Warfare 2 with Henry Ford.... What about Patton, Wright Brothers, etc....

You should be able to write a small paper from your knowledge of white history month based on what others think is drilled into us in school. Instead, I could write that much about black americans not white.

I am against all of these "race of the month - months". By learning about one specific race, you are not learning about another, and how is that fair? Plus, you learn about the same things each time the month rolls around.
I have a better idea. "Nation Year" (Every Year) You remember/learn about your nation and all peoples involved in it. This replaces the black, white, arab, asian, hispanic, green, purple, and silver History Months with stuff that is non-discriminatory towards any specific race. If it was important to your country, you'll be learning of it.

I resent being called white as much as an African resents being called a darkie. I am peach colored and tan darker than most Mexicans.

Originally posted by Roadblockx
That was my point. If you are going to focus blacks and women, aren't you missing a little bit more like whites, indians, asians, etc, etc.. and men? I say you have a women's month and a men's month and learn about the various races of those men/women in the month.

I say we give up Black History month, White history month, women's history month. Scrub it all.

Give us a "Mankind History Year" that way you are always learning about anything and everything that anyone and everyone has done. All races, creeds, and sexes included. Get rid of any and all specific race "committees" or "administrations" I'm tired of this race junk. You have skin, hair, eyes, mind, and a heart. You are the same as me.

I have a unique perspective on this as an American that studies Spanish.

What is it braveheart's opening line says ? something about history written by victors? It's true.
So,
For a Spanish Final last year I had to read an article that was written in Spanish and then I had to reply to it in Spanish.
The article was about American Corporations in the 1850's and 60's and the acquistion of South American Land. It told of American Corporations burning their own land and facilities before leaving when the local governments insisted that the land be returned to its proper owners.
I know I have never read anything like that in any American History Book.
The article was from a textbook and the article was based on actual events.
Humanity is what needs to be celebrated.
Everyday of every year should have five minutes where people stop and think about being a part of the human race and how extraordinary that really is.
Then we will all stop trying to separate ourselves.

The funny thing is, the "adversity" will never stop, so things like this will continue to grow. We will have a white history month in the future, as that's the only time it will be taught, the rest of the time we'll learn about all of the special people who have been down trodden through out history.

What a concept. Right up there with the absurd notion of reverse-racism, and the idea that the .01% of the budget that goes towards welfare is what is bankrupting the US?

Okay, I am going to say what I have heard a lot in private talks, but never heard in public or on TV.
Is it okay to have Black Entertainment Television(BET), but not WET?
Is it okay to have Ebony Magazine but not Ivory?
Is it okay to have Black Hairstyles Magazine but not White Hairstyles?
Is it okay to have Black Entertainer Magazine, but not another?
Is it okay to have college courses designed for African American studies, but not another?
Why is it politically correct to call black people African Americans and another race is just white?
Why is it taboo to talk about the fact a majority of people in prison are black? If we are allowed to acknowledge this fact, perhaps a problem can be addressed and solved. Instead it is always perceived as a white cop racial profiling. Maybe it IS that most crimes are committed by blacks, for what ever reason. It still doesn't make it any less of a crime.

Oh, I can sense there are a lot of peeps ready to flame me, but hold on... These are legitimate and fair questions. I realize the past of white supremacy and oppression, however, these issues create new problems between our two races that continue to divide us.
If "African Americans" are entitled to watch a 24 hr tv channel without a bunch of white people, am I not entitled to the same right? I didn't wrong any one 150 years ago.

reply to post by Roadblockx


Henry Ford was a big supporter of Hitler's Germany. As were many other industrialists of the time. Just saying.

Originally posted by blupblup
reply to post by Roadblockx

 

We have a "White history" month/year etc.... it's called History.

I see what you're saying but... i dunno man.



The reason those other, specifically focused "history months" are needed is because crusty old white men wrote history and left much of it out... ie, women and anyone not white.

Well doesn't it make sense that you write the history of those around you? Why would white men in ages past write the history of say, China? Or the political atmospher in Africa in 1600 AD? I'd really enjoy reading the history of europeans as written by an arab, chinese, or african person....just to compare.
If crusty old white men hadn't wrote history as we know it, then who would've? Who did?
Forgive the whites for not keeping records of every civilization across the globe lol.