Why Is More Attention Given To Historical Racism Than Current Attrocities?

Racism. Truly an ugly aspect of the human condition.

But that’s just exactly what it is- a human problem that is not an inherent trait or specific to any group of people yet the world we live in focuses exclusively on examples of racism committed by one group; Europeans and their colonial descendants.

Note: this thread in no way seeks to minimise or downplay the results of conquest, colonialism and any attrocities associated with Europeans and colonialists.

People in minority and other ethnic groups who’s ancestors and forebears were victims of aforementioned European and Colonial racism and oppression are calling for things such as reparation payments, demanding apologies and shame from the current generations for the horrible acts committed in history.

Commentary on whether this is appropriate or not is a topic for another thread.

What leaves me dumbfounded is the fact that people (from all racial groups) would prefer to focus their efforts and energies on the injustices committed historically (sometimes hundreds of years ago) by the Europeans and Colonialists.

Here is a shortlist of racial oppression and attempted genocides for crying out loud happening TODAY, NOW in 2019 or as recently as 12 months ago;

-Attempted genocide on the Rohingya in Myanmar
-The Nuer and other ethnic groups in South Sudan
-Christians and Yazidi’s in Iraq and Syria
-West Papua occupation by Indonesia
-Uighur detainment and oppression in China
-The occupation of Palestine by the Zionists
-The Darfur in Sudan

I am sure there are also more to add.

Why is more attention and action applied to historical injustices committed by Europeans and making amends for things that happened in history than is directed towards stopping attrocities and crimes against humanity from happening today, right now as I type this!?

You will notice that none of the current events I have listed are being committed by Europeans.

It seems Europeans and post-colonial nations are held to a completely different standard when it comes to these issues. Western nations appear to be the only ones required and even attempting to make amends for racially motivated injustices.

Is it because it would destroy the dumb, white racist narrative being thrust upon Europeans and descendants of Europeans from all angles?

Over to you ATS

a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

Aside from the Israeli issue, all those instances you mention are carried out by groups traditionally seen as minorities (i.e. non-white) on either other non-white groups or in the case of the Christians a group traditionally viewed as an oppressor class - you can't oppress the oppressors.

And victims don't carry out victimization.

So basically, these stories are ignored because they are problematic to the chosen moral narratives and paradigms of the press.

a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

It is, in America anyway, a narrative of Progressives.

They need to push that America was never great at all and was built on racism.

Never mind the push by the Republican party since its inception to end slavery, pass an Amendment that allowed women to vote, got rid of segregation and Jim Crow laws.

All things the Democrats historically fought tooth and nail against or caused in the first place.

No, Progressives need to push the narrative that America was never great, the present sucks and the future is bkeak.

Because if America is a great country, we are doing better in our present and the future looks bright, then why would we surrender our money, time and actual freedoms to them so they can make their Utopia?

Racism in our history is constantly highlighted to promote the narrative that there are victims and there are the privileged in our country and THAT need fixed.

And they have the solution.

As a mixed race person, racism is a lot less now than it was in the 80's.

That goes against the narrative, however.

Fantastic responses, thank you both.

Lumenari, I agree with you that it is the distorted narrative of progressives who wish to burn everything we know and enjoy to the ground so as they can bring about their socialist utopia.

Convincing people of European ancestry they are inherently evil racists who need to repent for their sins at the altar of identity politics and appealing to minorities is their way of trying to garner majority support from what I can see.

Turn the world against any who disagree with this narrative, rob them of their wealth and redistribute it.

The wheel of time turns, though usually not this quickly.

a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

Racism is illegal in western countries.

So when it occurs in the west or is claimed to have occurred, then it becomes a big deal.

It's also a useful tool to push agendas.

a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

European colonizers have only one obligation: endlessly atoning for what we have inflicted on other parts of humanity. But self-denigration is all too clearly a form of indirect self-glorification. Evil can come only from us; other people are motivated by sympathy, good will, candor. This is the paternalism of the guilty conscience: seeing ourselves as the kings of infamy is still a way of staying on the crest of history.

― Pascal Bruckner, The Tyranny of Guilt: An Essay on Western Masochism

a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

Here is the VERY obvious and major distinction...


The people you are referring to being upset about the racism of the past are all Americans and Europeans...

So American slavery, segregation, exc is OUR history....

It effects OUR lives ..

So of course it would be more relevant to us than the lives of those in myamar exc..




More importantly Americans history of racism is not from some unknown past lol..

Segregation was 75 years ago...

Aka less than one life time ago..

Slavery was 150 years ago... aka less than 2 life times ago..


Also slavery wasn’t the worst things got.. the worst racial atrocities were committed AFTER the civil war...

During slavery there was a financial reason not to be crazy over the top brutal...

After abolition that reason was Gone...


So all the worst atrocities were not 300 years ago..

They were 140 years ago or less..

a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

That is like asking “why MADD (mothers against drunk drivers) doesn’t protest police shootings?!?! “


Because police shootings are not MADD’s issue..

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

Racism is illegal in western countries.

So when it occurs in the west or is claimed to have occurred, then it becomes a big deal.

It's also a useful tool to push agendas.

When did racism-become illegal?!?!

Because it isn’t...

Discrimination is illegal, you can be racist as you want outside the marketplace..

a reply to: JustJohnny

I stand corrected.

You are correct.

originally posted by: JustJohnny
a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

Here is the VERY obvious and major distinction...


The people you are referring to being upset about the racism of the past are all Americans and Europeans...

So American slavery, segregation, exc is OUR history....

It effects OUR lives ..

So of course it would be more relevant to us than the lives of those in myamar exc..




More importantly Americans history of racism is not from some unknown past lol..

Segregation was 75 years ago...

Aka less than one life time ago..

Slavery was 150 years ago... aka less than 2 life times ago..


Also slavery wasn’t the worst things got.. the worst racial atrocities were committed AFTER the civil war...

During slavery there was a financial reason not to be crazy over the top brutal...

After abolition that reason was Gone...


So all the worst atrocities were not 300 years ago..

They were 140 years ago or less..

Ok granted, though why is something that happened 150 years ago that has long past (admittedly not in historical terms of time) given more precedence and calls to action over the CURRENT attempted genocides against groups of people?

You can claim that is "our" (your As I am Australian) history and hence more relevant on a personal level though, being aware of all of the pain and suffering that comes as a result of such injustice wouldn't you try and assist those experiencing similar in the present?

Why continually drag up injustices of the past whilst ignoring the present?

originally posted by: JustJohnny
a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

That is like asking “why MADD (mothers against drunk drivers) doesn’t protest police shootings?!?! “


Because police shootings are not MADD’s issue..

No it's not. It is the exact same issue just being perpetrated by a different group of people.

originally posted by: Lumenari
a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

Never mind the push by the Republican party since its inception to end slavery, pass an Amendment that allowed women to vote, got rid of segregation and Jim Crow laws.

All things the Democrats historically fought tooth and nail against or caused in the first place.

At the time of the historical events you cited, Republicans were socially liberal and Democrats were conservative.

The similarity to the current party system is only nominal.

originally posted by: DictionaryOfExcuses

originally posted by: Lumenari
a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

Never mind the push by the Republican party since its inception to end slavery, pass an Amendment that allowed women to vote, got rid of segregation and Jim Crow laws.

All things the Democrats historically fought tooth and nail against or caused in the first place.

At the time of the historical events you cited, Republicans were socially liberal and Democrats were conservative.

The similarity to the current party system is only nominal.

At the time of the historical events I cited, both were fiscally conservative and the liberal party was socially liberal.

That was the only real difference.

I don't rely on the internet for that... my family has a library and I've read books published in the timeframe.

originally posted by: Lumenari

...both were fiscally conservative and the liberal party was socially liberal.

Did you intend to write something different?

That was the only real difference.

...I've read books published in the timeframe.

Drop some titles, then. Deny my ignorance.

Everything I have read indicates that the parties have essentially "swapped" platforms, which complicates modern-day rhetoric surrounding the issue.

a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

" Why Is More Attention Given To Historical Racism Than Current Attrocities? "


Because the Past IS the Past . Gotta stay Relevant in the Here and Now you know ............

1. They're not being committed by white people.
And/Or
2. The MSM doesn't actually report news like these situations, so therefore the typical liberal leftist has no idea they're even happening.

We're not supposed to talk about it when Muslims behead gays or communists imprison Muslims or Indians burn pregnant women alive for marrying outside of their caste. It doesn't help fuel the "white people are evil" narrative.

It benefits the Democrats and their base to continually drum up the 2% of Americans that owned slaves 200 years ago. That's the only reason.