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Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 164
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2006 - 02:57 pm: | 
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The 28-day Agitprop Festival
By Mychal Massie
Posted: January 31, 2006
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
America doesn't need a Black History Month – America needs history curriculums in its schools that teach factual history. Black History Month serves no purpose other than to give audience to charlatans, bilk corporations out of huge sums of money and elevate guilt.
It short changes students and divides classrooms just as it divides America. It contributes to the marginalization of a people willing to be recognized as a sub-group. Worst of all, by its very nature it condemns talent, misrepresents truth and censors history.
Take for instance Lincoln Perry, the late comic character actor who invented the "Stepin' Fetchit" character. Television stations will air commercials saying he was forced to play a shuffling simpleton on screen and how he persevered, opening the door for other blacks.
What they won't tell you is that he and many other black actors of his day enjoyed the bourgeois life in downtown Los Angeles. You won't be told that Perry was a millionaire who owned no fewer than a dozen automobiles including a pink Rolls Royce that the late Mae West was no stranger to. He was reputed to have employed 16 Chinese servants. He also wrote for the Chicago Defender a nationally recognized and respected black-owned newspaper – all of this during the period of Jim Crowism.
Yet today, the comic genius of Perry is denied to audiences around the world, because Hollywood capitulated to race mongers who decided his acting was demeaning and insulting.
Was Charlie Chaplin playing a hobo insulting? Was the know-it-all, blow-hard Ralph Kramden, made famous by the late Jackie Gleason insulting? Was the sitcom "Sanford and Son" insulting? What about the sitcom "The Jefferson's"? Was the comic genius of W.C. Fields an insult? Yet because race is injected, we are denied Perry.
Not only has Black History Month not been truthful in its representation of history, it has practiced selective historical censorship. It is extremely doubtful you will find the name Anthony Johnson in textbooks today – it is highly improbable you will find his name or his contribution to America, being taught during this month.
History records Johnson as the first person in this country to legally own a slave – a right (sarcasm intended) earned by petitioning a court in Northampton County, Va., in 1654. What is noteworthy is that Johnson was a free black man, having earned his freedom after having been an indentured servant. Thus it can be argued that slavery in America, i.e., the right of one person to own another, began with a black man.
An important point here is that being an indentured servant or slave didn't dissuade same from owning slaves. As I have noted before, 28 percent of the free slaves in Louisiana owned slaves.
My intent is not to minimize nor deny the atrocities that took place. It is to establish that history must be presented factually. Black History Month has become nothing more than a 28-day drama to present distortions, embrace victimhood and seize upon white guilt. It is incredulous that today we see fantasies about homosexual cowboys, but omit factual history.
It is criminal that while black colleges and universities are hosting over-the-top agitprop festivals called "black history celebrations" – the faculty, students and speakers are ignorant of those who helped transition historically black colleges from industrial training schools to schools that rank among those with the best fine-arts curriculums in the nation.
They embrace the anti-Semitism of Louis Farrakhan and Jesse Jackson, not knowing that it was Jewish scholars fleeing Hitler who are responsible for establishing many of these departments.
One of the best and most accurate presentations of factual history is the documentary film "Emancipation Revelation/Revolution," a Renaissance Women Production, produced and directed by Nina May. "ER/R" presents the undiluted history of the civil-rights movement in America, beginning with the fight to end slavery.
I was asked by a black viewer at a private screening of "ER/R" why they had not been taught "these things in school"? A valid question to be sure. The answer is as simple as it is complex: Black demagogues and the politically correct have conspired to keep people ignorant of the facts.
If people are ignorant of true history, they can be convinced of lies. If they can be persuaded to accept the lie, race mongers can profit from misplaced blame and resentment.
Mychal Massie is a nationally recognized political activist, pundit and columnist. He is host of the widely popular talk show "Straight Talk." He has appeared on the Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, Comcast Cable and talk radio programming nationwide. He is a former self-employed business owner of over 30 years and a member of the conservative public policy institute National Center for Public Policy Research-Project 21.
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Schakspir
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Schakspir
Post Number: 165
Registered: 12-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2006 - 05:38 pm: |
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WorldNetDaily.com is a discredited extreme-right wing web site. |
Nels
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Nels
Post Number: 276
Registered: 07-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 04, 2006 - 09:31 pm: |
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"Not only has Black History Month not been truthful in its representation of history, it has practiced selective historical censorship."
(it has practiced selective historical censorship)
Yeah, but this one has been on the books for a long time, and it hasn't been unproven yet. Selective "memory" (or "perception" for that matter) doesn't discriminate. |
Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 194
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 06, 2006 - 04:37 pm: |
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Mychal Massie wrote: If people are ignorant of true history, they can be convinced of lies. If they can be persuaded to accept the lie, race mongers can profit from misplaced blame and resentment.
Is this statement true? Can anyone deny or care to debate it?
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Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3773
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 10:12 am: |
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What is the true history that people are ignorant of??? Our history is very simple and very well known. We were uprooted from our native land and shipped to America as slaves where we remained in bondage for 400 years, and over the centuries, drawing from our innate strength and deep spirituality, managed to endure and triumph over cruel and dehumanizing treatment as we eventually coalesced into a unique breed of people who have made great strides while significantly contributing to all areas of the American mosaic, even as we continue to fight for dignity and equality. |
Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 205
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 02:09 pm: |
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Cynique wrote: What is the true history that people are ignorant of???
Everything! You would be shocked at the level of ignorance American blacks have of their history. Of all the blacks I know (and yes, they are all employed, college educated or grads, economically well to do, etc, etc..) there are not many I can discuss details about the Harlem Renaissance, the first blacks in opera or classical music, the history of the Pullman Porters and Asa Philip Randolph, the history of Cotton Club and Smalls Paradise, the specifics of the Tuskegee Airman and Benjamin O. Davis Jr, blacks in the Continental and Union armies, the controversial conclusion of the Andrew Jackson and Sally Hemmings debacle, the civil and human rights struggle in the South prior to 1960, etc, etc, etc.. This is their history yet they are oblivious and I’m sure to some extent, indifferent to. I can list numerous major historical facts that you can ask the average black person on the street and they would be clueless. I SEE IT ALL THE TIME! IT’S APPALLING!! So yes, many blacks are extremely ignorant of their true history. And I’m only referring to American history!
Our history is very simple and very well known.
No it is not. Known to whom? And it is not simple. It is very rich and complex in my opinion. In fact, I was watching Taylor Branch on BookTV on the CSPAN channel this past weekend. He wrote an incredible biography, At Canaan's Edge : America in the King Years, 1965-68, (I have his two other books, Pillar of Fire and Parting the Waters) about Martin Luther King Jr. It was a wonderful three hour show. Anyway, he discussed the myth of how many people believe the Civil Rights movement in the sixties benefited for the most part, blacks. The consequences of the black Civil Rights movement changed every aspect of American life and it’s institutions. It even changed and immensely benefited the very southern whites that sought to keep blacks in a sub human classification. I will not list the details because that is not the crux of my response, but the consequences where “very complex” and anything but “simple”. So I’m not sure why you believe the history of black Americans is simple and to whom it is very well known to. Details please…..
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Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 4243
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 02:13 pm: |
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Are we Black foks ignorant of our history?
Or are we mostly DISINTERESTED in our history? |
Prettybabygirl
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Prettybabygirl
Post Number: 227
Registered: 04-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 03:18 pm: |
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Nfts
Everything! You would be shocked at the level of ignorance American blacks have of their history. Of all the blacks I know (and yes, they are all employed, college educated or grads, economically well to do, etc, etc..) there are not many I can discuss details about the Harlem Renaissance, the first blacks in opera or classical music, the history of the Pullman Porters and Asa Philip Randolph, the history of Cotton Club and Smalls Paradise, the specifics of the Tuskegee Airman and Benjamin O. Davis Jr, blacks in the Continental and Union armies, the controversial conclusion of the Andrew Jackson and Sally Hemmings debacle, the civil and human rights struggle in the South prior to 1960, etc, etc, etc.. This is their history yet they are oblivious and I’m sure to some extent, indifferent to. I can list numerous major historical facts that you can ask the average black person on the street and they would be clueless. I SEE IT ALL THE TIME! IT’S APPALLING!! So yes, many blacks are extremely ignorant of their true history. And I’m only referring to American history!
ME
You need to get with Kola. She knows all that stuff. I had never heard of the 1800's Black Opera singer "Elizabeth Taylor" until Kola told me about her life.
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Prettybabygirl
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Prettybabygirl
Post Number: 228
Registered: 04-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 03:19 pm: |
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Abm, you're right.
We are generally disinterested in any history, myths, legends that are Black or African.
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Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3784
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 03:41 pm: |
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Blacks are no more ignorant of their history than white people are ignorant of America history. Incidentally, everybody I know is conversant with the subjects you mentioned, NTFS. **shrugs** Obviously, being well-informed doesn't go hand-and-hand with being educated. Hate to say it but the younger generation in whose hands out future lies doesn't know much about anything except what they are majoring in college and which rap artist has a number one hit. (This discussion is a reminder for me of how broad the generation gap is because black people my age do know about black history.) |
Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 4256
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 03:46 pm: |
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Cynique,
I think the hip-hop generation could assert some fairly effective critism of the relative merits of what your generation DID with what you profess to "know about black history". |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3787
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 04:35 pm: |
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The hip-hop generation is too clueless to even criticize. But my generation did lay the groundwork and clear the road for the Baby Boomers. My generation wasn't the one who stumbled. Baby Boomers are the ones who spoiled their kids, trying to give them everything they didn't have, neglecting core values along the way. We of the Depression Generation had a good work ethic and a sense of family and a hunger for knowledge. |
Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 4262
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 04:38 pm: |
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Okay. But didn't you BIRTH/RAISE the Boomer Generation you now criticize?
Nobody's innocent, babe. We are ALL to blame. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3789
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 04:51 pm: |
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True, ABM, and my babyboomers are certainly not perfect but they are all prodigious readers and are familiar with black history, especially my oldest son who once taught a black history course at the community college level. |
Yvettep
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Yvettep
Post Number: 855
Registered: 01-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 06:01 pm: |
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I do not happen to be on the "Trash Black History Month Bandwagon." Listen to this piece, for example:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5193900&ft=1&f=1015
Does the commentator really believe her classmates would not have found ways to be racist were it not for BHM? Does she truly think her teachers would have been more sensitive to racial issues? Why not pussh for better/more nuanced/more complex/longer-term explorations into Black history rather than glibbly talk about "boycotting" BHM?
Man, it's enough to get my pressure up... Now I need to get back to work and forget about such stuff. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3792
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 07, 2006 - 06:43 pm: |
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I don't have a problem with retaining black history month. It certainly does more good than harm. I just kinda have a problem with people who assume that all black people are igrorant about their history. |
Nels
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Nels
Post Number: 283
Registered: 07-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 08, 2006 - 01:53 am: |
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BHM? Kwanzaa? Blah, blah, blah. Something for the non-graduates in the crowd? A waste of energy, as it has lost its significance over the last twenty years. Ever since BHM was started in 1926 as "Negro History Week" by its creator, Carter Woodson, it's been commercialized into oblivion. The interesting thing is that many (traditional) blacks today seem to be running away from their self-professed love for blackness faster than the head roach on the kitchen floor after the 'lectric bill is paid and the lights come on. |
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