quote:

Va. lawmaker draws fire for slavery comment Legislator says that blacks should ‘get over’ slavery; colleagues appalled RICHMOND, Va. - A state legislator said black people “should get over” slavery and questioned whether Jews should apologize “for killing Christ,” drawing denunciations Tuesday from stunned colleagues. Del. Frank D. Hargrove, 79, made his remarks in opposition to a measure that would apologize on the state’s behalf to the descendants of slaves. In an interview published Tuesday in The Daily Progress of Charlottesville, Hargrove said slavery ended nearly 140 years ago with the Civil War and added that “our black citizens should get over it.” The newspaper also quoted him as saying, “are we going to force the Jews to apologize for killing Christ?” Black lawmakers swiftly denounced Hargrove’s comments. “When somebody tells me I should just get over slavery, I can only express my emotion by projecting that I am appalled, absolutely appalled,” said Del. Dwight C. Jones, head of the Legislative Black Caucus. Del. David L. Englin also criticized Hargrove’s remarks, recalling that his grandparents were driven from their homes in Poland “by people who believed that as Jews, we killed Christ.” When Hargrove rose to speak, he told Englin he didn’t care about Englin’s religion. “I think your skin was a little too thin,” Hargrove said as lawmakers gasped and groaned.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16657357/

Well, it's kinda harsh but not entirely incorrect. Ofcourse, everyone/group has their complexes, and they don't like being told what they are, especially when they're not willing to do anything about it. That pretty much applies to all of us. I certainly wouldn't crucify him for making that statement though. That's the kind of nonsense people with low self-esteem and tons of complexes do to compensate for being weak. Honest people accept their flaws and try to get rid of them, not get defensive about it. That ofcourse requires the strength and will to do something about it.

EDIT: Have you seen the 25th Hour? Spike Lee places that social commentary in the scene where Edward Norton's character is looking at himself in the mirror and you hear his internal monologue.

EDIT2: Spike Lee's black in case you didn't know that.

EDIT3: Yes, I know, change is hard, and so is being critical of yourself.

___________________
"The Greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." -Stephen Hawking
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemöller

Last edited by shaolin_Z on Jan-17-2007 at 03:29