I sent this to the Everett Herald in response to, yet another, "possibly" (probably), racially induced incident in Snohomish County, Washington. http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/04/15/100loc_vandalism001.cfm I thought I'd share it y'all for your opinions on these thoughts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Greetings!
I have been a resident of Snohomish County since 1969 and attended Brier Jr. High school. (I'm the full, first Black graduating class.)
I would rather not go to a public forum to discuss the race issues in Snohomish county for the simple reason that I have found it difficult for white folks to accept much of anything that non-white people have to say. Further, such an outing would only leave me open to more of the same, which has seemed to be increasing, not just here, but in general, for the last decade. However, I do have thoughts on the matter, that would probably best fit under the heading "maturing sometimes means having to deal with the really painful stuff".
According to research and history (seemingly mostly done by white researchers), a migration of Africans populated this planet. Looking at graphic images depicting this migration, it appears that tracking leading to the north got lost. I'm thinking that some of our tribesmen got lost in the ice. Many years later, they returned having suffered severe damages from the extended exposure.
I'm thinking that that exposure is the root of many things: due to scarcity of resources in a glacial plain, development of any resources would become extremely "valuable", leading to an "economic" infrastructure, a sense of "clannishness", a "need" to "raid" other "clans" for resources and a sense that "we" must stay ahead of "them". When these lost tribesmen returned from the ice, their perceptions, and perspectives, of existence having been shaped by the nightmare of trying to survive on nothing, they brought this nightmare into a realm where all of it was/is invalid.
I'm thnking that all of the problems we are having around this planet are the result of a post traumatic stress induced nightmare that has been codified into "life as we know it". I'm thinking that if our returning tribesmen, who are now referred to as "Caucasian", were to spend a few generations in a "timeout meadow" (or "timeout beach" or something), Mother Earth might be able to reach into them and restore their awareness/understanding of an environment where cooperation is more valuable than competition. I'm thinking that everything that is considered "de rigeur" is the result of an internal perception that they are still living on those glaciers. I'm thinking that every lifeform that this planet has ever created has an internal knowledge of how this planet works. I'm thinking that "some of us" have lost too much of this knowledge and decry, as "native superstition", the application of this knowledge by any/everybody else. I'm thinking that the other two-thirds of humanity, as well as the planet, are getting mighty fed up with current conditions and would just love to go upside "somebody's" head. (Reactions to the war in the middle east; reactions to the very idea that anyone else should be allowed to learn; reactions to the idea that other people can develop "WMDs" in response to invasions by the current "invading barbarian hordes" (white folks), etc.) I'm thinking that non-white humanity should, basiclally, ignore white people and get together and just build the infrastructure that human beings, indeed all of this planet's life-forms, require to prosper. I'm thinking that it would ever so much more useful if those of "you" that feel compelled to reach out and help the victims of "your" atrocities would expend more energy curtailing the ravishes of "your" clansmen, then there might not be so many victims.
Frankly, I've gotten to the point where I don't like to go out; I look right through all of you when I do go out and that, frankly, I just don't like you. ... Actually, I am coming to hate the very sight of you (really makes things difficult living here, ya know?), but I pray, regularly, that I can overcome this. But that won't happen until y'all GROW UP!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Does it make any sense? Opinions? Further thoughts?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Greetings!
I have been a resident of Snohomish County since 1969 and attended Brier Jr. High school. (I'm the full, first Black graduating class.)
I would rather not go to a public forum to discuss the race issues in Snohomish county for the simple reason that I have found it difficult for white folks to accept much of anything that non-white people have to say. Further, such an outing would only leave me open to more of the same, which has seemed to be increasing, not just here, but in general, for the last decade. However, I do have thoughts on the matter, that would probably best fit under the heading "maturing sometimes means having to deal with the really painful stuff".
According to research and history (seemingly mostly done by white researchers), a migration of Africans populated this planet. Looking at graphic images depicting this migration, it appears that tracking leading to the north got lost. I'm thinking that some of our tribesmen got lost in the ice. Many years later, they returned having suffered severe damages from the extended exposure.
I'm thinking that that exposure is the root of many things: due to scarcity of resources in a glacial plain, development of any resources would become extremely "valuable", leading to an "economic" infrastructure, a sense of "clannishness", a "need" to "raid" other "clans" for resources and a sense that "we" must stay ahead of "them". When these lost tribesmen returned from the ice, their perceptions, and perspectives, of existence having been shaped by the nightmare of trying to survive on nothing, they brought this nightmare into a realm where all of it was/is invalid.
I'm thnking that all of the problems we are having around this planet are the result of a post traumatic stress induced nightmare that has been codified into "life as we know it". I'm thinking that if our returning tribesmen, who are now referred to as "Caucasian", were to spend a few generations in a "timeout meadow" (or "timeout beach" or something), Mother Earth might be able to reach into them and restore their awareness/understanding of an environment where cooperation is more valuable than competition. I'm thinking that everything that is considered "de rigeur" is the result of an internal perception that they are still living on those glaciers. I'm thinking that every lifeform that this planet has ever created has an internal knowledge of how this planet works. I'm thinking that "some of us" have lost too much of this knowledge and decry, as "native superstition", the application of this knowledge by any/everybody else. I'm thinking that the other two-thirds of humanity, as well as the planet, are getting mighty fed up with current conditions and would just love to go upside "somebody's" head. (Reactions to the war in the middle east; reactions to the very idea that anyone else should be allowed to learn; reactions to the idea that other people can develop "WMDs" in response to invasions by the current "invading barbarian hordes" (white folks), etc.) I'm thinking that non-white humanity should, basiclally, ignore white people and get together and just build the infrastructure that human beings, indeed all of this planet's life-forms, require to prosper. I'm thinking that it would ever so much more useful if those of "you" that feel compelled to reach out and help the victims of "your" atrocities would expend more energy curtailing the ravishes of "your" clansmen, then there might not be so many victims.
Frankly, I've gotten to the point where I don't like to go out; I look right through all of you when I do go out and that, frankly, I just don't like you. ... Actually, I am coming to hate the very sight of you (really makes things difficult living here, ya know?), but I pray, regularly, that I can overcome this. But that won't happen until y'all GROW UP!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Does it make any sense? Opinions? Further thoughts?