[net.politics] White greed, Rap and Reggae

ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis) (02/19/85)

> The standard of living of Canada, which had no slaves, is about the same as
> the U.S.; if the slaves added so much, this wouldn't be so.  One could
> easily argue that slavery held the economy back so that if there were no
> slaves the country would be far wealthier.  All of the facts seem to point
> to slavery and the subsequent black poverty as a drain on national
> resources.

    Exactly! Though oppression of one group by another will result in a
    higher standard of living for the oppressors relative to that of the
    oppressed, the average of both groups is likely to be below what it
    would be if everybody had an equal opportunity. Sensible and effective
    equal opportunity programs are in EVERYBODY's best interest!    

> It is too late to rectify the injustice of slavery, since those wronged
> are dead.

    Apparently you misunderstood my initial point -- that whites hold an
    upper hand in this country because they inherited it from their
    ancestors.

    And that inheritance was not strictly land and money; it has been
    social, in the form of superior opportunities for the privileged, and
    discrimination against the disenfranchised and their descendents.

    Whether whites stand guilty of possession of a stolen birthright is
    primarily a matter of what moral code you follow. Ideally, I'd hope that
    those with wealth and power would WANT to display generosity, regardless
    of the morality by which that advantage was acquired.

    Practically, the expansion our highly productive middle class by
    embracing those formerly excluded will mean increased vitality for
    our entire society.

-michael

ps: For those in net.music, an amazing spirit of unity and optimism, tempered
    by awareness of the awesome problems ahead, appears to be expressing
    itself in forms as diverse as rap, juju and reggae.  The feeling is
    surprisingly not one of anger, but of understanding, self-sufficiency,
    pride and even compassion for the oppressors. For instance:

Here's another point of life you should not miss
Do not be a fool who's prejudiced
because we're all laying down on the same list
It's like that boy and that's the way it is

     Or:

When I woke up this morning and got out of bed
I had some really fresh thoughts floating thru my head
They were the thoughts that came from a wonderful dream
It was a vision of the world working as a team

     Such music was clearly intended to be heard by people of all races.
     Those interested might check out the below:

     Run D.M.C. - "Run D.M.C." (excerpts quoted in this article)
     Mutabaruka - "Check It"
     Africa Baambata and James Brown - "Unity"
     Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
     Burning Spear - "Marcus Garvey"

     There's much more...

rastaman@ihdev.UUCP (Rastaman) (02/20/85)

> ps: For those in net.music, an amazing spirit of unity and optimism, tempered
>     by awareness of the awesome problems ahead, appears to be expressing
>     itself in forms as diverse as rap, juju and reggae.  The feeling is
>     surprisingly not one of anger, but of understanding, self-sufficiency,
>     pride and even compassion for the oppressors. For instance:
> 
>      Run D.M.C. - "Run D.M.C." (excerpts quoted in this article)
>      Mutabaruka - "Check It"
>      Africa Baambata and James Brown - "Unity"
>      Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
>      Burning Spear - "Marcus Garvey"

	I would argue that Mutabaruka is not a compassionate
	individual.  On "Check It" the song "Blacks in England"
	has a couple of lines that stick in mind:
	
	"We fire our guns and the blood does run..."
	"...light up the chalice.  I say 'im should 'ave burned
	down the palace."
	
	I'll keep future discussions confined to net.music.
	
	J. Johnson
	ihnp4!ihdev!rastaman