Pride

Context is everything. The problem with 'White Pride' is what it has been associated with, you can thank the KKK for ruining that word and other white supremacy groups.

Example, Irish people can have a pride parade at any time and no one thinks it racist...it's just the context of it really and history behind a term.

Anyone that calls you racist for being white is being a racist themselves.

I do find it strange that any American would identify as anything other than American. Especially if you were born here, your parents were born here, your grandparents are born here....but a lot of people do.

Actually, it reminds me of the Richard Spencer CNN interview, he said he had a plan where non-whites would be paid in order to go back 'home'. I laughed at that, the irony of that.

 

There is nothing wrong or looked down at Irish Pride/French Pride/Scottish Pride/Texas Pride etc. With that distinction people are attaching themselves to aspect of that culture and feeling happy that it is a part of them.

White pride however, doesn't associate with any particular culture. People who pride themselves on being white aren't doing it because of a cultural bond, they are doing it to aggrevate minorities and have an out by being able to claim that they are just doing the same thing the minorities are doing.

Not every person of Irish/Scottish/French/born in Texas feels a connection with those cultures. They don't trumpet their cultural pride. Though some do, and people do it to different degrees. Some only do it on St. Patrick's day, some do it all year long. etc. So it's a matter of degrees. Some never do it.

If a person feels no connection to any historical culture, then there is nothing wrong without trumpeting any type of pride. They don't have to latch on to white pride because that's all they have.

 

I know this is a nation of immigrants but I see so many people connecting to cultures and history they know little about. I am a black male, the only culture I associate with is American culture. I agree that there is nothing wrong with being proud of your heritage, I think more people should just happily say "I'm an American, that's it." the country has been around long enough to have established its own culture and tradition. I mean we are all on a basketball forum, basketball is a pretty American thing.

For the white people (and in a lot of cases, black people too) that feel like they have no culture or heritage to latch onto...why not just say you're American and be done with it? Personally, as a black dude, that's what I do. Sure I'm part Carribean but I haven't lived there, barely know people there, don't partake in their culture...my family has always been here. America may not have been around as long as other countries but it already has had a huge impact on the arts and world culture, no shame in being that because I'm sure if you've traveled to other countries people are likely to just see you as an American any ways.

 

It is a very strange thing. I don't know why some folks identify to some degree with ancestral culture. I do it myself. Part of it is that certain food preferences come from that, the way music speaks to people, or pride at having come from hardships particular to a certain heritage perhaps? There isn't really any reason for it, but it is something that I feel. At the same time, I'm also proud of being American, and especially the fact that America co-opted so much from so many different cultures into it's own. To me that is one of the best things about America if not the best thing.

But in a logical way, I agree that it makes no sense for people born hear to have that pride in their heritage. Though there are some things that defy logic or have a logic that we don't understand.

 

I agree w/ what both you and Jay posted for the most part. I'm wondering if educating and encouraging people about their heritage could be a more effective solution in curbing some of the resentment that some white people have toward other cultures. I'm merely spit-balling but perhaps a mandatory genealogy project taught concurrently with High School history courses would be effective. Maybe they have something like that in some school districts, I don't know. I've been out of public school for a while.

I'm a bit of a white mutt too. While learning my own ancestry, as well as those around me, through an examination of History, I'm both proud of where I come from and proud to live in this country.

 

I think part of the problem is people like Rep. Steve King wondering aloud at the RNC what "subgroups" besides whites have made contributions to civilization.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...es-whites-made-contributions-to-civilization/

Rep. King himself is just raising the question, of course (jackass). However, in today's soundbyte culture those who just have a passing interest of news, as well as ignorance of the historical context of their individual culture, will use snippets like this to point towards the eyeballs of other malleable, like-minded individuals. And the cycle continues.

In short, we all have different ideas of what is is/was to be an American. Ignorance is feeding a dark underbelly of hate.

 

I think it's a quirk that we have, it's like adding to a person's resume. I think everyone does it, some people do it WAAAAY more than others though. I'm not against people doing it because if people ask me I tell them, but it's nothing that I guess I feel? I don't know. I think it's wrong to tell people what they are not, so I never do that. If someone tells me they are part french, they are part french...but I guess what I'm asking is...when do people start to say "I'm part American too."

I think teaching all people would help...but I will say that from what I've gathered from some white people that are pretty...racist...they seem to identify with being 'European' more than 'American' at least that's the sense I get from it. Now that I think about it, it is the same for black people that are racist, they seem to identify more strongly with their african roots than their american ones. So maybe it does have something to do with it and how people think. They start to think they are just born of different stuff I guess.

Yes, that is a huge part of the problem. I've heard this argument too many times to count and it just gets passed around and around. It sounds like his pride is more about Europe than America.

 

OP, you have to remember, first of all, you're comparing apples and oranges. "Mexican" is a nationality, like "American." We're all OK with "American" pride, right? (Even though it's pretty gross compared to a lot of others, us being "#1" and all.) "Muslim" is a religion. I'd say every religion is inherently proud of knowing the true word of God!

Then there's race, and I guess every race has the deepest gut "pride" for that. I know Asians are hardcore about race. Africans don't seem to act like hot **** like others do. . . . Anyway, "white" is too big to be proud of, as far as I'm concerned. "White" is not a meaningful designation to me.

 

In this regard, I have the same wariness about black pride and other sorts of prides based in racial identities that I have about white pride. It's one thing when it's a foreign cultural heritage. When it's an American cultural heritage and you want to shut out other Americans from being a part of that heritage, I have a problem with that.

 

Well there's one sense in which "black pride" is a specifically American term for specifically American reasons. I can't get into that argument. But yeah, for any race in the world, I feel it's too big to feel pride. As a white person, do I identify with the whites in Romania and feel some sort of pride? No, nothing.

 

I just don't understand why a person's American cultural heritage and their family, foreign cultural heritage have to be mutually exclusive. Is it because people still believe in eugenics? It's more likely, for most, that they don't care. To me, that is the kind of thing that will eventually spell the doom of this experiment.

Sure, many forms of racism are born from identifying with one's foreign "roots" but if you connect those cultural origins to American ideals and history people might realize that we are assets to each other rather than rivals. I dunno, I'll get off my soapbox now.

To the OP, you should be proud of your accomplishments. Going too far in either direction (National vs. cultural pride) wont help you get further in life, personally or professionally...maybe sexually, but you don't want to get involved someone like that anyway.

Good on ya' for coming here. Facebook's great for keeping in touch, toxic when it comes to touchy subjects.

 

You shouldn't. Both white pride and black pride are born of white supremacy and neither would exist without it.

 

If you have "pride" based on the color of your skin or something irrelevant like that, then you are probably a failure at life with nothing legitimate to be proud of.

 

From my understanding of 'black pride' is the pride that your ancestors and you personally overcome the systematic racism of the black people along with the preconceived biases that come along with it. The whole "a women does everything with heels" thing. A black person does everything WITH the preconceived biases that he might be more violent or less approachable that runs rampant amongst a large portion of the populace.

White pride is.... well I guess some would believes white pride might have a more benign meaning behind it but in most cases its: "Our race has the most achievements there fore we win.".

 

Let's play a hypothetical. Let's eliminate all biases. I think we can all admit that there was SEVERE racial bias towards a black man in many regions of the country during the first half of the 20th century leading up to the 60's. We can all admit that right? I don't want to touch racism today because many disagree with the premise itself thus let's go back in time where it's agreeable that blacks were oppressed.

Can't a black person during that time be more proud that he became let's say a engineer or M.D. overcoming the obstacles that were inherent to black individuals relative to a white man during that era becoming a engineer or doctor? Would it be wrong of him to be proud of the notion that he is black and successful? It's like saying "I'm 5'8" and STILL made it to the NBA". Or do you find that wrong also?

Because I think that's what mos of what 'black pride' is. It's "We were oppressed but are still here!"

Just think about it. For centuries and even till this day a narrative that blacks were inferior down to the GENETIC level was a common narrative. I think 'black pride' is simply stating that "We don't believe in your premises and are proud people".

 

Yes, Black pride existed because of the racism of the past. It was born out of it. It had a lot to do with just being told that you are lesser, from your skin color to the texture of your hair. Everything about you is lesser. So out of that came "No, I'm proud of who I am." and it was more of a defensive thing.

Honestly, if you want to talk about self-confidence and the years and years of just disrespect black people have faced and how it has affected black communities just look at hair. It sounds silly but just look at it. How many black people have permed their hair to look a certain way and to appeal to others? Even today women still rely on their perms to fit in because of being told that if you just wear your hair how it grows on your head...then that's wrong somehow. This is a broader discussion though but to summarize, it is a confidence thing.

 

Not only still here, but have contributed enormously to the society in the general sense.