Wow, racism runs deep…
[quote]vroom wrote:
Wow, racism runs deep…[/quote]
This surprises you? I am more than sure that if there weren’t a few minorities on this board that it would be much more evident.
[quote]elevationgain wrote:
Doogie, here is my opinion on your stance.
You need to let it go.
Your home state, of which I’m sure you have a flag either waving in your yard, or on a belt-buckle, or on your wall, has 5 state Holidays which only requires a skeleton crew of it’s employees to be present for work.
Which ones?
-
Confederate Hero’s Day (three days after MLK day, go figure)
-
Texas Independence Day (March 2nd)
-
San Jacinto Day (21 April)
-
Emancipation Day (19 June)
-
LBJ’s B-day (27 August)
Kwanzaa isn’t even recognized as a state Holiday anywhere, all the Holiday represents is the opprotunity for African Americans to reflect and celebrate their heritage. Something Texas gets to do as entire state at least 5 times a year! And get paid for it!
Don’t you think that’s a little extreme? Or do the people of Texas have more of a right to celebrate their heritage than African Americans?
Why is this Holiday’s existence a big deal to you? Because a PHD drummed it out of the air back in the 60’s and didn’t have an emancipation day, or a battle, or a birthday to back it up?
That’s rediculous Doogie, it really is.
GAINER[/quote]
Do you think this might have something to do with the fact that Texas was it’s own country before it becane a state? Did you also know that Texas is the only state in the union that can walk away from the United States and tell them to shove it. I think as a Texan we have earned it. By the way the holidays you mentioned are recognized in the state but most people do not get the day off, it’s just a day of recognition.
Bullpup
[quote]Varqanir wrote:
Lorisco, I seriously suggest you take to heart the title of this Forum, and get a fucking life. Why does it matter so much to you?
[/quote]
And yet it must matter to you as you keep putting in your superficial comments. So why do you care?
It is interesting that now that I have posted some proof of my assertions that you all of a sudden don’t want to discuss it anymore. Gee, wonder why!
So maybe we should just admit you are full of shyte and move on.
First, if any race wanted to make up a holiday that related to their country of origin, that really had no actual connection to that culture, I would say that was stupid as well. And for your information I’m not white.
Next, you with your little gay looking Avatar can’t come close to the intelligent and thoughtful dialog of Pro X and Al Durr. Compared to them your comments are just childish and foolish. So why don’t you just run along now and let the adults talk.
You forgot to quote the most pertinent comment.
[quote]Varqanir wrote:
Go ahead and be a babbling moron if it gives you pleasure. I for one am going to ignore you from now on.
[/quote]
[quote]Varqanir wrote:
You forgot to quote the most pertinent comment.
Varqanir wrote:
Go ahead and be a babbling moron if it gives you pleasure. I for one am going to ignore you from now on.
[/quote]
How pathetic, having to quote yourself to get some support. That’s just sad dude!
[quote]doogie wrote:
Mr. Bear wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
mclemorejohn wrote:
DEFINITION OF KWANZAA Kwanzaa is a unique African American celebration with focus on the traditional African values of family, community responsibility, commerce, and self-improvement. Kwanzaa is neither political nor religious and despite some misconceptions, is not a substitute for Christmas. I
t is simply a time of reaffirming African-American people, their ancestors and culture. Kwanzaa, which means “first fruits of the harvest” in the African language Kiswahili, has gained tremendous acceptance.
Since its founding in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa has come to be observed by more than18 million people worldwide, as reported by the New York Times.
When establishing Kwanzaa in 1966, Dr. Karenga included an additional “a” to the end of the spelling to reflect the difference between the African American celebration (kwanzaa) and the Motherland spelling (kwanza).
This definition doesn’t mention that it is not a recognized holiday in Africa. As such, it cannot be an African-American holiday. It can only be an a holiday that blacks in the US celebrate.
It is African-Americans who celebrate their African heritage. So yes it can.
Do you get this upset about Italian American festivals? I’m just not seeing what your problem is, but for your own sake, you should probably stop posting because you sound at best ignorant.
To be fair, do Italian Americans celebrate any festivals they made up in the new country?[/quote]
We used to have Columbus Day… but apparently celebrating someone being lost and finding a whole new half of the world is not politically correct, so nobody gets that day off of work anymore. (I don’t see anyone trying to stop any other Federal holidays!)
[quote]Lorisco wrote:
Mr. Bear wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
Varqanir wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
No other races celebrate a holiday that did not come from their country of origin or their current country or residence.
So what you are essentially telling us is that in order to celebrate Christmas, one would have to be a resident of or emigrant from the Holy Roman Empire?
December 25 was originally the birthday of the Roman sun god Mithra, and was celebrated with a Bacchanal orgy called Saturnalia, until Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and declared this holiday the celebration of Jesus’ birth. How’s that for a made-up holiday?
Oh, but perhaps you say that your statement does not apply to Christmas, because it is now a Christian holiday, so it is proper to celebrate it in America, being as America is a Christian nation?
Well, you know how many Christians there are here in Japan? About as many Zoroastrians as there are over there in America. You know how many Japanese people celebrate Christmas? Almost all of them.
Lorisco, we already realize that you are an idiot. There is no need to keep proving it by making statements on topics about which you know nothing.
Grates et io Saturnalia.
Unlike Kwanza, Christmas is celebrated around the world by people in most all counties. It is a Christian holiday. And yes my little rocket scientist, the US is a Christian Country. Why do you think it states “In God We Trust” on our money? Retard!
If you think the US is a “Christian country” then you have some studying to do. Most of the founding fathers were deists, if they indeed had belief. And while the country was certainly has a distinct Judeo-Christian heritage, it was also heavily influenced by several varieties of Enlightenment thinking in Europe, and by the radical Whigs of early 18th Century England.
P.S. The retard at the end of the statement is a nice touch, though.
The founding fathers believed in God as the creator as it is mentioned in the D of I. America's Founding Documents | National Archives
Also, if you can read legislative history since the founding of the country most all the Vice laws related to specific Christian values. Also, why do you think the Arab countries don’t like us? Because they think we are all Christians. This is well documented, look it up.
[/quote]
I have looked it up. I pulled out my book from my Christian college to find an essay by my Christian professor which contained the information I stated.
You act like you were disagreeing with me on a couple issues, when I said some of the things you did. I know that many believed in God as the creator; that is why I called them Deists. And your relating our laws to Christian or biblical values was addressed when I said our country has a distinct Judeo-Christian heritage.
These things don’t make the country a “Christian country.” It wasn’t founded by Christians and the church and state are separate institutions.
[quote]Mr. Bear wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
Mr. Bear wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
Varqanir wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
No other races celebrate a holiday that did not come from their country of origin or their current country or residence.
So what you are essentially telling us is that in order to celebrate Christmas, one would have to be a resident of or emigrant from the Holy Roman Empire?
December 25 was originally the birthday of the Roman sun god Mithra, and was celebrated with a Bacchanal orgy called Saturnalia, until Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and declared this holiday the celebration of Jesus’ birth. How’s that for a made-up holiday?
Oh, but perhaps you say that your statement does not apply to Christmas, because it is now a Christian holiday, so it is proper to celebrate it in America, being as America is a Christian nation?
Well, you know how many Christians there are here in Japan? About as many Zoroastrians as there are over there in America. You know how many Japanese people celebrate Christmas? Almost all of them.
Lorisco, we already realize that you are an idiot. There is no need to keep proving it by making statements on topics about which you know nothing.
Grates et io Saturnalia.
Unlike Kwanza, Christmas is celebrated around the world by people in most all counties. It is a Christian holiday. And yes my little rocket scientist, the US is a Christian Country. Why do you think it states “In God We Trust” on our money? Retard!
If you think the US is a “Christian country” then you have some studying to do. Most of the founding fathers were deists, if they indeed had belief. And while the country was certainly has a distinct Judeo-Christian heritage, it was also heavily influenced by several varieties of Enlightenment thinking in Europe, and by the radical Whigs of early 18th Century England.
P.S. The retard at the end of the statement is a nice touch, though.
The founding fathers believed in God as the creator as it is mentioned in the D of I. America's Founding Documents | National Archives
Also, if you can read legislative history since the founding of the country most all the Vice laws related to specific Christian values. Also, why do you think the Arab countries don’t like us? Because they think we are all Christians. This is well documented, look it up.
I have looked it up. I pulled out my book from my Christian college to find an essay by my Christian professor which contained the information I stated.
You act like you were disagreeing with me on a couple issues, when I said some of the things you did. I know that many believed in God as the creator; that is why I called them Deists. And your relating our laws to Christian or biblical values was addressed when I said our country has a distinct Judeo-Christian heritage.
These things don’t make the country a “Christian country.” It wasn’t founded by Christians and the church and state are separate institutions.
[/quote]
Well, sounds like I misread some of your points, but I would like to ask you this; if the founding fathers were mostly Christian, the D of I states a belief in God, we have many moral (vice) laws based on Christian values, have a Christian holiday, and our money states a belief in God wouldn’t that indicate that this country is Christian based?
I understand you stating the separation of church and State, but then how would you explain all the vice laws, which are meaningless in light of an atheist government?
If you were taken from a continent with no written record of your history then forced into a life that completely obliterated any remaining semblance of your culture wouldn’t you be the least curious of your origins?
[quote]Lorisco wrote:
Mr. Bear wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
Mr. Bear wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
Varqanir wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
No other races celebrate a holiday that did not come from their country of origin or their current country or residence.
So what you are essentially telling us is that in order to celebrate Christmas, one would have to be a resident of or emigrant from the Holy Roman Empire?
December 25 was originally the birthday of the Roman sun god Mithra, and was celebrated with a Bacchanal orgy called Saturnalia, until Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and declared this holiday the celebration of Jesus’ birth. How’s that for a made-up holiday?
Oh, but perhaps you say that your statement does not apply to Christmas, because it is now a Christian holiday, so it is proper to celebrate it in America, being as America is a Christian nation?
Well, you know how many Christians there are here in Japan? About as many Zoroastrians as there are over there in America. You know how many Japanese people celebrate Christmas? Almost all of them.
Lorisco, we already realize that you are an idiot. There is no need to keep proving it by making statements on topics about which you know nothing.
Grates et io Saturnalia.
Unlike Kwanza, Christmas is celebrated around the world by people in most all counties. It is a Christian holiday. And yes my little rocket scientist, the US is a Christian Country. Why do you think it states “In God We Trust” on our money? Retard!
If you think the US is a “Christian country” then you have some studying to do. Most of the founding fathers were deists, if they indeed had belief. And while the country was certainly has a distinct Judeo-Christian heritage, it was also heavily influenced by several varieties of Enlightenment thinking in Europe, and by the radical Whigs of early 18th Century England.
P.S. The retard at the end of the statement is a nice touch, though.
The founding fathers believed in God as the creator as it is mentioned in the D of I. America's Founding Documents | National Archives
Also, if you can read legislative history since the founding of the country most all the Vice laws related to specific Christian values. Also, why do you think the Arab countries don’t like us? Because they think we are all Christians. This is well documented, look it up.
I have looked it up. I pulled out my book from my Christian college to find an essay by my Christian professor which contained the information I stated.
You act like you were disagreeing with me on a couple issues, when I said some of the things you did. I know that many believed in God as the creator; that is why I called them Deists. And your relating our laws to Christian or biblical values was addressed when I said our country has a distinct Judeo-Christian heritage.
These things don’t make the country a “Christian country.” It wasn’t founded by Christians and the church and state are separate institutions.
Well, sounds like I misread some of your points, but I would like to ask you this; if the founding fathers were mostly Christian, the D of I states a belief in God, we have many moral (vice) laws based on Christian values, have a Christian holiday, and our money states a belief in God wouldn’t that indicate that this country is Christian based?
I understand you stating the separation of church and State, but then how would you explain all the vice laws, which are meaningless in light of an atheist government?
[/quote]
Dude, most of the founding fathers weren’t Christians. They were deists. They believed in God the creator, but many did not hold to the Christian trinity or the incarnate Christ.
And as I said, the nation’s laws are often based on Judeo-Christian values, but also on Enlightenment ideas and the ideology of the whig party of 18th century England.
[quote]Mr. Bear wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
Mr. Bear wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
Mr. Bear wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
Varqanir wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
No other races celebrate a holiday that did not come from their country of origin or their current country or residence.
So what you are essentially telling us is that in order to celebrate Christmas, one would have to be a resident of or emigrant from the Holy Roman Empire?
December 25 was originally the birthday of the Roman sun god Mithra, and was celebrated with a Bacchanal orgy called Saturnalia, until Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and declared this holiday the celebration of Jesus’ birth. How’s that for a made-up holiday?
Oh, but perhaps you say that your statement does not apply to Christmas, because it is now a Christian holiday, so it is proper to celebrate it in America, being as America is a Christian nation?
Well, you know how many Christians there are here in Japan? About as many Zoroastrians as there are over there in America. You know how many Japanese people celebrate Christmas? Almost all of them.
Lorisco, we already realize that you are an idiot. There is no need to keep proving it by making statements on topics about which you know nothing.
Grates et io Saturnalia.
Unlike Kwanza, Christmas is celebrated around the world by people in most all counties. It is a Christian holiday. And yes my little rocket scientist, the US is a Christian Country. Why do you think it states “In God We Trust” on our money? Retard!
If you think the US is a “Christian country” then you have some studying to do. Most of the founding fathers were deists, if they indeed had belief. And while the country was certainly has a distinct Judeo-Christian heritage, it was also heavily influenced by several varieties of Enlightenment thinking in Europe, and by the radical Whigs of early 18th Century England.
P.S. The retard at the end of the statement is a nice touch, though.
The founding fathers believed in God as the creator as it is mentioned in the D of I. America's Founding Documents | National Archives
Also, if you can read legislative history since the founding of the country most all the Vice laws related to specific Christian values. Also, why do you think the Arab countries don’t like us? Because they think we are all Christians. This is well documented, look it up.
I have looked it up. I pulled out my book from my Christian college to find an essay by my Christian professor which contained the information I stated.
You act like you were disagreeing with me on a couple issues, when I said some of the things you did. I know that many believed in God as the creator; that is why I called them Deists. And your relating our laws to Christian or biblical values was addressed when I said our country has a distinct Judeo-Christian heritage.
These things don’t make the country a “Christian country.” It wasn’t founded by Christians and the church and state are separate institutions.
Well, sounds like I misread some of your points, but I would like to ask you this; if the founding fathers were mostly Christian, the D of I states a belief in God, we have many moral (vice) laws based on Christian values, have a Christian holiday, and our money states a belief in God wouldn’t that indicate that this country is Christian based?
I understand you stating the separation of church and State, but then how would you explain all the vice laws, which are meaningless in light of an atheist government?
Dude, most of the founding fathers weren’t Christians. They were deists. They believed in God the creator, but many did not hold to the Christian trinity or the incarnate Christ.
And as I said, the nation’s laws are often based on Judeo-Christian values, but also on Enlightenment ideas and the ideology of the whig party of 18th century England.
[/quote]
Deists or Christians, the issue is the same, the US is not an atheist country. And God has and is part of the foundation of our laws and process. That was my point.
[quote]Lorisco wrote:
Kuz wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
Kuz wrote:
The fact that anyone is actually somehow getting offended at the idea of Kwanza is really the hilarious part. So what if it’s not DIRECTLY tied to an African holiday? Does it have to be? Would that somehow make it suddenly “authentic” and permissible?
And to those who wonder about holidays celebrated in this country by people of a certain descent, but not back in the country of their ancestry, I am stunned that everyone is missing a HUGE one:
St. Patrick’s Day.
Ireland - A fairly simple religious holiday.
U.S. - A license to wear a crapload of green, claim to be Irish and drink yourself into a coma.
Now, Ireland has recently sought to expand on the holiday a bit in an effort to drum up some tourism, but overall, it is not celebrated in any close fashion in Ireland as it is here in the U.S. as the ultimate symbol of Irish pride.
So does that mean we have to cancel St. Patty’s Day?
Kwanza
Africa - No Holiday
America - No Holiday
It’s meaning? - Know one really knows but it makes us feel policitcaly correct somehow.
Wow… that’s just missing the point. It’s obviously a holiday or celebration to SOME people… otherwise we wouldn’t be having this entire discussion, now would we?
People asked for a situation where an ethnic group celebrates a holiday here in the U.S. that is not celebrated back in the land of their ancestry. I provided it. What’s so hard to understand about that?
St Patrick’s Day IS celebrated in Ireland. So you have not proven your point.
[/quote]
Wow. Reading comprehension not your strong suit, eh? How is it that people going to church (as many do for any religious feast day or sain’t day) is the same as what happens in the U.S.? You are so blinded by the idea that Kwanzaa is some kind of horrible affront casuing racial divisions, you’ve lost all sense of context. Congrats!
[quote]Kuz wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
Kuz wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
Kuz wrote:
The fact that anyone is actually somehow getting offended at the idea of Kwanza is really the hilarious part. So what if it’s not DIRECTLY tied to an African holiday? Does it have to be? Would that somehow make it suddenly “authentic” and permissible?
And to those who wonder about holidays celebrated in this country by people of a certain descent, but not back in the country of their ancestry, I am stunned that everyone is missing a HUGE one:
St. Patrick’s Day.
Ireland - A fairly simple religious holiday.
U.S. - A license to wear a crapload of green, claim to be Irish and drink yourself into a coma.
Now, Ireland has recently sought to expand on the holiday a bit in an effort to drum up some tourism, but overall, it is not celebrated in any close fashion in Ireland as it is here in the U.S. as the ultimate symbol of Irish pride.
So does that mean we have to cancel St. Patty’s Day?
Kwanza
Africa - No Holiday
America - No Holiday
It’s meaning? - Know one really knows but it makes us feel policitcaly correct somehow.
Wow… that’s just missing the point. It’s obviously a holiday or celebration to SOME people… otherwise we wouldn’t be having this entire discussion, now would we?
People asked for a situation where an ethnic group celebrates a holiday here in the U.S. that is not celebrated back in the land of their ancestry. I provided it. What’s so hard to understand about that?
St Patrick’s Day IS celebrated in Ireland. So you have not proven your point.
Wow. Reading comprehension not your strong suit, eh? How is it that people going to church (as many do for any religious feast day or sain’t day) is the same as what happens in the U.S.? You are so blinded by the idea that Kwanzaa is some kind of horrible affront casuing racial divisions, you’ve lost all sense of context. Congrats![/quote]
No, I never stated that. What I stated (talk about poor reading comprehension) was that it was neither American nor African. So it is unique to Blacks in the US and is not relevant to Africa.
I have no problem with the concept of Blacks having a special day to commemorate their heritage, but to do that it would work much better if the holiday was connected to something that was actually African. In other words, look at what is celebrated there now and follow that practice. That would make sense and support their heritage.
So all I’m saying is that if you are going to have a special day to observe your heritage, make it have some actual factual connection to where you came from. Not just some romanticized meaningless practice that doesn’t actually relate to any actual African observance or practice.
So just make Kwanzaa real!
[quote]Lorisco wrote:
Unlike Kwanza, Christmas is celebrated around the world by people in most all counties. It is a Christian holiday. And yes my little rocket scientist, the US is a Christian Country. Why do you think it states “In God We Trust” on our money? Retard!
My reply:
If you think the US is a “Christian country” then you have some studying to do. Most of the founding fathers were deists, if they indeed had belief. And while the country was certainly has a distinct Judeo-Christian heritage, it was also heavily influenced by several varieties of Enlightenment thinking in Europe, and by the radical Whigs of early 18th Century England.
P.S. The retard at the end of the statement is a nice touch, though.
The founding fathers believed in God as the creator as it is mentioned in the D of I. America's Founding Documents | National Archives
Also, if you can read legislative history since the founding of the country most all the Vice laws related to specific Christian values. Also, why do you think the Arab countries don’t like us? Because they think we are all Christians. This is well documented, look it up.
Again:
I have looked it up. I pulled out my book from my Christian college to find an essay by my Christian professor which contained the information I stated.
You act like you were disagreeing with me on a couple issues, when I said some of the things you did. I know that many believed in God as the creator; that is why I called them Deists. And your relating our laws to Christian or biblical values was addressed when I said our country has a distinct Judeo-Christian heritage.
These things don’t make the country a “Christian country.” It wasn’t founded by Christians and the church and state are separate institutions.
Well, sounds like I misread some of your points, but I would like to ask you this; if the founding fathers were mostly Christian, the D of I states a belief in God, we have many moral (vice) laws based on Christian values, have a Christian holiday, and our money states a belief in God wouldn’t that indicate that this country is Christian based?
I understand you stating the separation of church and State, but then how would you explain all the vice laws, which are meaningless in light of an atheist government?
One more time
Dude, most of the founding fathers weren’t Christians. They were deists. They believed in God the creator, but many did not hold to the Christian trinity or the incarnate Christ.
And as I said, the nation’s laws are often based on Judeo-Christian values, but also on Enlightenment ideas and the ideology of the whig party of 18th century England.
Deists or Christians, the issue is the same, the US is not an atheist country. And God has and is part of the foundation of our laws and process. That was my point.
[/quote]
Can you please tell me when anyone claimed that the US was an “atheist country”? That was absolutely not the argument; it was whether the US was a Christian nation or not.
[quote]Lorisco wrote:
No, I never stated that. What I stated (talk about poor reading comprehension) was that it was neither American nor African. So it is unique to Blacks in the US and is not relevant to Africa.
I have no problem with the concept of Blacks having a special day to commemorate their heritage, but to do that it would work much better if the holiday was connected to something that was actually African. In other words, look at what is celebrated there now and follow that practice. That would make sense and support their heritage.
So all I’m saying is that if you are going to have a special day to observe your heritage, make it have some actual factual connection to where you came from. Not just some romanticized meaningless practice that doesn’t actually relate to any actual African observance or practice.
So just make Kwanzaa real!
[/quote]
You are one stupid bastard. How could a group of people celebrate their heritage, if they don’t know what their heritage is? Do you realize how many different cultures are in Africa?
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
No, I never stated that. What I stated (talk about poor reading comprehension) was that it was neither American nor African. So it is unique to Blacks in the US and is not relevant to Africa.
I have no problem with the concept of Blacks having a special day to commemorate their heritage, but to do that it would work much better if the holiday was connected to something that was actually African. In other words, look at what is celebrated there now and follow that practice. That would make sense and support their heritage.
So all I’m saying is that if you are going to have a special day to observe your heritage, make it have some actual factual connection to where you came from. Not just some romanticized meaningless practice that doesn’t actually relate to any actual African observance or practice.
So just make Kwanzaa real!
You are one stupid bastard. How could a group of people celebrate their heritage, if they don’t know what their heritage is? Do you realize how many different cultures are in Africa? [/quote]
There is one born every minute!
Thanks Pro for proving my point that Kwanzaa is meaningless in regards to any black person as it doesn’t and CAN’T relate to your actual heritage. (See how getting you to say what I wanted leaves you nowhere to go as it was your idea! Dam this is easy!)
So thanks to Pro, we have established that Kwanzaa doesn’t and can’t relate to anyone’s actual heritage. As such it is irrelevant to Africa.
Since it was created by an American perhaps it’s more American than anything. So since it doesn’t relate to African culture it would probably be a better idea to change it to relate specifically to the black experience in the US. So changing it to relate to some civil rights act or something of that nature would make more sense.
Thanks Pro, always a pleasure to converse with you.
[quote]Lorisco wrote:
There is one born every minute!
Thanks Pro for proving my point that Kwanzaa is meaningless in regards to any black person as it doesn’t and CAN’T relate to your actual heritage. (See how getting you to say what I wanted leaves you nowhere to go as it was your idea! Dam this is easy!)
So thanks to Pro, we have established that Kwanzaa doesn’t and can’t relate to anyone’s actual heritage. As such it is irrelevant to Africa.
Since it was created by an American perhaps it’s more American than anything. So since it doesn’t relate to African culture it would probably be a better idea to change it to relate specifically to the black experience in the US. So changing it to relate to some civil rights act or something of that nature would make more sense.
Thanks Pro, always a pleasure to converse with you.
[/quote]
Your point was not proven, you retarded jackass. All you have proven is that you can’t understand one simple concept…that if no “african american” truly knows their heritage if they are the product of American slavery, looking to Africa and combining the best of many cultures WOULD be a way of connecting with a part of the world that conceived you. I personally don’t celebrate Kwanzaa and don’t personally know anyone who does. I will, however, not degrade those who choose to.
Thanks for showing the depth of your mentality. I am assured that I could never drown.
Wow, you dislike Kwanzaa because it is not directly tied to still ongoing African heritage/customs? Someone needs to get a clue, and as someone who was born and raised in Africa for 16 years, I shall enlighten you.
#1) South Africa alon has 13 or so “official” languages, 11 of which come from native tribes. So that’s 11 tribes with their own language and culture, in 1 country, that isn’t even the most heavily populated. Let’s multiply this by a continent. Once that is done you can divide most african languages into a few tribes that are different.
#2) As Prof. X pointed out, how the hell are black people in America gonna trace their roots to use a real holiday/custom/tradition or whatever. Despite the fact that this is downright impossible, you have the irreversible mingling of bloodlines and tribes that almost certainly at 1 point in time were more than happy throwing spears at each other. So theoretically, they could pick a real tradition, but it would be offensive to some black people because odds are their ancestors weren’t of the same tribe, or some such bullshit. Yeah, good call on that idea.
#3) Pull the stick out of your ass. This one should be self explanatory. While I have no problem with Kwanzaa itself (coming from Africa I find it rather silly to be honest), who the hell do you think you are to attack a group of people that DON’T have a ancestral heritage they can relate to. I can track my family tree practically to the 1200s, how many black people in America can do that? How many can see where they came from or what their ancestors achieved?
If some people wanna celebrate it, let them. I really see no harm in letting them make an attempt at showing something to do with the ancestry that runs through their veins.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
vroom wrote:
Wow, racism runs deep…
This surprises you? I am more than sure that if there weren’t a few minorities on this board that it would be much more evident.[/quote]
This seems to happen a great deal on here and in America in general. Black people (or African-American if you prefer. I’m old-school, so either is fine with me.) try to have something that is specifically for them alone to do something positive and make their community feel good about themselves and people who are outside of the community feel this need to comment, criticize and belittle their efforts. It shows that idiotic, racist feelings have no bounds.
Generally, there are two types of people that feel the need to be this way, those that have a deep seeded racist viewpoint, whether they want to admit it or not, and those who are jealous that their own cultures aren’t doing the same things here in America. Usually these people are in denial and want to convince others of their perceived logic around their jealousy. You should really pity them.
Like Varqanir said , I wouldn’t care if a bunch of white people decided to observe “Wonder Bread and Velveeta Cheese Week” as a celebration of ethnic pride. Or for that matter, a bunch of Mexicans wanted to observe “Aztec Heritage Week” or anyone else that wants to celebrate their ethnic pride. So long as it is not based in hate (KKK, Nazis etc.) and not harmful to anyone, who cares? I wouldn’t worry about the origins or whether it was “real”. If they want to spend time and effort doing it, its theirs to spend. It doesn’t cost me anything. Get over yourself if you spend time worrying about this type of thing.
By the way, Kwanzaa is celebration with focus on the traditional African values of family, community responsibility, commerce, and self-improvement. These are the same values that are present in most cultures around the world, so these values are not made up. Also, Kwanzaa is neither political nor religious and despite some ridiculous misconceptions, is not a substitute for Christmas. It is simply a time of reaffirming for African-American people, their ancestors and culture. Note, I have stated, African-American people, NOT African people. In case people haven’t noticed, African-Americans have a rich, diverse culture that has help to build this very country. We have ancestors here in the US as well as Africa. It is an African-American celebration. It is not a national holiday. No one gets a day off from work or school. There are no national, or even local for that matter, parades or marches. No government monies are involved. It is a time for black people to reflect and feel good about themselves. It is completely harmless to anybody. What problem does anybody have with this? I personally don’t practice it, but I have no problem with those who do. Just like I have no problem with a bunch of Irishmen getting shit faced on St. Patricks Day. Hell, I’ve been shit faced with them when I was younger. It’s a blast!
If you do have a problem with this, you need to check yourself first. You probably have issues that you aren’t acknowledging.