Racism, Christianity, U.S history, Christopher Columbus all rolled into one discussion

[waitasec]

Norse colonization of the Americas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Averroes]

In the African Studies curriculum I saw a constant attempt to keep comparing African acheivements to those of other races in order to say "look we're as good as them, we can do anything they can do." The whole think just reeked of a superficial value system in which a human life's worth is determined by his accomplishments and not by the fact he's made in the image of God.

Imagine growing up in a society where the accomplishments of minorities was not mwntioned. Imagine growing up in a society where the majority places stereotypes on you and therefore everything that society knows about you and your culture is from biased media outlets. No need to imagine it has happened. I mean qith respect to Africa and African culture, society is only familiar with the following: Africa is full of HIV/AIDS, warfare, poverty, famine, the pyramids exist there, tribal wars....oh I forgot to mention slavery.

So it is important to show accomplishments in comparison to other cultures because society has a tendency to relate to Africa with negativity.

 

[tumbleweed41]

Also, when referring to "true religion" I am referring to ancestral religion.

How far back? Which lineage?

 

[Bismillah]

Since when have Muslims been to the Americas before Columbus? That's the first I've heard of this.

There is also the idea of the Emperor of Mali making contact with civilisations in the "New World".

 

[Walkntune]

Now if you are implying that the discussion of race, and racism is taking a step back in progression I would say that is an idiotic notion.

I guess you would think so.....until one of them African American dating sites pop up on the TV.

 

[Averroes]

How far back? Which lineage?

Good question.

I'm not 100% sure but before Islam many Western/Souther/Eastern Africans were animist, Christian, polytheists.

As for the ancestral part, I'm not so sure but I think Africans were animist.....I also learned that there are Africans that practice Hinduism as well

 

[Averroes]

I guess you would think so.....until one of them African American dating sites pop up on the TV.

LOL

I mean people hate discussing racism, race and the like because people assume we are above the subject and hence notions of race (which is not an accurate term to human beings of varying ethnic groups) is not even something we should debate. But just like we on this website argue about the horrific actions of Muslim terrorist and quote passages to validate our biased views that Islam is inherently terrible, to alleviate ourselves of media bias we often read on Islam or get a perspective of Islamic culture from Muslims themselves.

The same thought process can be applied to various ethnic groups. I have found myself countering the stereotypes of blacks. For example, a friend of mine did a research study on ethnic variation of music interest she took pictures of different people attached it to a questionnare of various questions such as:

1) What level of education DO YOU feel person in picture 1A has?

2) Is Person 1A employed?

3) What genre of music do you think person 1A listens to?

etcetera.....

The point is, she found (of course sampling over 2,000 subjects) was that people judged music interest with education. If memory serves me correct, the black male was often associated with hip-hop/rap/R&B and was said to have only a middle-high school education. The white individual in this study was said to have a college education and listens to, with (varying answers by subjects) to listen to classical, hard/soft rock......

However, she goes to Nebraska University so I am not sure if that location has an effect on their choice but again the point I am trying to make is that there are racial biases and because there are racial biases inaccurate ones at that, we need to discuss this issue more

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I was under the impression that serious scholars had given up on the "Columbus discovered the Americas" scenario long ago.

At least since the '60s when the Norse settlement at L'Anse Aux Meadows was discovered, which is dated to around 1000 CE and connected with Leif Ericson.

You can actually go to L'Anse Aux Meadows and see the remains of the settlement and its artifacts (I have - it's really cool). Leif's saga describes him voyaging south from Newfoundland to somewhere called "Vinland", which was supposedly a point on mainland North America where grapes grew... however, no archaeological evidence for the exact location of Vinland has been found.

Muslims in the Americas before Columbus

My first reaction to that is that is sounds a bit sketchy. I'm inclined to put it in the same category as the claim that the Irish monk St. Brendan crossed the Atlantic in a rowboat in the 800s.

 

[Averroes]

Well of course yoiu may be skeptical, I mean Muslims in America? LOL

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Well of course yoiu may be skeptical, I mean Muslims in America? LOL

I was skeptical that Leif Ericson came to North America, too... but then I was confronted by overwhelming evidence.

Got any?

 

[Walkntune]

LOL

I mean people hate discussing racism, race and the like because people assume we are above the subject and hence notions of race (which is not an accurate term to human beings of varying ethnic groups) is not even something we should debate. But just like we on this website argue about the horrific actions of Muslim terrorist and quote passages to validate our biased views that Islam is inherently terrible, to alleviate ourselves of media bias we often read on Islam or get a perspective of Islamic culture from Muslims themselves.

The same thought process can be applied to various ethnic groups. I have found myself countering the stereotypes of blacks. For example, a friend of mine did a research study on ethnic variation of music interest she took pictures of different people attached it to a questionnare of various questions such as:

1) What level of education DO YOU feel person in picture 1A has?

2) Is Person 1A employed?

3) What genre of music do you think person 1A listens to?

etcetera.....

The point is, she found (of course sampling over 2,000 subjects) was that people judged music interest with education. If memory serves me correct, the black male was often associated with hip-hop/rap/R&B and was said to have only a middle-high school education. The white individual in this study was said to have a college education and listens to, with (varying answers by subjects) to listen to classical, hard/soft rock......

However, she goes to Nebraska University so I am not sure if that location has an effect on their choice but again the point I am trying to make is that there are racial biases and because there are racial biases inaccurate ones at that, we need to discuss this issue more

Well I think discovering the flatted 3rd and fifth note in blues and rock and roll was better than discovering America.

 

[ChristineES]

How far back? Which lineage?

Boy, that would be tough for me. I would have to worship the Navajo religion, Catholicism and Judaism all at once. All of that is my lineage.
I'll just stick to what I worship now until I see a need to change.

 

[-Peacemaker-]

OP: Do black people in America tend to undervalue athletic accomplishments? If so, is it simply an example of buying into a broken value system that says such accomplishments aren't intellectual enough to be valued as highly as academic ones?

 

[Averroes]

OP: Do black people in America tend to undervalue athletic accomplishments? If so, is it simply an example of buying into a broken value system that says such accomplishments aren't intellectual enough to be valued as highly as academic ones?

Actually its the majority ethnic group (figure out whivh one) in media that makes athletic acheivements an undervalued

 

[-Peacemaker-]

Actually its the majority ethnic group (figure out whivh one) in media that makes athletic acheivements an undervalued

Sadly, it appears many black folks have bought into the lie that athletic achievements are somehow less worthy than academic ones. It's rare to see the black man as a collective group elevate athletic acheivements.

 

[Averroes]

Sadly, it appears many black folks have bought into the lie that athletic achievements are somehow less worthy than academic ones. It's rare to see the black man as a collective group elevate athletic acheivements.

Sadly your presumptions are wrong blacks as a whole don't do that, quite the opposite. It is biased media which is largely biased, that makes blacks who are actively successful at sports an undervalued commodity. For instance, long ago in sports Illustrated, they made an article on why blacks excel at athletics. Shortly after racist biologist/scientist Crick made statements regarding the intellectual inferiority of blacks. It isn't blacks that buy into anything. Actually jungle I think you're not reading what I am writing and you're failing badly.

 

[Averroes]

Another example is that in a lot of ghettos there are a lot of African-Americand that overemphize the physical talents of their children in hopes that their children make pro. It is because sports media hype would be talented young athletes up with dreams of making pro. It is the athletic organization (NBA) that tells kids "sure you can leave college early" which many young black kids forsake their education because? Guess what? Many of these kids grew up poor! Of course not many priviledged white kids or folks would understand that because many aren't even in that percentile? How do I know? The last kids who went pro were...guess what? Were black.

I am not saying whites don't know what its like to grow up poor. I am saying many whites don't know what its like to be poor but be talented, make pro, then mismanage money because of the vultures that salivate when they see them sign that contract.

 

[-Peacemaker-]

Another example is that in a lot of ghettos there are a lot of African-Americand that overemphize the physical talents of their children in hopes that their children make pro. It is because sports media hype would be talented young athletes up with dreams of making pro. It is the athletic organization (NBA) that tells kids "sure you can leave college early" which many young black kids forsake their education because? Guess what? Many of these kids grew up poor! Of course not many priviledged white kids or folks would understand that because many aren't even in tye percentile? How do I know? The last kids who went pro were...guess what? Were black.

I am not saying whites don't know what its like to grow up poor. I am saying many whites don't know what its like to be poor but be talented, make pro, then mismanage your money because of the vultures that salivate when they see you sign that contract.

Is education in general undervalued in the black community?

 

[Averroes]

Is education in general undervalued in the black community?

No. Education is not undervalued. It is not emphasized in the same context as Japanese or Filipinos emphasize their kids on education. Unfortunately many blacks are under the poverty line, and are working and taking care of kids. In my immediate family I am the only one to graduate college. My family only emphasized work because that is all they know as do many blacks when they grow up poor.

 

[-Peacemaker-]

No. Education is not undervalued. It is not emphasized in the same context as Japanese or Filipinos emphasize their kids on education. Unfortunately many blacks are under the poverty line, and are working and taking care of kids. In my immediate family I am the only one to graduate college. My family only emphasized work because that is all they know as do many blacks when they grow up poor.

I've heard stories from inner city schools which is code in America for "black schools" in which the kids who take their education seriously are the ones that get ridiculed and ostracized by the other students.