Very early this morning at like 5AM on one of the network news shows they talked to an older black guy. He said that the average black was at one time a member of the middle class both financially and socially. But ever since the civil rights movement, their status in both of these areas has plunged.

Those of you who are old enough to remember this period, how true is this?

I'm not old enough to remember the 60's...

But I'm thinking the ability to vote without harassment, and the ability to sit wherever you want on the damn bus and drink out of whatever water fountain you want, and actually go _inside_ and sit at the counter in any restaurant without being tarred, feathered, and strung up by the local lynching squad... probably has a place in promoting a better "social" status, imho.

Maybe things were "better" in the Northern States... but I reckon that wasn't the case for the Southern counterparts... and, besides, I think it could be argued (from a certain point of view) that things were better economically and socially during the 40's and 50's, all-together... without letting race enter the equation.

Blame the ones who turned them into slaves in the first place.
That was the wrong thing to do.

Honestly, I think that the civil rights movement helped out the black people that wanted to be helped. I think there are a lot of black people still out there that would rather continue playing the victim of society rather then try and help themselves out of the hole they may be in.

The same way that some women want to make a big deal about being equal with men and all that, then still expect guys to open their door, or pay for everything or whatever.

I think civil rights movement and anything else along the same kind of lines only works of the people it's intending to help actually want it. :2 cents:

You guys really should read Shelby Steele's WHITE GUILT.

The complete title is...

White Guilt: How whites and blacks together destroyed the promise of civil rights era

His opinion is basically, "look white people - you guys come at these poor blacks with free money and free this and that - they will take it and it only hurts THEM in the long run"

I agree with Shelby Steele, Whitwe Guilt is why we have a holiday today and white guilt is why America is the way it is in regards to blacks.

My advice to blacks is just like Shelby Steele says (he is black) "Come in off the plantation. Blacks have it better now than they have ever had it, and they still cant get it together. America gives blacks an oppurtunity that many poor whites dont get."

Thats paraphrased... he thinks giving money to poor blacks is wrong etc... he is one of the best minds on race in america right now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelby_Steele

when whites put down WHITE GUILT this country will begin to take a turn, bu we must rid ourselves of race protection ideas like "affirmative action" etc...

i have been mesmirezed by Shelby Steele and his kind since coming across them.

Hurray for intellectuals over "gimme gimme gimme"

Racism is for the shallow, and non-intellectually inclined.
The politics of racism is a farce. Today's media gets the biggest ratings from racial topics that cater's to the morons of America.

50% the people don't vote. If you're under 30 is more like 80%. They went though al teh effort to make a constitutional admendment so those 18-20 could vote and they fucking don't do it anyways

All that would have ended eventually anyways. Just like slavery would have ended eventually even if the South had won the war. Economically slaves would have been more expensive when mechanical farm equipment became available. Not to mention the rest of the world would have eventually refused to strad with the CSA beacuse of slavery.

Other black people?

Yes and no. I think what it has done has made the black society hypocritical, ungrateful for their rights, and it has made them very violent. I think that the black society should take a step back and realize how wrong their thoughts about every other race is.

I still find it hard to believe that blacks weren't able to ride where they damn please on the bus and everything else. Thankfully, my generation never saw any of this. At least I didn't. The concept that one race is any better than the other is rather funny to me.

But pretty soon whites are going to be in the minority aren't they? Great! I can't wait to get my minority benefits!