Is black history month an insult?

how is it racist if its about people celebrating black history and the achievements the people have made?

The point of black history month is to let black (and other people) know that there is something to be proud of in their history. Their race didn't start at the beginning of slavery, there's a rich history going back to the origins of the human race. We don't learn about that in Western society, so I see nothing wrong with people seeing a need to highlight the lost history of their race, before it is forgotten all together.

As though to say black history is not extensive enough it can fit into one month, and the rest of the year is devoted to white history.. I haven't been to a museum in years but if I remember right they're basically shrines of white history.

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You're right, there is plenty of stuff before slavery but it seems that's all the media focus on and, as I said, I find it pretty tiresome. But yes, there are things we could study and some of them are no less interesting than Henry VIII (who, for the record, was rather more than a fat, bigamous King).

On the other hand your statement is no less divisive. Surely black people are British like the rest of us so we share the same history. I don't see a risk of any part of human history being forgotten, there are plenty of ways to research it if that's what interests you, but the national teaching of history is surely about binding us all together via a common, shared history.

You're very clever with your words.. mr racist, black history relates to race, British is a nationality, there is no links to being black and being British in regards to history.

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Uh-huh, that and invent a truckload of things which have immeasurably improved humanity's lot - from penicillin and aeroplanes to the computer and the internet we're having this discussion on. That and creating beautiful works of art and sculpture, building incredible cities, cathedrals and monuments, producing great works of literature and poetry, sending the first men into space or to the north and south poles...etc...etc...

Oh, and of course nothing good was ever done for the people whose lands we took over... oh no, definitely not anything like giving them improved transport infrastructure, the rule of law, parliamentary democracy, a massive head-start in business terms by enabling them to speak English, and, lest we forget, we also taught them to play the organised sports they take such pleasure in routinely thrashing us at.

Black history month is a divisive absurdity. We are all British, regardless of colour, how about celebrating that together rather than finding things to argue over. Personally I'm sick and tired of being told I should be ashamed of Britain's more recent imperial past and should feel guilty about slavery. How about acknowledging that we banned it first, that we fought to stop it, and that the world is not so easily divided into good and evil.

I apologise unreservedly if I have offended anyone, I obviously haven't expressed myself clearly.

All I am trying to get across is that it seems as though placing special emphasis on black, white, asian, or any race's history would seem to reinforce divisions between peoples. In other words it emphasises differences between people which is, I think, damaging to society.

I would rather see an approach that emphasised how similar we all are and that how you look is irrelevant. That was what I meant when I said we are all British (although apologies to any website users from outside the UK), that we should focus on what unites us rather than looking for differences.

MrMango:

I'm not sure I follow your meaning. I am perfectly happy to consider and accept any valid criticisms you may have. With that in mind I'd be grateful if you might explain in more detail two things:

1. How have you come to conclusion that I am racist from what I have said?

2. Whilst I appreciate the difference between a race and nationality, what do you mean when you say there are no links between being black and being British with regard to history?

In regards to your first question



Well I wouldn't say us blacks had a rich history in Britain tbh we only came over in the 60s really.. I've yet to meet a black thats when you needed us here, now we've served our purpose of bringing the country back up, everyone wants to get the deportation papers out. You act like blacks have done nothing.. America was built on the backs of blacks through slavery. Read your post you are acting as though Africa should be grateful for being invaded.

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Ok, so that first comment was admittedly a little lacking in objectivity. Although I missed out the quotation I was responding to "iheartplums" in post number 8 and her comment that all white people had done was "rape, pillage and enslave others and take over their lands". I am a keen student of history and tend to get rather annoyed by such a lopsided view of what happened. I was not claiming that black people have done nothing, but merely trying to show that white people had done more than "rape, pillage, enslave, etc..."

Of course you're right that I was being simplistic and one-sided in response to that. For instance I mentioned the space missions - but as you say, the first century or so of America's rise (until their civil war and probably some way afterwards) was greatly helped by their use of slaves in the South, and I think it likely that the huge team at NASA working on it had people of all races on it so it's not really right to attribute that achievement to any one race, and the same can be said for other things too.

On the subject of Africa being invaded - well my view was summarised by saying that the world is not so easily divided into good and evil. British and European colonialism in Africa was responsible for both good and bad things. Some of the good things I mentioned above would surely be things to be grateful for wouldn't you say? Empires have been rising and falling throughout history and, just as Britain can be grateful to the Romans for some of the things they left behind, surely Africa can do the same without bearing a grudge? I feel as though that is a more productive way of looking at things instead of trying to make white people feel guilty and pointing the finger of blame. What's done is done and the wiser course of action is to learn lessons and move forward.

You refer to black people only getting here in the 60s. Whilst that is true for a large number, there were many here before that, as far back as the 18th century even and I've heard people claim that the Romans brought Africans with them here too. But that's beside the point - if I understand you correctly are you saying that you don't feel as though British history is your history because you feel it's dominated by white people and your familial ancestors had no part in it?

As a last point I don't know who wants to deport black people from Britain, but I certainly do not. As I've been saying, we are all British, regardless of colour, religion, etc...