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Captain Sammitch said:
Quote:

Beardguy57 said:
It was not my intent to annoy, but as you know, I rarely speak up about real issues, and Black History month is a special one for me.



Because you like black men?

Seriously, though, what does it take to make the history and/or celebrations of a particular culture "important" to one person or another? Some people would assert that membership in a cultural group is imperative to truly understand it. Others would dismiss the whole thing as a series of meaningless political constructs. Between the two extremes, is it possible to express differing degrees of respect for the observances of various people groups without said respect being preferential or prejudicial?



Now I will attempt to answer your question properly, Phil.

It is quite possible to express differing degrees of respect for the observances of various people groups without said respect being preferential or prejudicial, but many people feel one way or the other to varying degrees.. it's human nature, I expect.

You asked : " Seriously, though, what does it take to make the history and/or celebrations of a particular culture "important" to one person or another?"

Membership would make it important to a certain group to truly understand what it is like to be a member; however, outsiders can be sympathetic enough - and caring enough - to understand this group, yet, only a member of such a group would TRULY understand totally what it is like to be a member.

I will never know what it is like to have department store guards watch me suspiciously because I am a young black man.. or to be arrested and convicted of a crime I did not dcommit, simply because I am black and a few witnesses decided "they all look alike. " I will never know what it is like to have been beaten by police or have high pressure water hoses turned on me during the Civil Rights marches of the 1960's.. but, I do have my own set of bad experiences from which to draw from that enable me to have a slight idea what it is like.. but, only a slight idea.

The ability to relate to a group of people who are different from oneself comes from a desire or interest to do so.

Being sympathetic for whatever reasons can go a long way.

On the other hand, there are people who are fearful, angry, or hateful towards black people. People who so feel this way feel they have good cause, due to extremely negative experiences with a group of people, or because hate for this group of people runs in their family, but it is another thing entirely to act out on that hate. This is what KKK people do. Killing members of a group just because they are different from you is the ultimate extreme expression of negative feelings for a group of people who are different from you.

Grey areas? Sure, there are grey areas... if you ask ten different people how they feel about a certain group of individuals, you will get ten different answers, all varying with the experiences of each individual.

Grey areas can be : indifference, mere tolerance, having feelings but not acting on them, or sometimes, not even being aware of these feelings. People might choose a middle ground due to how they were raised, or their own life experiences with members of a group.. or lack of experiences with members of a group of people.

What it takes to make the history of a group of people important to others not belonging to that particular group?

Curiousity, compassion, empathy for others, a true liking for that group, and an admiration for their culture and religion.

"I offer you a Vulcan prayer, Mr Suder. May your

death bring you the peace you never found in

life." - Tuvok.