Should minorities simply get over the past and move on?

Since institutional discrimination is outlawed, should minorities simply get over the past and move on? Is it that simple?

I guess if I thought that the privileged could get over it and move on...I think if you look at your own lives you would find that some things are hard to get over and move on...Way to simplistic.

Yes they should----and so should the majorities. But will it even happen in my grandchildren's lifetime? No.

Many years ago I went to lunch with a couple of people I worked with, one of whom was black. The Subway was very busy, with several people taking orders & several making sandwiches. In the hustle & bustle, the black co-worker was skipped. "Excuse me, I was next" - he said, & was waited on politely.

When we got outside, he proceeded to rant that he was skipped because he was black. To me, it seemed like an honest mistake, but to him it was a racial incident. I mentioned it to someone who said, "Maybe if you'd spent your whole life being overlooked, you'd see it as a slam, too." That really made me stop & think. Because the thing is, I'm a member of a privileged society - I'm a white female with a good education and a good job, and as a result I don't see these mini-discriminations that someone of a minority might.

I forget what term Tomlinson used for these small, unconscious slights, but he mentioned them toward the end of the book. So, to me it's not a matter of getting over it, it's a matter of being conscious of the situations when they arise so they can be avoided in the future.

... And I'd also like to say that these situations make me MORE conscious of race, not less so. In all honestly I sometimes worry about talking to people of other races - saying the wrong thing, being inadvertently offensive - and the end result is that it sharpens the divide.

I think nothing should be forgotten, such atrocities are a part of one's history, as well as the country's history, but one cannot dwell on it, be always looking for it, or use it as a crutch or an excuse. It must serve as a type of baseline - "this is a part of me, of my history, and happens now is up to me". That said, racism is not dead, but it does not have to be a brick wall anymore. One has to be aware of racism and prepare in advance how you want to react to it when you are confronted by it. Because you will be.

I agree with ruthiea that slavery is a part of individual and cultural history - a big part, not something that can simply be gotten over. But we, all of us, have to move on, and I also agree with ruthiea that racial inequality and discrimination shouldn't be dwelt on, looked for or used as an excuse. It is important to remember, because as with the Holocaust, when we stop remembering, even actively reminding ourselves of what happened, it becomes easier for racists and supremacists to propagandize and rewrite history and then we are in danger of history repeating itself.

Well said Ruthiea and Sallyh. I guess learning from the past but moving forward without a 2x4 on your shoulder is key....knowledge and a willingness to forgive. As an older white woman, I've met discrimination and had limited career choices but I can't dwell on it or bitterness would lead me...I celebrate the greater options for my daughters and still fight for the rights of all of us to get a fair shake.

My great-grandmother was a black woman married to a white man (a true minority in the early 1900's). Upon his death, she was not allowed to go into the white church for his funeral. I agree that to forget history is to allow it to repeat itself. I am a professional woman in a career where men (regardless of their ethnicity)are still earning higher wages, so I remind myself how far society has come as a whole.

I was "poor white trash" as a young child and some kids wouldn't play with me. I was resilient and did not make that a life sentence. I am highly educated, but a person doesn't really get over the past and move on 100%. There are scars.

Should we wear it on our chest, of course not. Should we be aware and act accordingly, yes! I have watched sales people wait on everyone around me and pretend to not see me, I have been followed around a store, though impeccably and expensively dressed, by a person who watched to make sure I didn't steal anything. I would be remiss as a mother if I didn't teach my children to be aware of these things and teach them to respond in an acceptable manner.

Atrocities committed in the past should not be forgotten or swept under the rug; however, they cannot be changed by constant rehashing or blame naming. It is important that we all realize that owning another human being is reprehensible (regardless of perceived kindnesses) and that it is equally offensive to discriminate against anyone because of things that are beyond their control (who their parents were, the color of their skin, etc). I'm sure anyone who has felt the brunt of any kind of discrimination will bear scars, but hopefully the scars won't be a permanent disability.

I don't think it is possible to forget but I do think it is wise to not let the past get in the way of moving forward.

If it were that easy. Our past has a way of rearing its head when least expected. As the only species that can ponder over our doings it is almost impossible to give in to collective amnesia! It cannot be forgotten, but it can be dealt with compassion and understanding, I hope. There are minorities all over the world. Any given geographical location claims to have one group of people as majority and another as minority. As social beings we tend to live in collectives of "ours' and "theirs"...How do we get past this provincial thinking? That, I think is the key...to raise world citizens...maybe I am overly optimistic?

I do not believe the past can be ignored, however, I feel it should not be an excuse for not living a good life now. Whether the past is because you are a minority or an injustice in your own background, dwelling on this will only make a happy future impossible.

We need to acknowledge the past and learn from it. We should learn from young children who have not been tainted by prejudice. I see prejudice in our society against many groups for racial, ethnic or religious differences. White against Black , Black against White, African Americans against Africans , Religions against other Religions . The bottom line is society does not do well with different. Can we rid society of prejudice ? Unfortunately as long as parents are teaching prejudice in subtle or many times unsubtle ways it will continue to exist.