Terry Mitchell

What's with This "White Guilt" Thing?



Posted: Wednesday, January 20, 2010

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http://commenterry.blogs.com

Many white people view race relations though a prism of what is known as "white guilt." This is a phenomenon whereby whites base their views on how African-Americans should be treated in given situations on a kind of personal guilt over the way their forefathers exploited and abused these people.
  
Such was the partially the genesis for government programs like EEO and Affirmative Action. It is also the reason why incidents of injustice by white people toward minorities and white-on-black crime always get more attention from the media than the reverse ever does.
However, I just don't get this whole "white guilt" thing. As far as I know, none of my ancestors ever owned slaves or mistreated black people and other minorities. But even if they had, why should I feel guilty about it? I will take responsibility (and therefore feel guilty) for only the bad things that I have done. I am not responsible for anyone else's behavior, including that of those who preceded me in my family tree.

I know that black sheep in the family line would bother some people because their ancestry is important to them. But I don't give a flying flip about that kind of stuff.  In fact, I couldn't care less if I had ancestors who where mass murderers, assassins, and even Nazi death camp operators. To me, how a person behaves and what he or she is able to achieve is far more important than who that person is. I believe a person should set about creating his or her own heritage, beginning early in life.

In Micah 6:8, God tells us what is expected of us: "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, to walk humbly with thy God." (KJV) Follow that commandment and you'll have nothing to feel guilty about.
 
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