Posted by
JDComments on Wednesday, January 17, 2007 6:06:42 PM
A state legislator in Virginia has caused the expected ruckus by
saying Blacks should "get over " slavery in the context of his state considering whether it should make a formal apology for that heinous institution.
I say, he's right.
The indignant cries of "How could you" are already arising from Liberals, no surprise there, but their righteous laments really beg the question "So you think Blacks should NOT get over slavery?". Unfortunately, the answer to that is "Yes".
For Liberals, slavery and racism are the two pressure points which allow them to intimidate Blacks into blindly following their failed policies for them.
As Juan Williams, Shelby Steele, Thomas Sowell and other commentators have noted, it is time for Blacks to take responsibility for their actions, and improve their condition proactively , instead of waiting for the Government to take care of them. To do that they have to stop obsessing over the wrongs done to them in the past and begin to take advantage of the opportunities now available.
In other words, they have to get over their slave past.
Now this does not mean it should be ignored, forgotten or minimalized. What it doe mean is that we should all learn from it, perhaps even memorialize it, but not allow it to provide excuses for preventing Blacks and society as a whole to move forward and progress.
As any psychiatrist will tell you, to move forward with your life you have to get over past problems and tragedies. This holds true for groups as well as individuals.
The tragedy of the Holocaust is an example of a catastrophe that has marked the Jewish people, but not prevented them from founding a country or succeeding in life. While never forgetting, they "got over" the Holocaust, understanding that was the only way to triumph over it.
Until Blacks understand this, and do the same, they will always be chained, not by physical shackles, but by emotional and psychic restraints that are even worse for being unseen. "Getting over it" really means freeing themselves from a horrible memory which prevents them from joining society as full and fruitful members.
The fact that Liberals are appalled by this idea should really give the Black community pause and reason to wonder if perhaps all the paternal policies enacted for them are just a gilded cage.