[MCP] "minority kid burning"...

[Bill Braun]

The conversation about choices made is an important one. So is the one 
about choices available. When I examine my choices made, it is called 
reflection and introspection. It is impossible to know with what 
frequency this takes place (unless I tell you).

When you examine my choices made, it's called arrogance and is for the 
most part is your way of claiming superiority over me. Count the number 
of times that whites have publicly called upon fellow whites to be more 
responsible for their own racism. Count the number of times that whites 
have called on blacks to clean up their own house first.

As to choices available...who designed this society, anyway? Place a 
white person in the same situation as a person of color (I suggest that 
we first elicit from the white person her/his most critical story of 
people of color making bad choices), put her/him in the same situation, 
and in six months, s/he will be making roughly the same choices.

Bill B.

Steve Moynihan wrote:
> What role does free will and personal responsibility play?  It appears 
> the discussion here and many other discussions revolve around a victim 
> mentality.  Are there some external factors that we cannot control?  
> Certainly.  Are some of these factors malicious?  I would say yes.  
> But at what point do we say that some things are my fault or my 
> success?  And also, as you fight against lumping one group together 
> and generalizing, shouldn't we also be fighting against lumping 
> "whitey" into one monolithic category that is out to destroy the black 
> man?  Record companies don't make you buy their product.  I see tons 
> of ads for McDonalds.  I don't buy it - I don't like it.  It's a 
> choice.  People choose to buy that awful collection of sounds.  I 
> think a lot of white kids buy it too... maybe more than blacks.  So 
> would these white kids be collateral damage in whitey's war on the 
> black family?  Are their families being destroyed by the music?  It 
> all seems a little foolish.  I guess this brings me back to my 
> original question... what role does free will play?  Are we mere 
> victims of some larger scheme and/or how do we account for our 
> personal actions?
>
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