I definitely don't think most blacks have been taught this as evidence by the reaction to Kanye's comments. Black America reacted like Dr. King just got shot. From my experience most black Americans are taught that we were, and still are, helpless victims who were, and still are, trapped in an oppressive system ran by white people. And the only way out of it is through the benevolence of and communion with white people. But at the same time were taught that they are evil and won't ever not be racist.
I would argue that perspective is one of submission and tokanism...not freedom, not liberty, and not dignity. We were taught that people who endured their life, sang songs to cope, and watched their wives and children raped and murdered while living their whole lives in physical bondage...we consider them to be noble and dignified. In other cultures and from other perspectives those kinds of people would be considered shameful cowards. And likewise, people today who simply "endure" a life of hardship, sing songs to cope, and watch our baby mothers and children live in poverty and depression while living their whole lives in mental bondage are considered shameful cowards from some perspectives.
What if that was our perspective? What if we passed that perspective to our children? I would argue if we did that then it wouldn't take many generations before African Americans and African American cultures are prospering as well as or beyond all other groups.
I'm sorry but I think that's a you thing. Most black people I know don't see themselves as helpless victims. But not seeing yourself as a victim does not mean turning a blind eye to the circumstances under you're operating. Pretending that the world isn't the world doesn't help you succeed. It keeps you failing. You cannot beat a problem that you refuse to acknowledge.
That's the real lack of perspective.
As a lawyer, sometimes you have a tough case. It has law that benefits your opponent. A shitty lawyer tries to pretend that that law doesn't matter, that they can by ignoring it. A good lawyer, a winning lawyer, recognizes that the sometimes the law makes winning harder and comes up with a solution for dealing with it, not ignoring it.
You can't fix your poor education system if you don't acknowledge ALL of the problems with your education system. You can't improve your economic position by ignoring SOME of the barriers to your economic success.
Every immigrant group that I know says that you have to work 2x as hard to get 1/2 as far in the U.S. That's a recognition that the system is not fair. It's also a solution to dealing with it.
Only a fool believes that ignoring a problem helps solve it. And I see no reason to be a fool.
All that aside, I'm glad that you are gaining some sense of self-confidence in yourself and who you can be.
Fighting for equal rights? No.
Fighting for equal treatment as in letting us into white restaurants, white schools, demanding quotas, censored speech, ect...basically forcing others to accept us, include us, share with us, and make us feel not so bad? Well that does show resolve but its not the resolve to be free, independent, dignified, and respected...its a resolve to never be free, never be independent, and never to be seen as legit equals.
So which is it? Should people assimilate into mainstream culture or not? Black America is as American as white America. They've been here just as long. Demanding an equal share of your inheritance is not weakness. Letting someone take what you helped build and keep it as completely theirs is weakness. Build your own shit...of course. And take a share of the shit you already built.
You want to be equals? Then don't let a man use you to get rich without demanding credit for your contribution.
Force others to accept us? No one forced them to buy us. No one forced them to write segregation based laws. No one forced them to treat us as less than. So, yeah, forcing someone to acknowledge you is far better than letting them shit on you and you accept it.
See, here's what equals do. Equals demand respect and take it.
Why can't you sit in a white restaurant? If you're really an equal then you demand to sit in the same restaurant, go to the same school, etc. You don't let someone else tell you where you can go, where you can live or where you can eat.
And the government is your government just as much as it's theirs. So, you should demand that your government stand up for you.
It's very strange to claim you see yourself as equal to someone but also claim that they should be allowed to treat you as not their equal. To make a modern joke - if you get 2 scoops of ice cream, so do I. And it's none of your concern what I do with it.
