"I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!" declared Patrick Henry. And promptly enslaved the Blacks and gave death to the Red Indians.
Jefferson, (except when he was dining alone), thought that all men are created equal - and excluded all Blacks, Reds and others from being equal.
Emma Lazarus said ...Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
.. but forgot to add "as long as you are white".
The Rest Of Us
I think the rest of us, (the browns, yellows and blacks) make too much of these simple mistakes by these 'great' men and do not appreciate their 'spirit'. We cannot hold their feet to fire, if they forgot to add these important caveats.
It is clear to all those who matter (the whites, who else) that this was never meant to be taken at face value - but to be read with the unwritten qualifications. If we (browns, blacks and yellows) are ignorant, backward and don't understand these subtleties, we can not take away the 'greatness' from these people.
Some may call it hypocrisy, but I think it is unfair - to the hypocrites. These 'great men' genuinely forgot to add these important words.
Honest mistake! OK?
1 comment:
Just out of curiosity, are you citing someone esle in with the term "Red Indians" or is this something you say yourself? "Native American" is not just a politically correct term, it is the correct term. Just because some Western explorer made the mistake doesn't mean we should still use such a severe misnomer. Interesting blog by the way!
Post a Comment