The English language has its own unique nuances. All languages whether spoken, written, or both do. A confusing trend which this author has noted since his early days of elementary education is the misspelling of Black and White when describing a person's racial grouping. This was among the common rules of standard English used, as recently as, the 1970s in popular media such as books, magazines, and etc. Now it is the case, that English is only the third most widely spoken language in the World and a secondary language for many Americans who speak the second most common language on this earth. And, the speakers of the second most widely used tongue do not make this distinction since the terms used do not collide with other, older denotations of the words, black and white. This is not a criticism of these Americans whose first language is not English; it is simply an observation. And, frankly English-speaking Americans are notorious for not using language properly when in other countries.
With this said, the older meanings of black and white do not denote color, but evilness and goodness, respectively. It was rather insulting seeing the first President of the United States who claimed his African heritage called "black" when "Black" was the appropriate adjective. In all honesty and although each of the political parties have weakness, the Democratic party Presidents have been nearer white than most of the Republican Presidents. They have tried including more Americans from underrepresented groups in the political process.
Those in America's Red States will like the ways this sounds, but hate the way that it is written. We need an all-white government. This country has been the darkest shade of black since its inception when peoples from a continent stole peoples from another continent so they might steal a continent from peoples. But, despite a dark past we must be a people who grows whiter with every administration. Unfortunately, it looks like pot-holes might be growing in the Presidential lawn in the near future instead of the famous rose garden. Psalm 2.
It is troubling that we as a community of those who claim that we are believers throughout this world cannot unite and work in unison. As stated in the New Testament, the prophets and the Law hang on this, "Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and your neighbor as yourself." If one loves God with all that he has, what is left for others? The obedience that one shows the Lord when he said that he prizes it with mercy over sacrifice. Remember that famous question "who is my neighbor" and how Christ answered it. Did not He give a parable in which a Hebrew who was hurt on the side of the rode was ignored and left for dead by priest in his community; however, he was helped and healed by a Samaritan who was so far removed from a Hebrew by family relationship that they saw themselves as diametrical opposed peoples much like the Black and White.
Strangely enough. the author remembers dealing with a heap of trouble in his second grade year when he mentioned the fact that marriage between peoples from different groups occur in the world. His mother admonished him that he should not mention this around young White children since their parents do not tell them that this ever occurs. The author supposes that it was more than some of those other second graders could handle. He remembers his father saying that it cost his family one thousand dollars getting him out of trouble. Many years later after reading scripture and thoroughly enjoying the accounts of Joseph in Egypt, he pondered how in the world did these student's Sunday School teacher's explain the tribe of Manasseh or the other numerous times when this happened in the Bible.
But, intermarriage between peoples is not a recipe for peace. Marrying the Bridegroom is. You will decipher that last cryptic phrase when you read your scriptures.
The author remembers, in the early 1970s, someone claiming that he heard the world would be rid of Black people in seven generations. But, what he might have heard that it would be rid of black people. For, His Kingdom is a white city full of white people.
In this nation, we are stratified by power movements by peoples: Black, White, Brown, and etc. As peoples, we all can claim great accomplishments by ancient members of our respective groups. But, it seems that strife occurs whenever some of us bring these facts up in public. In this country, depending upon the locale in which one studies World History, one might only trace History as far back as the Renaissance, other places the time of Christ, and a few other might reach as far back as the large ancient cultures uncovered in East Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Plus, social mores can preclude someone from speaking openly about facts which are recorded in text in large respected university libraries written by White authors. A memory which tickles the author, is the thought of discussing the fact that many peoples have had slave experiences in history with someone who has been a friend for nearly three decades. Interestingly enough, the term "slave" in English is derived from the name of a peoples from Eastern Europe who were held as property within the Roman Empire as late as the mid-1600s by some accounts. She became so furious when he mentioned this fact that see nearly let the "n-word" slip, exclaimed that she was not interested in hearing all of that Black Power nonsense, and that none of her family had ever been slaves. More aptly put, he expected that she would hurl that word at him followed by the stapler on the office desk by the look on her face. Our teachings are deeply ingrained. He told her that she should simply check in her local university library and she can see that fact. African descendants did not conspire so they might weave this information in the Webster's Collegiate Dictionary simply in hopes that they might bamboozle all the good White folks in America.
He never brought up the fact that influences outside of Western Europe were responsible for establishing the earliest known centers of learning on that portion of that continent around 900 A.D. While learning centers had risen and fallen in large cities of trade and commerce in many other places around the World for millennia predating this. She was simply someone who attended a high-school in a more bucolic, nearly all-White part of the country. This experience simply reminded him of that classic board game named after the play by Shakespeare. The goal is that all of the chips of one color out flank all of the chips of another color thereby "flipping" their color. Interestingly enough, the colors of the game pieces are black and white. Would it be a "better" board game if the pieces where labeled "good" and "evil" plus had a uniformly random color distribution. Should this not be the white Christian's goal whether his skin tone be as light as an early morn, deep as a rich midnight, or somewhere in between, his hair be straight, wavy, or contain a loose or intricate curl pattern, his eyes be a pure blue, green, a mixed hazel, brown, or black, he be short or tall, or slender, stout, or svelte?
The most ironic fact which the author learned while studying in college, although it is not the source of all or the highest truths, is that if one is suffering from a delusional disorder he can become violent and aggressive when one attempts removing that delusion. What is a greater delusion than believing that because one simply has a physical trait that he necessarily has a superior standing on any and all positive criteria over someone without that trait. The author stands as tall as Charles Barkley, but is a lousy basketball player. He has his complexion, an athletic build, and can play some sports reasonably well. Basketball is not it. Interesting historical fact, it was less than a century ago in America that the prevailing thought in the sports media was that descendants of African slaves were not fit for sports. It was claimed and "scientifically measured by some" that their levers where not in the proper proportions and that they were innately clumsy and awkward. Its seems that the descendants of African slaves are well-represented in sports these days, and it is falsely assumed by some that one can play sports well if of African descent.
The record of history in the West is amazing. A Chicano child taught me a powerful lesson about education while in elementary school. The question posed by the teacher was "Who discovered America?" Did I give the answer away? Did any of you Harvard doctoral candidates in History think twice. What is the answer that gets points on every test. Columbus, right? Were people here when he arrived? Unfortunately, that might be an issue of debate, although these historians might be Yale, Princeton, or Harvard educated. Sad as it is. We really need a whiter America and a much whiter World.
Please Pardon Any Typos And The Illogical Shift In Person. I Will Clean Up This Post This Weekend. Stay Blessed.
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