This group is supposed to be a safe haven for black voices. So, I'm posting this here...

[guillaumeb]

29. fantastic observations

Growing up in any country involves living in that culture. Culture is like water to a fish, it surrounds us and sustains us. Many people are not aware of this. They take it for granted that "this", whatever this is, is how life is.

I am white, Originally from Quebec. When my family moved here I was 14. Here is the Chicago area. We moved in 1965. Our first introduction to race in the US was the violence in this area when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched against segregation. My family was amazed to discover that for many Americans your Civil War had NOT ended in 1865. The formal fighting had stopped but the same racist violence was still dividing people.

Fast forward to 1980 when Ronald Reagan ran basically as a racist who would bring back morning to America. His success, and the success of the GOP in the American south is a testament to the enduring racism in the US.

My last comment is that many US citizens have a self-image, or a country self-image, quite at odds with how the rest of the world sees the US.

We need more of your thoughts Mr. Scorpio