If we would all learn to put aside our petty differences and focus on our similarities, we would all be much better off. We all need to challenge ourselves to hire, live with, socialize with, and go to school with people from other races and cultures. Come on people, its time to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

They are only entitled to be angry if they can admit that the Black man and the Red man have entitlement on anger for what happened to them.

I doubt that those who are angry would ever admit this. If they did they might develop an unmderstanding for others and begin to look at this country as having opportunities for all instead of one select group.

From Wikipedia:

Archaeological research indicates that Florida had been inhabited for thousands of years before any European settlements. Of the many indigenous peoples, the largest known were the Ais, the Apalachee, the Calusa, the Timucua and the Tocobago tribes.

I was born and raised in Southern California and have seen a radical change in the demographic during my lifetime. I have seen the culture clash first hand. Mainstream whites who are not culturally sensitive do not understand that cultural values that are different from theirs are not designed to antagonize or offend them. Many times I hear comments such as "everyone knows that behavior is rude, they are being rude on purpose." Yes, the white culture needs to understand the minority cultures they come in contact with, but isn't it also incumbent on anyone who wishes to join our society to learn what is offensive to the dominant culture? White culture (many will say there is no such thing) is based on the WASP values of not being loud, not drawing attention to yourself, not impinging on others' space, etc. White people who don't know any better believe these are universal values that are being flaunted on purpose and so are angry at being treated in a manner they feel is disrespectful when it is entirely unitentional. I know that when I travel I like to know what might offend the natives of that country. Wouldn't some education on both sides be advantageous? It seems that most people believe that only the dominant culture should be the one to make that leap.

Of all the disgraceful, disgusting, vicious and bigoted things to say, the old "slaves were sold by their own people" is the worst.

The chain of evil has to be pulled, it cannot be pushed. It was white men, in this country - Americans - who created the slavery market on our continent. White men argued to retain slavery during the Constitutional debates and then fought to retain it during the Civil War. After the modern day equivalent of over 3.5 million Americans died, it was white men who destroyed reconstruction and it was white men who enacted Jim Crow laws.

By dismissing slavery by writing "slaves were sold by their own people" is worse than saying "we were only following orders."

I've written this to encourage people to think before saying something stupid. As far as this person goes, I'm not interested in a dialogue. As my drill instructor, SSGT Kerr, USMC, said: "You cannot polish a turd."

I don't think there is such a thing as "entitled" to be angry. There could be a argument for "justified" but entitled, no. Many of the problems experienced in the non-white cultures were actually created by whites, some trying to keep "people in their place" and some by trying to "rectify things". All peoples need to take responsilbility for their actions. Slavery was a cruel existence, but, slaves were sold by their own for a pittance... as long as Blacks hold on to their anger over their "treatment" they will NOT heal. No amount of reparitions will help, if they continue to hold onto resentment. I only pray that President Obama can bring all of us to the table and really begin the Healing process. Hopefully White Man can see that "Anger" solves nothing. Cooperation among all peoples will solve any problem we face. It is interesting that Obama was elected President. He did so by looking for the best in all of us instead of following the Black Leaders. They have exploited their own people (especially their anger)for personal benefit (throughtout my life)and hopefully we can turn the page on that and learn.

Your confusion is due to your attempt to make yourself feel better about slavery by immorally transferring responsibility.

The fact that Africans may have enslaved other Africans is immaterial. It never would have happened if there weren't white people creating a market for slavery which enabled other evil behavior to flourish.

It is a well known and documented fact that many people were sold into slavery by their own meaning thier own race. Many Afican tribes sold people from other lands that they were at war with or invaded. I am a little confused by your lack of knowledge or understanding in this area.

Wrong. It is an injustice to isolate bad behavior without regard for the precipitating factors.

Africans facilitated the slave trade because white people created it.

The problems specific to poverty - which disproportionately impact Black households - are due to hundreds of years of oppression. Successfully addressing those problems must be done in context. I suggest your read Dr. Michael Eric Dyson's book "Is Bill Cosby Right?"

http://www.diversityinc.com/public/2283.cfm

http://www.diversityinc.com/public/991.cfm

Mr. Visconti:

You said, "of all the disgraceful, disgusting, vicious and bigoted things to say, the old "slaves were sold by their own people" is the worst."

African American people understand their history and know that some Africans held slaves and sold other Africans into slavery. That it was a way of life many years ago does not just the practice, but we can notdeny that this occured. No more than we can deny African Americans "sell" other African Americans into a different kind of slavery when we sell drugs in our communities, coerce young people into gangs; create misogynistic images; glorify the "thug" life and discourage young people from pursuing education and excellence. These are all difficult truths to accept but we must take accountability and responsibility for our actions and those of our brothers. Our new president has asked us to do so, and we are not afraid to do it.

That is irrelevant to our own country's wrongdoing.

wow, the lack of historic knowledge on this site is comical.  

"Of all the disgraceful, disgusting, vicious and bigoted things to say, the old "slaves were sold by their own people" is the worst."

why is the truth bigoted Luke??? Good God, read a book. Try this one, The Slave Trade by Hugh Thomas.

"The chain of evil has to be pulled, it cannot be pushed. It was white men, in this country - Americans - who created the slavery market on our continent. "

ummm.... no. it was white Englishmen. And before that French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Slavery was in practice before the Portuguese first arrived in Africa. the existing practice of slavery is what fascilitated the slave trade.

you're a moron.

"The fact that Africans may have enslaved other Africans is immaterial. It never would have happened if there weren't white people creating a market for slavery which enabled other evil behavior to flourish. "

Now you are backtracking. First, stating that claiming that blacks sold their own was the MOST racist thing you can say, now you say its irrelevant.

No, Lukey boy. Slavery WAS already happening long before the arrival of the Europeans.

Neither: Here's an analogy: Because the Dutch were very efficient in deporting their Jewish citizens during WW II doesn't mean that the Holocaust was any less evil.

"The fact that Africans may have enslaved other Africans is immaterial. It never would have happened if there weren't white people creating a market for slavery which enabled other evil behavior to flourish."

Are you willfully blind, or just horribly, pitiably ignorant?

It is absolutely hateful to attempt to deflect our country's misdeeds by citing someone else's misdeeds. It not only minimizes the impact of slavery in the history of African Americans, it attempts to side step our country's responsibility.

As an American and a veteran, I hold our country to a higher standard than the rest of the world. I think we have an obligation to hold the values that our Constitution and Declaration of Independence promise. That includes properly redressing wrongs that have occurred in the past.

I have a question for you: Why do you think most of the crappy little hate emails I get don't have a real email address? My theory is that you - and the other haters - are a bunch of chicken shit weaklings. I picture the lot of you emailing from your filthy little rooms, surrounded by Star Wars action figures.

Africans also enslaved white people; they put them on galleys in ships. Townsfolk in southen spain and Italy feared being snatched from the shores by African pirates during the middle ages; when Africans invaded and conquered southern europe they made slaves of anyone they did not already rape or kill.

Slavery is what happened in past times at the end of EVERY battle; the winner enslaved the loser--and yes Africans most definately practiced this. Sometimes the losers were other Africans. Sometimes they were southern europeans.

There is nothing "hateful" about a historical fact. Morality isn't what stopped Africans from enslaving europeans. The discovery of gunpowder was.

I appreciate the tone of your email and will respond in kind.

There was nothing in modern history as large in scale (number of people) or impact (economic benefit to the perpetrators and damage the victims) as the American enslavement of Black people from Africa.

You may have kind words for Mr. Cook, but I think he's yards short of a first down. He wrote: "All peoples need to take responsilbility (sic) for their actions. Slavery was a cruel existence, but, slaves were sold by their own for a pittance... as long as Blacks hold on to their anger over their "treatment" they will NOT heal."

I think that's a load of bunk. I think it's preposterous to insinuate that Black people need to take responsibility for other people selling them in to slavery. Once more: The market would not have existed if it weren't for white people buying the people being enslaved.

The United States needs to accept responsibility for what happened and take measures to rectify the damage (which can be measured in economic terms).

And I'll reiterate my original opinion: There is nothing more vicious than short changing hundreds of millions of people's oppression over hundreds of years than to try and create a false equivalency in evil doing.

For example, it's like saying the Holocaust was the fault of the tiny percentage of Jewish people that collaborated with the Nazis. This kind of false equivalency is hateful, disgusting, violent and despicable.

Dear Mr Visconti,

It is also an injustice to filter historical events through modern lenses. When slavery was instituted here, it existed throughout the world and was documented from early recorded times. In this long history, many sold their rivals or fellow citizens into slavery as part of political or wartime upheaval, albeit on a far smaller scale than the US slave trade. Africans who did so could not have foreseen the impact of their fairly commonplace actions at the time they performed them.

As it was known in the 18th century, slavery was largely color-blind. People of all races were kidnapped and sold into slavery, including whites from throughout Europe; this occurred in my own family tree. As you know, the US fought mightly against Barbary pirates to end this rampant practice and enable safe trade routes.

Our forefathers (with respect to their many accomplishments) went wrong twice: in continuing the practice of slavery in America, and in racializing it. Slavery as it was practiced in other parts of the world was a result of a variety of circumstances, not just race. Perhaps for this reason, other nations don't have the lingering black-white sensitivity we have in the US: no one group bears the burden of the oppression and its aftermath.

In fairness to the original respondant, Mr Cook, I understood him to acknowldege that our race problems in the US were caused predominantly by whites (rich white landholders to be specific)-and did not intend to transfer the responsibility to blacks for the conditions they suffered.

In truth, I can think of plenty of more "disgraceful, disgusting, vicious and bigoted things to say" than what was written here. But I'm heartened that no one sensible would think to say them in the more positive era I believe we're initiating.

Thanks for a great forum and your passion for the subject.

I think whites are confused about what blacks are "angry" about. Blacks are not angry and festering over slavery that happened 200 years ago. They are still "angry" about the long legacy that the institution of slavery wrought - Jim Crow laws, separate (but certainly not) equal facilities, institutionalized discrimination that continue to reverberate through their population to this very day.

As the article points out (and I believe some people will always miss the point), when one group continually tries to stay on top by suppressing another group's ability to enjoy what we would all like to enjoy in life (intact families, decent housing, neighborhoods, medical care, and schools), they end up suffering as well - with crime, illiteracy, an unskilled workforce, unemployment, drugs, and disease. So unless you are super rich and living in an ivory tower, there will be spillage into *your* neighborhood and all our tax dollars are affected.

Even though slavery ended centuries ago, within my lifetime, I've experienced segregated facilities (imagine my surprise at the age of 9 when I traveled from San Francisco - from a predominately white, but racially mixed neighborhood - to the south and had to use the maintenance water closet as a toilet at a local hospital because the hospital facilities were still segregated; and this was in the sixties!)

The culture of poverty and ignorance like the culture of empowerment and higher education are strong institutions that get passed down from generation to generation. Only when there truly is equality and one group does not build into its institutions discriminatory practices (that, yes, I acknowledge, have slowly been falling away - look at our president -- but also read and hear the racist comments, and the heightened security because of threats), we all end up suffering as a country and a society.

After all, what first world country would want a large portion of poverty-stricken areas full of crimes, drugs, and disease just so one segment of the population can "stay on top"????

Too much to say. We all know that there were slaves of different colors or races but the accomodations were different (Upgraded)no matter how bad.

The backlash was different. During the fight for freedom the signs did not read SLAVES ONLY or FREE MEN ONLY, They read WHITES ONLY or BLACKS ONLY. This could go on and on and I like these discussions but I need to know, ANRY AT WHO???. ARE WE ALL ANGRY AT THE SAME PEOPLE OR ISSUES.A chnage in history wont make a difference, It takes a change in heart.

I think that an "enriched" vocabulary is appropriate at times. This publication addresses issues that get people upset. Of the hundreds of columns I've written, it is very rare that I go that far, but I'm not going use temperate words in addressing people who would insinuate that any part of the blame for American slavery was due to Africans. There is a concept of scale and guilt - one which you bring to the forefront.

As far as Africans enslaving Europeans, on what scale do you think that happened compared to the damage European countries did to the African people during the roughly one hundred years of colonial rule? Probably about ten million to one.

Your email indicates that you are from Germany. European countries - including Germany - should consider raising an army large enough to provide peace-keeping operations in their former colonies. European countries enriched themselves by pillaging raw materials and not paying the indigenous population for them. Colonization killed millions of people. The killing goes on today. Europeans have some work to do. Pick up your rations and rifle and get aboard the troop ship. Have a nice decade.

I will note that your country apologized to the Jewish people and paid reparations for crimes against humanity and genocide during World War II. America should do the same for our African Americans. Since the time span between crime and recompense is longer, reparations can't be paid to individuals, so we'll have to treat populations who are not doing as well as the rest of America - remedial high quality education and land grants would make a good start.

Mr Visconti, the one who is being hateful and insulting is you. Of course the comment abouve, that Africans also enslaved Europeans is completely true as the whole post as a matter of fact is. This doesn't change the misdeeds of America and the resposibility arising from it. But being a veteran doesn't give you the right to insult and demean a person for stating facts that matter to this person and to start some ridiculous assuptions about "filthy rooms" and "chicken shit" and "Star Wars Action Figueres". I usually agree with your opinion on most things but I cannot agree on unacceptable, hateful and insulting assuptions about people stating facts.