It does get annoying when people group all people of Caucasian appearance into one group. People ought to be more specific when naming historical oppressors or wrong doers rather than put the blanket label of “white” as the culprit. People ought to specifically call out “white” southerners (not Italian, German, Jewish, etc. immigrants) for their slavery and discriminatory practices until the late 1970s. People ought to be upset at specific European powers for their squeezing of all resources in their specific colonies, not upset at Europe as a whole. Its far from fair to label everyone together simply due to the fact that not all “whites” have the same levels of culpability (or none at all) in relation to past global conflicts. Furthermore people need to understand the historical causes and see how it effects their lives today. But one should not bind their free will around these effects, especially if one understands the causes. Your ancestors may not have been treated with compassion and loved as the wonderful human creations they were but that does not mean you must harbor animosity presently. As the great sage Lao Tzu stated, “Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner."
Archives For perspective
I applaud Ms. Isinbayeva for standing up for what she feels is right even if most who don’t come from her part of the world say otherwise. She doesn’t seem to have any gripe against homosexuals personally, but rather opposes the purveying culture that accompanies those who engage in homosexual acts. Whether or not the culture accompanying homosexuality contributes positively to society is a valid discussion to have, and I have no problem with a nation that desires to rein in alternative lifestyles in favor of a more traditional societal orientation. Let the rainbow crowd argue on the merits of their lifestyle, rather than simply foisting it on society under the guise of civil rights. It is wrong to think poorly of someone for standing up for their beliefs even if your own perspective differs. I may not agree with Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, or Atheists but I do have respect for their convictions. Ms. Isinbayeva comes from a country on a knifes edge with a history of civil unrest and lower class hardships. Her views are thinking more for the common people than outsiders. After all, if things get heated and tense outsiders won’t be there to suffer the effects.