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ORIGINAL: Level

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ATLANTA — Visit any of the nation's more than 100 historically black colleges or universities and you'll see clusters of men and women engaged in the rhythmic clapping and foot stomping routines known in black Greek circles as "stepping."

Now a white Arkansas team's win in an Atlanta step competition has started a fiery debate over the African-inspired tradition and whether the integration of a once-ethnically exclusive activity constitutes a form of cultural theft.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g0CiyQnstLPTPGAIas816aHbqqCQD9E42R581

The audience was wowed by the white team after their performance, but erupted into boos when they were announced as winners. Why?

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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

~FR

When black students tried to attend a white school, they were treated the same, and worse.

When white girls wanted to marry native american boys, the boys were hung.

There isnt a single race that hasnt felt the sting of disapproval from the white community... except the whites.

Guess now they are getting theirs.

Do i agree?

nope

but i do understand.

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ORIGINAL: lovingpet

I think it is entirely possible to proceed through history and take a bad path along the way and that is what I believe occurs on occasions such as this.  There are a few (a slim few) who, since the civil rights movement and all the very hard won battles for equality, find they can stand toe to toe with the (for the most part) former oppressers and decide the best way to keep their newfound status is to push those who once pushed them down to the back of the bus so to speak.  It doesn't seem to have anything to do with skin color per se as much as it does history and holding on to hatred and bitterness for past injustices.

The next step in ethnic relations is not to turn thing on its ear and take that eye for an eye.  As justified as it may feel, it solves nothing.  I see a lot of self segregation going on by the very groups who fought long and hard to have the option to not be excluded.  I see the choice to remain or become separate as a self empowerment thing, but it is detrimental when it is done with wrong motivation.  I want everyone to be proud of their heritage, but I appreciate those who can share their heritage and graciously accept incorporate others outside their traditional group far more than I do those who wall themselves off unduly out of what?  Fear?  Anger?  Hate?  A sense of righteous indignation?  This isn't an ethnic/race thing.  I see it in political affiliations.  I see it every time a woman has to hop up on her soapbox and proclaim how she "doesn't need any man".  I see it when men huddle in their old boys' clubs.  I see it when someone gains success and financial stabilty, but still need to "keep it real".  It's ugly.  Progress and forward motion allowed folks to be able to take this stance, but it is one that is harmful both to self and future positive change.  The consequences can be anything from stalemate to a reversed, but equally tragic, injustice in the near future.

Like I said, this is a slim few that do this and it isn't limited to things such as ethnocentrism.  I am not clear on the final outcome, but I hope those judges didn't cow to the negativity of the crowd.  I hope they remained fair and awarded based on merit rather than skin color, national origin, gender, public opinion, or political correctness.  Isn't that supposed to be the great dream that we've been trying to attain?  Then let's make sure we are taking step forward, but in a direction that leads to positive change and closer to this laudable ideal we've been working towards for so long.

lovingpet
the unposter 

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As justified as it may feel, it solves nothing.

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Racism will be overcome when we can look past skin color.

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ORIGINAL: Level

Surely you aren't saying only whites have predjudices and stereotypes, though?

I do see value in what you say about needing to understand, and embrace differences, as long as that doesn't create a negative situation. "Different" isn't necessarily good or bad, right or wrong.

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ORIGINAL: StrangerThan

Now that's just damned funny.

If you think I mind calling people racist who endlessly categorize then you have assumptions of your own to deal with. Its here floating around in more than one thread. As far as hinting at you being one? What I said is if you can understand why it is acceptable for a group to be outraged because another group won something for no other reason than race, then you can understand why getting past it is more your problem than those who already have. If that makes you feel like you're being branded as a racist, so be it. What it is meant to imply if you want implications is that you're not part of the resolution. You're clinging to history as much as those who operate on the other side and honestly, I have little time or sympathy for either.

I had a cousin who had his throat cut in the middle of a downtown street for hanging with a white girl. Does that make us "even"? My family came to this country as indentured servants and spent their first generation here treated as chattel. Means nothing though does it? Neither does, and if I have to explain the why of it to you, then I'll make the assumption that you're dense.

Every race on this fucking globe has endured persecution. Most of them have never gotten past it. Look at the world. A good portion of the countries in it are suffering some kind of separatist movement, and use things centuries old as justification.

You can live anyway you want. You can scream offense at one offense, and condone another by understanding if you want. That's your perogative. Rather than King dream, what have instead is a super-sensitive society that ties itself in knots over the what they shout to the world they're tolerant over.

it is bullshit.