To "celebrate" Black history month, school planned on serving fried chicken, cornbread and waterme

kaylaluv

sheepslayer247
reply to post by Stormdancer777

 

I think the schools need to concentrate on teaching math, science...etc.

Culture and all that should be something celebrated by families and communities. I think its sad that our children have to celebrate their "cultures" at school.

If the schools stayed out of it we wouldn't have these problems.

edit on 7-2-2014 by sheepslayer247 because: (no reason given)

But see, if the students had been taught about the history of blacks in America, and shown some of the racist images/songs/poems, etc. that depicted "simple" blacks being lazy and eating watermelon, I don't think they would have ever suggested watermelon for the lunch menu. That just comes from ignorance, not deliberate meanness.

I don't have a problem with not celebrating cultural holidays at school - Christmas, for example... But learning about other cultures is probably a good thing.

I can agree with this. Learning at least they basics of a culture is preferable to jumping in feet first. First-hand experience says it is a good way to get hurt. Haha

reply to post by duesprimusvictorimmortali


Why is black people serving these foods in their restaurants fine but when white people (I'm assuming they are white by the animosity towards the menu) serve it in celebration of black history it's deemed racist?
It's bull
Let me put it like this,
I am a Christian but I have a sense of humor that can get a little raunchy, that's just me. However there are times I will say something completely innocent and my wife will blush. I'll ask what's wrong and she'll say "You are so dirty LOL" to which I'll reply "That was not what I meant at all".
My point is that is where her mind was or she would not have perceived it that way. She called me the dirty one but my mind was not in the gutter, hers was. Do you see what I'm getting at ?

reply to post by Christian Voice


Oblivious

MystikMushroom
I wonder if the script was flipped and an African American school decided to serve "white people food" what it would be?

It is a different comparison IMO.

White America has 1000's of national origins spanning over multiple shared experiences through regional and local demographics.

An Irish white American, arriving in Boston in the late 1800's had a different generational experience when compared to an Italian white American, arriving in Jersey in the early 1900's based on timing of migration and city of destination.

Black America (those who have a history in American slavery) has a largely shared national origin (Western Africa) with a largely shared historical experience (sold into slavery, brought to the USA, worked on southern plantations, were set free by the emancipation proclamation, received the right to vote at the same time etc.); because of that the "African American" shared experience places them into a culture (group of people with similar ethnic, and traditional customs) which White America is incapable of being grouped as, do to the lack of shared experiences among the historical records of White migrations to the USA.

So although in a vacuum your point is valid, when rooted in the reality of these historical demographics is an inaccurate comparison.

Now if you want to compare it accurately, ask what would it look like if a black school wanted to create an "Italian American" menu?

Would that be racist?

nice post.

God Bless,

reply to post by duesprimusvictorimmortali


I am not Oblivious to anything. Again it appears your mindset is in a place of racism and that is all you will see. Such a pity.

This site can become juvenile at times. But the world, is in a very shameful state. [Y]our understanding of all of our forefathers and ancestors is truly despicable....like most of the responses.

Here is the thing I find most disturbing, in "Black" history month we teach everything but "Black" history. Black history did not start 100-200 years ago!?!?!?! Nor did it begin with slavery and this one pisses me off the most, "mud huts". Africa and its diaspora has so much to offer once one can remove the veil of colonialism. But then again, these people did not become "black" until about a couple of hundred years ago...so I guess

I refuse to rant and ramble.
I will leave with this one statement. It is sad to watch people force their ignorant childish beliefs and stereotypes upon other people. So called Black people are on a continuous path of defying stereotypes (which is good for humanity, somebody may grow wings or teleport idk). Alot of institutions recognize this. Alot of institutions also invest in the idea of making people define stereotypes-by capitalizing off of injured humanity (cheap labor, sweat shops,slavery, child abducting,tobacco, alcohol etc).
Just think about it, the only reason we call people black(negro)and also African-American is because of colonialism. African people do not call that land africa, unless it was beat into their heads. (same goes for most of the world from the westerners eyes)
This is suppose to be the place for free thinkers(ATS, USA), yet no one will let these people define themselves, nor create or reconnect to any culture. African-American, is like a filler because if all of humanity/civilization started from one place then we are all african. Robert Bauval said "we are all descendants of black africans, I am just white due to climate".
Would you know what to call these people if it weren't for TV or if labels weren't provided for them??? Would you know what we/they ate?? What kind of music we like??? You don't know, and half of "us" so called blacks do not know either. Thats how far this has spun out of control.

SO IN A NUT SHELL, THIS IS NOT THE FOOD OF THE PEOPLE WHOM ARE COMMONLY REFERRED AND LABELED AS NEGRO,BLACK,OR COLORED(which is all the same) AND THE HISTORY THAT IS PURPORTED AND REVERED WOULD BE LIKE TAKING A STRAND OF HAIR FROM MY FULL HEAD OF LOCKS. This is utterly insane.

signed by a so-called "Black" guy....That happens to be vegetarian!

On a side-note, "I" dislike coming to ats and reading about BS like this. We have bigger fish to fry. Damn it we are on an alien, martian rock, meditating, tomb hunting quest for enlightenment. SHeesh

reply to post by Christian Voice


Nice edit.

By the way look through my previous post and quote whenever I called someone racist or even used the word. I think you may be projecting yourself on me a little too much.

kaylaluv
I don't think the fried chicken and cornbread was too offensive, but the watermelon could be viewed as such.

Watermelons have been viewed as a major symbol in the iconography of racism in the United States[2] since as early as the nineteenth century.[3] The truthfulness of this stereotype has been questioned; one survey conducted from 1994 to 1996 showed that African Americans, at the time 12.5 percent of the country's population, only accounted for 11.1 percent of the United States' watermelon consumption.[4]
While the exact origins of this stereotype remain unclear,[5][better source needed] an association of African Americans and watermelon goes back to the time of slavery in the United States. Defenders of slavery used the fruit to paint African Americans as a simple-minded people who were happy when provided watermelon and a little rest.[6] The stereotype was perpetuated in minstrel shows often depicting African Americans as ignorant and workshy, given to song and dance and inordinately fond of watermelon.

en.wikipedia.org...

It's just a silly stereotype. I am white and one of the worst beatings I ever got was when my brothers and I stole some watermelons out of our neighbors feild a few miles down the road.
Some of the fondest memories I have are putting newspapers down on the dining room table, after dinner on a hot day, and dad cutting up a watermelon for us.
I have found over the years that not only do people have stereotypes about race but racism as well.
I will try to explain.....
I went to school where "whites" were the minority. Almost everyone got along great.
We once had a new kid from up north (can't remember from where). He commented on how racist all of us were. I tried to explain that we had all grown up together. WHITES, BLACKS, AND A FEW HISPANICS, we would all joke around with one anotber.
The new kid couldn't see it. To him all of us were racist. He had a stereotype towards racism.
We need to learn fom history but let the past stay in the past.

Quad

I think this would produce an ample opportunity for the school to have someone from the NAACP or another group to come in and talk to the students about why this was racist/offensive to them.

16 year old kids making a menu they think celebrates the African American culture, that results in offending the African American culture (whether intentional or not) would be the perfect real life example of what this month is supposed to be teaching our children.

White 16 year old kids not even knowing these choices could produce these results might be the EXACT REASON for the need to dedicate a mouth to learning these things. If it was ignorance on behalf of the 16 year old kids that led to offending the African American culture, then "teach" them "why". So they can more fully understand "Black History" in real time.


God Bless,

reply to post by AKINOFTHEFIRSSTARS


This is for you.

reply to post by ElohimJD


The NAACP's response to this was "so what?"
I agree. I don't really think it is too big a deal either. I think it was a bad idea borne of ignorance, but I don't see it as something to take up arms over.

The problem with racism in America isn't so much "racism" anymore, but perceived racism and peoples' inability to just let it die.

If people would stop beating the war drum over silly crap, like this, this stuff would fade away.

reply to post by ketsuko


I agree,
I have some relatives from the deep south that would say its an atrocity not to serve green beans and collard greens without a nice healthy portion of '"Fatback" to cook with the greens. You add some scrapple and pigs feet and you've got yourself somethere there.

reply to post by catfishjoe


that is a silly stereotype....

reply to post by overanocean


Yup-a clogged valve...

duesprimusvictorimmortali
reply to post by ketsuko

 

You see the problem is blacks are not some type of wild animal that you have to research what they eat. Just serve normal food.

Here's the thing though - Part of Black History is celebrating African American history and culture, part of culture is the food. Soul Food is food that is part of the culture. And it is a useful tool for learning about the people who created it. Soul food originated from having to make do with the least and poorest because of the conditions many poor blacks in the South lived under. Should we forget about that in our attempt to not be racist and keep from offending your precious sensibilities?

I thought learning about stuff like that was part of what Black History Month was all about. It just so happens that all of those foods were popular and eaten as they were for a reason, not because they were necessarily the foods of first choice.

You probably wholly endorse the "sanitizing" of Huckleberry Finn, too, because you just find it too offensive.

We have become so silly.

If you celebrate Mexicans you eat Mexican food

If you celebrate Italy you eat Italian food.

If you celebrate India you eat Indian food.

If you celebrate Asian's you eat Asian food.

If you are celebrating Black history of course you eat what is considered Black food.

Next we need to celebrate Idiot's day where we eat all the idiots that make things like this an issue.

Let's just skip Kenya and Bangladesh days because then there is no food.

reply to post by AKINOFTHEFIRSSTARS


Well, it would be more authenticly African to serve Ethiopian or something of that nature.

However, when they set up Black History Month (and it was African-Americans who did this, btw), they did it with the express intent of celebrating the contributions of African-Americans to the history and culture of the nation. That's why you're going to hear about things like Jazz music and soul food and Gullah culture. Those things are creations of the African-Americans who were brought here as slaves and created their own culture.

Carter Woodson wanted it preserved and felt that if there wasn't a time taken to teach about it and celebrate it, it would start to die out the same way that many Native American tribes are losing their own unique identities and cultures.

Now, I suppose you can argue about whether or not we should persist in celebrating it in this day and age because Woodson did foresee a time when this celebration should become unnecessary, but then are you arguing that American blacks ought to ditch it in favor of more African centered learning?

I do love me some fried chicken. Unfortunately my diet makes it hard for me to eat very much of it.

reply to post by sligtlyskeptical


Those are all countries. What country is called "Black"? And is fried chicken, cornbread and watermelon the national food of this country called "Black"?

Maybe the kids should also celebrate "Hillbillie Day", where they drink moonshine and eat roadkill stew during lunch. That is what all hillbillies eat and drink, right? I think I read that somewhere.



A white American's proud heritage.

reply to post by Blue Shift


Have you tried oven fried? I have a really good recipe for it that tastes pretty much just like the real thing.