ankou, i appreciate your take on it. to clarify, i didn't write, nor imply, that there is a place on this world free of racism, least of all america. in fact, in my post i do believe i listed most continents, and would do the same with countries, but i believe the point is made; racism is a worldwide human failing, present throughout the ages.
as for any person taking responsiblity for his lot in life, i also made that point.
i'm not sure where you got that i suggested otherwise on either point, so i want to clarify those points.
as for your last point, on refraining from responding, i think again you misundersood my point. i did not refrain from responding because i think the issue is too complex to merit the effort, nor because i believe this forum is insufficient to do so, but because i thought the initial points were too general in scope, and thus difficult to address.
to clarify that point, i think that anyone can draw profound distictions between the oppressions from various cultures. then, one can selectively point to said differences and paint an inaccurate picture. that must be avoided if we are to look holistically at racism, in all of its facets.
i agree that this is a very complex issue. hatred, it seems, is ubiquitous as water and death. yet, we must address it now, and always. the alternative is too unbearable.
for my contribution, right now, in this forum, thus far, in intended to broaden the scope and accurately frame the issue.
i do not intend to hurl blame back at another person or culture.
racism is not unique to our time, to one nation, or to one people.
change will come in many forms. what i read here was based on blame and generalizations -- two qualities i don't consider helpful, insightful, or productive.
know what i'm saying?
to pound my point home like a 50 lb hammer on a thumb tack, ankou, i'm not calling for a simplistic viewpoint on this issue. on the contrary, my point is to acknowledge the overwhelming complexities, the painful distribution of blame when it comes to hatred in this world, and proceed with this difficult discussion anyway.