Hotel Rwanda Redux
I forgot to mention in my post yesterday that the girl I went to see the movie with, left the movie half way through. Tears were falling out of my eyes and I starred at the blurry images before me, she turned over to me and said, quite defiantely: "I am not going to be able to make it through the rest of this movie" "No, I said, hoping she would finish what I thought would be a highly worthwhile experience. But it seemed as if she was more upset than I noticed and sounded angry, so I got up as to let her out the aisle and she continuned out the door.As you know, I did indeed finish the movie. I understood her correctly, I did not undestand at all.
But, later, she wrote about the movie in her blog....it is obvious that she felt very much about the film...and on AIM, I told her how I was so moved by the film....and stated that she was too, but in a competely different way. Apparently the film made her angry as well as hurt. What I didn't understand was the anger. Why? Well, because she believes that the Whites pitted the Rwandan's against eachother, as in dividing them as "Tutsi's and Huti's (I am most likely not spelling this right, but I digress) and she said that it was essentially White's fault for the fact that they left the Rwandan's to die.
It is true that the UN at times were utterly and ridiculously hopless-as played very well by Nick Nolte's character. But it was in the end, the UN who succeeded in saving familes and children as well. And no, the other nations, (Whites essentially) in no way stepped into help.....
While not disputing these facts, at the same time I ask: why did the Rwandan's have to BUY into that clear division? They have lived in Africa-it is THEIR land, THEIR people, THEIR way of life. One cannot forget that in every situation, there is always the element of personal responsibility that has to be taken my individuals involved.
The corrupition of Africans and African Americans is a running theme through history-but this not only is a about Africans and African Americans but the rest of the world- both America and Britain. (why do you think they call it GREAT Britain, or there slogan so popular in the 1890's at the height of thier imperialism: "The sun never sets on G. Britain."
There is an "Us---Them" mentality that Blacks have concerning whites. And some will say that this is merely a refelction of the "Us---Them" mentaliuty and treatment of Blacks that has existed since the Atlantic Slave trade. I cannot speak for white people, only for myself. The reason I think Blacks do this is because they believe that they have the support of other races. We are a minority in America-but not the only minority; Latinos and Asian's are as well. But the difference between them and us are that they have a connection to the places where they came from-whether is be China, of even Puerto Rico-they KNOW where where they come from.....and to top it off, the Latino's of this country, are quickly surpassing Blacks in numbers and longevity, for the first time ever I believe. Now we are the second of the three minorities.
Now, if Blacks continue to have this view of Whites (Us--Them) what happens when it is no longer the Whites surpassing us, but the latino's too? And we already know that the Asians/Chinese are on a level of thier own...quickly surpassing us educationally.
I don't know sometimes. I really don't. I think that Blacks are, essentially, their own worst enemy-it is the psychologically stifling and hurtful memory of slavery that still binds us and effects us. No matter the fact of the Civil Rights, or the Black Women's Movement or what have you, we STILL look at Whites saying :you are the problem, you did this to us, you do not want us to succeed!: forgetting that we owe it to ourselves to live life the way WE want to, not the kind of life prescribed by another race. It is time for Blacks to take personal responnsibility for themselves and their actions.
However, I am in no way saying that racism does not exist, or that Whites do not try to cripple Blacks-it is obvious they still do-for Affirmative Action is still and place...and I fear the day when it will not be. But, we need to look at ourselves not in a racial context but as individuals. We do have a part of ourselves that is not connected by skin, but by the fact that we are all merely humans. The sooner we approach ourselves and society this way, the more progress we will make.
posted by The Eternal Student @ 1:09 PM
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