Do terms hinder civil-rights movements?

Question

Many non-African-Americans supports civil rights. Yet, most of these advocates of civil rights would not feel comfortable in a group labeled "Black Panthers". Many African-Americans are friends with Caucasians, but they would not feel comfortable wearing a shirt which read "White Power". Obviously, these terms imply segregation and discrimination. They do not imply unity and equity.

In the same respect, most women would not wear a shirt which read "Masculinism". Not because they do not respect their fathers, brothers, husbands, or men in general. Simply because the term promotes segregation and discrimination, as well as contradicts the woman's own femininity. Again, most men, (no matter how great a civil-rights activist) would not wear a shirt which read "feminist". This term also implies segregation and discriminiation. It to does not promote unity nor equity, and contradicts a man's masculinity.

Why can't civil rights activists be labeled "Equalists" ?

Answer 1

What hinders civil rights these days is the bastardized expectations of what civil rights really means these days.

Liberal minority leaders subscribe to the idea that affirmative action is needed to equalize the injustice done to various minority groups throughout our history.

Conservative minority leaders subscribe to the idea that the opportunity is here, people just need to reach out and take advantage of it.

Here are my thoughts. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects people against discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, creed, etc. This means that if you can put yourself into one of these classifications, you cannot be discriminated against. Many people today think that the Act protects minorities from the majority.

Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are black (I refuse to use the term African-American) or white or brown or yellow, you are protected from discrimination based on race. If you can show you are a male or a female, you are protected from discrimination based on sex. If you are Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, Baptist or a Satanist, you are protected from discrimination based on religion.

This means that a black person cannot be given preference over a white person for a job or college admission anymore than a white person can be given preference over a black person. It really is just that simple. The introduction of affirmative action bastardizes the meaning and intent of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

And, by the way, here is why I refuse to use the term African-American. The basis of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s was to show that we are all basically the same. We are all men, and we are all women - regardless of the color of your skin. We are all Americans. Yet, today, many INSIST on being called African-American or Mexican-American or Arab-American sending out the message, "Hey! We ARE different!"

I say we are NOT all different. We are all Americans. My family consists of me (white), my wife (black and Indian) and my two boys (a little bit of everything). We stress to our boys that all are equal and should be treated with dignity and respect. We show them that everything they want can be theirs with planning, hard work and sacrifice. We teach them that no one owes them anything except themselves.

Remember Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech ... color of skin ... content of character ... Think about it.

Answer 2

You're query is extra problematic than it sort of feels. First of all, of path terminology hinders -- and is helping -- all events. It is helping through giving us a language with which to talk about disorders. Without language, we would not also be equipped to functionally "fully grasp" our possess ideas. However, terminology additionally packing containers us into corners and, as historical past has verified, exact advances in social welfare are in general coupled with a difference in terminology. The query you are relatively asking, nonetheless, appears to be "why consciousness on females, or blacks, or guys, or whites, as a substitute of every body?" That is an best query and person who I do not consider is a manufactured from terminology, however instead the terminology is a manufactured from our possess deficiencies. I occur to be a feminine who's VERY fascinated about and worried approximately gender inequalities. I is not going to use the time period feminist, nonetheless, seeing that I think that the one means we will be able to ever correctly transfer past gender issues is to consciousness on each gender roles, no longer simply ladies. Men are harmed through masculine roles, females are harmed through masculine roles, and the identical for female roles. To reply you query, then, i could say -- I consider its fine that you simply keep in mind your self an "equalist" and I think that ultimately our society will become a member of you, however those matters take time. Its difficult to persuade an whole demographic to give up targeting themselves.

Answer 3

It's not the terms that hinder any type of activism. It's the behaviour associated with the terms.

Answer 4

I agree with you, being that I'm a supporter of equality between all people.