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    <title>FREE OF MIND</title>
    
    
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    <id>tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-1663034</id>
    <updated>2008-06-25T17:21:35-05:00</updated>
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        <title>"HOW TO WIN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST RACISM" Part 2</title>
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        <published>2008-06-25T17:21:35-05:00</published>
        <updated>2008-06-25T17:21:35-05:00</updated>
        <summary>2-The origins of racism Hi, readers. I am back... As I known to everybody, the subject "Racism" is not to be taken lightly, mainly because the lives of many are involved in whatever is said. Before going any deeper into...</summary>
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            <name>Mike</name>
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<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><strong>2-The origins of racism</strong></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Hi, readers. I am back...</span></p>

<p><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">As I known to everybody, the subject "Racism" is not to be taken lightly, mainly because the lives of many are involved in whatever is said. Before going any deeper into the matter, there are a few aspects that need to be clarified, so that we are all on the same page, and know where we stand.</span> </p><p><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Probably the concept of Racism, at least as far a its origins are concerned, has a lot to do with slavery. </span></p>

<p><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Slavery, in general is almost, and I stress almost, as old as Humanity. <a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=638,height=433,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://luisbedia.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/25/display_image.jpg"><img title="Display_image" height="157" alt="Display_image" src="http://luisbedia.typepad.com/free_of_mind/images/2008/06/25/display_image.jpg" width="220" border="0" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 5px 5px; WIDTH: 220px; HEIGHT: 157px" /></a> Ever since one man found out that he could put another man to work for him, slavery appeared in History. Along the years, there have existed several different forms. We will not try to analyze all forms of slavery, among other reasons because it would take not a blog, but a whole book, if not several.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Let us concentrate on the slavery of Black men and women. Many moons ago, most tribes in Africa would execute the remnants of vanquished tribe, after a battle or war among tribes. Then, somebody came up with a "brilliant" idea. Instead of killing the defeated, why not put them to work, or, even better, sell them to anyone willing to pay a handsome price for <a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=680,height=724,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://luisbedia.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/25/african_2.gif" /><a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=482,height=270,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://luisbedia.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/25/resisting_slavery.jpg"><img title="Resisting_slavery" height="160" alt="Resisting_slavery" src="http://luisbedia.typepad.com/free_of_mind/images/2008/06/25/resisting_slavery.jpg" width="200" border="0" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 5px 5px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 160px" /></a> them, making a profit? I beleive nobody knows for sure how this all started; it has been said that Arab pirates bought these slaves in the beginning, but I cannot assert to that. However, it does not really matter how it started; the fact is that this possibility led to more tribal wars, more prisoners, more slaves, and consequently, more slave-trade. </span><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Apparently these Arab pirates, with the tacit approval of the European powers, conducted this business without great difficulties, since they dirty work was performed by Blacks against other Blacks from a different tribe.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It must be understood that the root of this complicated matter is not the alleged inferiority of the Blacks; that came later. What really underlies is an economic interest, as in most of men's actions. The conquering African tribes mede good money out of this; so did the Arab pirates, and ultimately, so did the colonizers, who got really cheap labor in exchange of one single payment in a lifetime.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">(to be continued...)</span></p></div>
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    <entry>
        <title>"HOW TO WIN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST RACISM" Part 1</title>
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        <published>2008-06-09T12:19:30-05:00</published>
        <updated>2008-06-09T12:19:30-05:00</updated>
        <summary>Introduction Throughout a number of years, white people have tried very hard to convince Blacks and themselves that the Black race is inferior to them, for many different reasons. One of them is trying to justify slavery in olden times,...</summary>
        <author>
            <name>Mike</name>
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        <category scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" term="Racism" />
        
        
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&lt;div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 1.2em;"&gt;Introduction&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 1.2em;"&gt;Throughout a number of years, white people have tried very hard to convince Blacks and themselves that the Black race is inferior to them, for many different reasons. One of them is trying to justify slavery in olden times, and nowadays some sort of social and economical dominance. Many white persons have joined in this endeavor, simply because of ignorance or stupidity, or both.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 1.2em;"&gt;Yet, there is a group that simply reacts this way because of hate, insane hate, and the false belief that Blacks are really inferior. I do respect those who dedicate their lives to fight for the Green Cause, or for their defense of animal species that face extinction, or for any of many great causes, like stopping AIDS, ceasing the slaughter in Darfur, and on and on...&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 1.2em;"&gt;However, I personally believe that we have a closer enemy, that dwells inside our own house, which is racism. One cannot deny that great steps have been taken in this direction, particularly in recent years.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 1.2em;"&gt;&lt;a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=680,height=368,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://luisbedia.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/09/rosa_parks.jpg"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=680,height=368,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://luisbedia.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/09/rosa_parks_2.jpg"&gt;&lt;img title="Rosa_parks_2" height="108" alt="Rosa_parks_2" src="http://luisbedia.typepad.com/free_of_mind/images/2008/06/09/rosa_parks_2.jpg" width="200" border="0" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 5px 5px 0px" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and many others are excellent examples of what Black people can do, and have done. However, my friends, there is still a long way ahead.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;



&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 1.2em;"&gt;One of the saddest consequences of this attitude is that they have somehow&lt;a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=347,height=300,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://luisbedia.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/09/martin_luther_king_jr.jpg"&gt;&lt;img title="Martin_luther_king_jr" height="172" alt="Martin_luther_king_jr" src="http://luisbedia.typepad.com/free_of_mind/images/2008/06/09/martin_luther_king_jr.jpg" width="200" border="0" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 5px 5px" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; convinced a part of the Black population that this is true. Some young Black kids have come to believe that there is no hope for them, that they cannot escape the ghetto or the 'hood', and are inexorably condemned to end their days in prison or dead in a gutter somewhere in the darkest part of the city.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 1.2em;"&gt;Even the media has had a lot to do with the present situation. At times, it looks as if they rejoice showing that a Black young man did this or that, thus creating the stereotype of the Black gangster.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 1.2em;"&gt;To some extent, even some Blacks have also contributed to the creation of this image, showing constant anger in their music, in their attitude, and even in their language.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 1.2em;"&gt;I am a firm believer that everything is in our minds, and a Black man's mind is as good as any white man's mind.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 1.2em;"&gt;(to be continued...)&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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