Les Whitenaugh
Jul 27, 2017 · 1 min read

It seems that the Civil Rights era is coming to a close. Not because it has magically all gotten wondrous, people just plain don’t see race or color anymore, or gibberish like that. It is because a younger generation that is more self-absorbed, more self-consumed, and more self — righteous, has decided that whatever subgroup they identify with is more important than everyone else’s. Equally as an abstract ideal, however inchoate and vague it may be, is still better than a chaotic scramble for the top. It is way too convenient and self-satisfying to just blame the others, i.e. whites, academics, the media, politicians, throw away any notion of collaboration or education or communal activism, and just give in to the same petty simplified excuses for not taking responsibility for your world. Stop playing the victim. Responsibility is not blame — it is the acceptance that we, us, all of us have to get our hands dirty and work to fix all that is broken, and blaming others will only further antagonize and justify their prejudices. If the answer to “Who’s side are you on?” is not “The right side” but “My side,” then it will be lights out on our little social experiment. Don’t dwell on the weaknesses. Look to the ideal.

    Les Whitenaugh

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