Black Americans serving in The Great War …
A long piece, but I urge you to read it.
Especially in light of this horrendous killing and blatant example of out of control “law-enforcement” in Missouri. Racism is just as prevalent today as it always has been. We’re just better at covering it up and allowing pundits to rationalize the beliefs and subsequent consequences these days. To be less kind and more savvy as to pop-cultural references; we “gloss” over it, and pretend it’s all okay … until the next incident … and, again try desperately to find a way to blame the victim. Especially when the victim is a minority.
‘Cause that’s the far easier path than actually thinking that institutionalized racism, even when it is so obviously the case, exists, and could possibly be a factor … Even with, and especially with, something so ridiculously hallowed as the law enforcement profession.
Give me a friggin’ break!
Just cause they’re cops doesn’t mean they’re actually qualified to do the job! They’re people, complete with all the flaws and inadequacies that come with that curse — and more and more, we’re seeing much evidence that the qualifications for being given a badge and a gun and all of the responsibility that comes with such should be held to a far, far higher standard than apparently what qualifies now.
Then again, most of us live our lives with preconceived notions as to how the world “is” and how we feel it needs to be so as to simply allow us to exist in that same state of denial that is our zone of comfort. Therefore, we seek out only the information and sources of such that reinforce that comfort zone — and we thereby willing allow ourselves to deny the way the world actually works.
Obviously, we’ve learned nothing and as a “society”, and grown even less. I’d go so far as to say we’ve actually regressed.
As to the linked essay (which shows how little we’ve evolved):
It should be noted, also, and importantly, that America’s “hero” of the first world war, General John Pershing, absolutely refused to command those “nigger animals” who served so very proudly in that meat-grinder of a conflict. Instead, black Americans found solace and acceptance — and My God, equality — with their relegated French compatriots.
On a positive note, it was to become the spark for the French obsession with Jazz — and primarily the reason why so many of the Jazz-era greats (and many black American authors, like James Baldwin) found their ultimate acceptance in the land of “libertie”.
‘Nuff said,
LWC