Frederick Douglass on the 4th of July

[REDWAVE]

In 1852, the great abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass delivered a speech before a mainly white audience. In my opinion, it is just as true today as it was then. The entire speech is quite lengthy; I reprint here only the key passage of the speech. Ah, there's nothing like the classics.


"What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.

Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival."


Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[badasschick]

Tis why we have June 19

 

[Spinaroonie]

The speech goes on for much londer.. I was supposed to read it, but didn't. I got the gist of it. He's a great speaker.

 

[REDWAVE]

That's why I use Netscape, sd412. Microsoft products suck!

 

[paganangel]

can u give it up for just today?

 

[Spinaroonie]

That's why I use Netscape, sd412. Microsoft products suck!

Amen.

 

[Spinaroonie]

can u give it up for just today?

Frederick Douglas is a key player in the liberation and the independance of African-Americans. Frederick helped the African-American nation move from being slaves into being Americans, true citizens, and get the freedoms that you take for granted. Why don't YOU give up your blind bashing, crackerjack?

 

[paganangel]

no ass! the passage he quoted is not as relevant today. were hesimply stating what a great leader in our history mr. douglas was, you'd get no denial from me, but he wasn't. he looked for one more oportunity to bash. now who's being blind?!

 

[Spinaroonie]

Or it can be construed as a celebration of the freedoms that minorities share today.

 

[REDWAVE]

OK, paganangel

All right-- I won't say anything bad about Microsoft products for the rest of the day. Are you happy now, pagang?

 

[paganangel]

Re: OK, paganangel

All right-- I won't say anything bad about Microsoft products for the rest of the day. Are you happy now, pagang?

c.
c'mon dude. today's about the good stuff. let what you disagree with go. 1 day. wave the flag that symblizes, and hopefully always will symbolize, your right to burn it and bash it the rest of the year.

 

[REDWAVE]

Sorta . . .

I won't wave the flag, but I will wave the Declaration of Independence. See my posts on Rhys' 4th of July thread. Then come back and we'll talk.

 

[District Line]

This is a good thread. It's brief up this point but it's got almost everything.

There is an educational element, a pricking of conscience, people freely voicing their opinions, people displaying integrity with their principles, an offering of cogent arguments from different perspectives, light hearted banter and conciliation.

Cool, nice one chaps.

 

[SleepingWarrior]

This is a good thread. It's brief up this point but it's got almost everything.

There is an educational element, a pricking of conscience, people freely voicing their opinions, people displaying integrity with their principles, an offering of cogent arguments from different perspectives, light hearted banter and conciliation.

Cool, nice one chaps.

Thats what America is all about.

 

[paganangel]

This is a good thread. It's brief up this point but it's got almost everything.

There is an educational element, a pricking of conscience, people freely voicing their opinions, people displaying integrity with their principles, an offering of cogent arguments from different perspectives, light hearted banter and conciliation.

Cool, nice one chaps.

thanx for the affirmation

 

[Rodney King]

While it is true that there is inequality and injustice in the world today, and always has been, it is also true that today, in this nation, you have a choice.

You can always choose to be one of the downtrodden, Redwave, or you can make a "free" choice not to. You have that choice to make. Not myself, nor any other person can make that choice for you.

Only you can 'freely' choose for yourself not to be one of the downtrodden. The choice is entirely up to you. If you choose not to make that choice for yourself then you will always be the way you are, and there is not anything any other person can do about that.

You have the 'freedom' to make whatever choices and decisions you want to make in this country.

 

[REDWAVE]

Freedom of choice

You gotta be kiddin' me, Rodney baby. I suppose your namesake "chose" to be beaten by the LAPD cops. I suppose blacks and Latinos in the ghettoes and barrios "choose" to be there, instead of palatial estates in Long Island or Bel Air. I suppose all the victims of the current police state repression in thyis country "chose" to be detained for months without charges.

 

[paganangel]

the real rodney king aside

they don't choose to be there, but they do choose to stay there.

 

[HeavyStick]

Re: the real rodney king aside

they don't choose to be there, but they do choose to stay there.

this should help them out

http://www.uhaul.com/


If you want to blame someone for the way a person's life has turned out maybe that person should look in the mirror.

You speak of LAPD beating minorities lets draw up some facts.

When whiney affirmative action groups wanted equal representation of a workforce to the population it served. The City of LA and its BLACK mayor had to open the flood gates to "equal" representation. This led to unqualified persons being cops. Per Capita and looking strictly at the numbers as a whole more police of minority decent were responsible for crimes against property and CIVIL Rights violations. The movie Training Day is a parallel of a true account for the corruption of the LAPD. But let’s not look at all facts ‘cause Denzel Washington was the lead man and got an Oscar for his endeavors.

 

[HeavyStick]

Re: Freedom of choice

You gotta be kiddin' me, Rodney baby. I suppose your namesake "chose" to be beaten by the LAPD cops.

Let's not forget the facts that Rodney was hyped up on some "dust". (proven by the blood samples tested at the hospital)

 

[REDWAVE]

Get real!

Having experienced the brutality, viciousness, and racism of the LAPD first-hand on numerous occasions, I know what a joke your comments are, Heavy Dick. And I suppose Rodney King being high (assuming he was) somehow justified beating him to within an inch of his life.

 

[HeavyStick]

damn you mean they only had one more inch to go........

I do think it is a shame he was assaulted like that. But his judgement (trying to get up) was hampered by the use of drugs. Why didn't he sue his source the same way he did the City of LA? ohhhhh maybe cause there wasn't a Surgeon General warning on his baggie.

When people start taking blame for their actions sober or impaired the world will be a better place.

BTW redwave how many threads do you have opposing the "clan wars and ethnic cleansing" in Africa. Hell that's full ethnic people getting oppressed, but from your point of view it's only worth mentioning when it has WHITE written somewhere in the headlines

 

[Rodney King]

Sorry Redwave, but your thinking is that of a victim and as long as you think that way your whole life will be consumed with the self pity and sorrow you feel for yourself.

I can't change that for you, nor can anyone else. "You" choose how you act, how you feel and how you respond to people. Not me! Not anyone else! Its kind of like the reaction you receive on this board. You choose to be confrontational on issues and self-pitying and that is the way you are treated in return.

Is that my fault? Or anyone else's? No. Negative. That's your decision and choice. You made it and you choose to continue to live your life that way.

 

[REDWAVE]

Just more examples of blaming the victim, and letting the capitalist ruling class off the hook.

 

[Guest]

Just more examples of blaming the victim, and letting the capitalist ruling class off the hook.

I have to say here, Redwave is correct, in my opinion.

Biogtry and Sexism is still very much alive, though it's disguised beneath layers of 'policical rightness'.

I'm not going to get into specifics here, and I don't have the documents to back my next statement. But recently I heard a report that women were still receiving less pay for equal jobs. As a matter in fact, it's alledgedly lower than it was about 10 years ago.

The glass ceiling still exists. There are a few more women that have broken through it, but percentage wise, very few.

And blacks are still discriminated against in normal daily activities, such as being stopped by the police. I'm sure if I looked up reports, the justice system probably still convicts a larger percentage of blacks than whites.

Yes there is reversed discrimination as well. Quotas have to be 'filled' and in my opinion, that's a necessary evil.

There may be the false pretention of 'equality' but we are still far from obtaining it.

Moon