Are we racist/prejudice?

[theapportioner]

For example, Black History Month.

Historical revisionism, and I mean that in a good way. The history that is taught in the States has traditionally been a white Americentric, Eurocentric history. If I may be permitted to throw around a bunch of postmodernist ideas, this is knowledge as a will to power, rather than objective truth. Black history, as well as women's history, homosexuals' history, Mexicans' history, etc. etc. has traditionally been thrown in the ignored and unexplored domain of the Other. Something that, as Kevin suggested, is the great American pastime. To revise history in this case is to decentralize it.

But WHY is there a Black History Month?

Just as there is a Memorial day, a Veteran's Day, Labor Day... you can't celebrate everything all the time. And I doubt Americans would give much of a shit about black history unless it was slapped in their faces. After all, the traditional view of history is so pervasive, so central.

Yes racism is wrong, and it is arbitrary. Essentially a social construct. We continue to see things in a perspective of racism -- races are a part of our language -- and this isn't ideal. But think of historical revisionism, affirmative action, etc. as means to an end, tools, instruments, rather than seeing them as morally legitimate or illegitimate by themselves.