What's in a name?
This entry was posted on 9/11/2006 5:08 PM and is filed under General Discussion.
I respect your site. I think it's fantastic. I was just turned on to it by a family member.
I am a black male. My father, brother, and uncles all served proudly in our U.S. military. I was, and still am, a very proud former Air Force dependent.
However, I do take issue with the fact that you have chosen to identify your site and organization by using race as your primary nom de plume. I think you are doing more damage than good, unless you only want blacks to support your site.
Seems like you might have learned from other black organizations that have made the same "mistake" in the past. Though I'd like to further support your organization, I would not. Not until we stop shooting ourselves in the foot by creating self-defeating, racist labels to identify organizations and ourselves.
Though you may not agree with me, I am entitled to express my opinion. I'm not the only black who feels this way. I'd also like to support the NAACP, but it doesn't support injustice no matter the color, it only supports black people. See the pattern here? White people catch hell at the slightest hint of racism. Can you imagine a proud organization called "White Military World.com"? Would you be OK with that? I wouldn't.
Not to worry though, there are organizations that support all people, including black people, that do not feel the need to choose exclusionary names for their organizations. They may be more difficult to find, but they are indeed worth finding and supporting.
Racism can be very subtle. To suggest that something is "black" or "white" you're only perpetuating what I for one live to eradicate. Being proud is good. Remaining ignorant is bad.
I wish you well with your site. I hope that over time it will evolve into something that ALL people can feel comfortable supporting.
"No Name Given"
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