May I remind you that the "white race" (so to call it, because to me it does not have a reality as a collective entity) does not have the exclusive on war, oppression, hatred and slavery ?
The enslavement of Africans was possible
only through the help of other Africans, to which clearly slavery was not such a repellent concept. Other races, other peoples have had slaves for the whole lenght of recorded history.
The Mongols have waged war and massacre with impressive efficiency. The Chinese have hacked each other to pieces for centuries, with gusto and literary elegance no doubt (read
DMan's nodes about Chines history). The Japanese have done the same, on a somewhat smaller scale because there were less of them.
The tribes of New Guinea have a remarkable passion for stone-age technology wars, which are every bit as deadly and nasty as computer-age wars.
If you look at the recorded history of Africa you will notice reigns and empires (Mali, Zimbabwe) that did not disappear because of the common cold, but rather because they were invaded, crushed and looted.
Even the poor, oppressed, all-killed-by-Spaniards Aztecs were, as a people, dedicated to the brutal oppression (and eating) of other conquered peoples.
The "peaceful" Mayans have records (read the Chilam Balam) of internecine wars. They were made peaceful through conquest and exhaustion.
There are many more examples, but what I would like to point out is that, despite all the bullshit, the "whites" never were the monopoly of "colonization, genocide, segregation, and oppression that continue to this day".
What we (they, whatever) had was technology before the others, which is why Moctezuma did not conquer Spain - not that he would not have liked to do so.
As an aside, it always seems to me laughable to have pride in being part of an ethnic group, much like pride in being of a given sex or sexual orientation.
These are things that happen to us. I was born a Parmesan, and an Italian, but does that make me part in any way of the genius of Bodoni, Correggio, Dante Alighieri or Michelangelo or Julius Caesar ? No way. Or of the beauty of Florence and Venice ? Neither.
I may happen to be better equipped to enjoy them than someone else, but this because of education. An education that I have not chosen, that again (much like the place, manner and date of my birth) simply happened to me.
I can be proud of something I have done, or to which I have contributed.
I approve of the Linux movement, and I like it, but I cannot be proud of it until the moment I release MY contribution to it, my own kernel patch or little piece of code, or until I do my bit to evangelize.
As Kipling said, if I remember, "the race is run one by one". Despite all the collectivistic bullshit and feel-good talk, it is not the group, it is the individual's worth that counts.
a long rant for a Saturday morning, eh ?
Addendum: I find myself in a similar position to
whizkid. Once, in the US, I remember that I defused a heated race discussion that was going on in an IRC channel, about the
OJ trial. They asked me what race I was, and I answered "pasty-white". That seemed amusing to a lot of people, because it took all possible pride out of whiteness ... it is just a
color. And it is not even white, it is
pink !