I've mentioned before that I have a very large extended family and I got into an argument with a cousin of mine the other day. I generally try to ignore him when he goes on his rants but he was defending CRT and how people are trying to erase history and I couldn't keep silent. Besides being told I'm an Uncle Tom or that I "do the bidding of white supremacists" he gave me the usual talking points that I'm sure everyone has heard ad nauseam.
I asked him who specifically is holding him back, and if he is so concerned about history what is stopping him from getting all the books he wants about whatever topic. Long story short, he stopped talking to me when I said he makes no sense whatsoever, and asked why he doesn't put this energy into helping organizations who work to free victims of slavery/sex trafficking today.
More and more I am very grateful my parents would always tell me that the world owed me nothing and that life is not always fair. I swear a lot of young people seem to be taught that everything will go their way and if it doesn't then you can blame some vague concepts like "systemic racism" or "the patriarchy". Combine that with the endless talk about disparities as if that isn't something that will always occur naturally. Some people have it better than you, some have it worse, some make better choices, and some don't. Life if full of things like that, but there is this ridiculous idea that everything can be perfectly equal if the right people are in power.
I used to think I could open some eyes but I guess I can't, some people are determined to be victims or wallow in their self imposed oppression.
You are so blessed to have good parents. It’s incredible how many problems today stem from people raised in broken families or by parents who are mentally or physically abusive. Having decent, hard working, loving and supportive parents gives you such a head start in life, even if you don’t always agree with them.
As for your cousin, I hope both of you can return to being on friendly terms but he’s going down a dark path that leads to anger, resentment and self-loathing. It’s very difficult to reason with someone like this; they have to want to change. Sometimes the best thing you can do with people like this is just be good to them and set an example. This often leaves an impression far more powerful than a logical argument.
Yea. I had a similar argument with another cousin but we patched things up. With this one I’ll wait and just let him cool off. I’ll just avoid contentious topics all together.
At age 41 I have a great appreciation for my parents than I did as a teen. Thankfully my mom despised the “blame white ppl” mentality and she had us read a lot.