Comment Two statements! (Score 1) 1999
African Americans should have equal rights in America.
200 years ago it would have been considered taboo.
140 years ago it was fighting words, ie the Civil War.
50 years ago it would have made people uncomfortable.
30 years ago it would have been accepted as true by most people.
Now it is widely accepted as obviously true.
Consider the second statement;
Palestinians should have equal rights in Israel.
Accepted as true around the world except for Israel and America.
I believe that the second statement will follow the same course as the first statement but on a more rapid time frame. The first statement started out as taboo and yet ended as common wisdom. The second statement is currently taboo in America.
America seems to be late on matters of civil rights. We were late in joining the embargo on Apartheid South Africa but eventually we did the right thing. We are late on recognizing that Israel is a brutal racist state. The world unanimously condemned Israel as a racist state at the UN Convention on Human Rights in Durban. Israel and America walked out much to our shame.
While we seem to be late, we do eventually get it right. With Americans dying daily in wars that are only popular in Israel, I believe that this will focus our mind. When we look in the mirror and see ourselves as no better than Israelis, I think that the horror of that image will shock us. I hope that it happens soon.
