The letter “Others’ Racism” (PDN, May 27) requires me to respond.
The entire letter is analogous to “They did worse, so why should we hold our predecessors responsible for what they did?”
While what he listed was heinous, none had anything to do with the actions taken by many of our ancestors.
Slave traders weren’t responsible for holding slaves in lifetime bondage, murdering some, working others to death, raping the females, while defending those actions as appropriate.
Those listed weren’t responsible for the genocide of Native Americans. Our ancestors were.
I agree that America isn’t evil.
Those things pointed above did happen but as a nation we grew, matured, changed for the better.
That is our strength and if we stay on that path we will be even better, but to do so we must look at our past honestly.
Sugarcoating history is a recipe for repeating it.
I don’t believe that anyone alive today is responsible for what happened in our history.
However, it cannot be ignored either.
Those who demand factual history are accused of weighing actions of the past by modern standards.
That is true.
History is concrete fact, it can’t and should not be changed.
However judging it by today’s standards is how we change, how we grow into a better people, a better nation.
“Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is, and you must bend to its power or live a lie.” — Miyamoto Musashi.
Dennis McBride
Sequim