Dear Folks,

I think it is perfectly fine if people want to be identified as African-American or American of African descent. First of all, people should be allowed to have the right to self-determination: to define themselves as they see fit. Secondly, I think it's important when you are part of a group that is pretty instantly recognizable, (in most cases,) and there is a lot of racism and prejudice that goes along with your identification as a member of that group. In US history, there were always derogatory names that went with the identity of being of African descent. People need to be able to define themselves as they see fit. If they want to be called African-Americans, or choose to call themselves "Niggaz", Let them define themselves.

People want to define themselves in a way that makes them feel proud, and feel like they are indeed a part of the culture they came from. The love, warmth, and acceptance people have experienced in their homes and neighborhoods is very different from being out in the world where they have to deal with people who may hate or resent them based on their ethnicity. A teacher of mine grew up in the South during segregation. She knew she couldn't go to a "white" lunch counter there. She once ate at an "integrated" lunch counter in Chicago, and saw the waitress BREAK the dishes she had eaten off of! Attitudes don't change, simply because laws do.

Dave, I think you may have put a typo into your entry-were you the only worker of European descent in the cargo holds in Detroit and Chicago? You note that you were well accepted by the other workers. I have often worked as a social worker in similiar situations. I have found my co-workers and clients were usually very accepting of me. My late sweetheart's family was very accepting of me, and continued to invite me to family gatherings after he had died. My family of origin would clearly not have accepted him, even if we had married-most likely my father would have disowned me!

I do trust that Dave, Mbo, et al ARE indeed people of good will, who don't want to see the racist aspects of society perpetuated. And I think our society has done a lot to "clean up its act" on the things that are very outwardly obvious. However, there are a lot of things that are NOT so outwardly obvious, that are promoted as being good for "Law and Order" or good for "the taxpayers". The undercurrent of many of these things is racist, but it is not clearly identifiable as such on the surface.

That, I think, is the case re: the song that this thread started with. I think the idea of telling Mr. Lincoln that things didn't turn out the way they should've, is a way of saying that Lincoln freeing the slaves resulted in our having high crime rates, and insufficient punishment for criminals.

Of course, how these things are related is not directly stated-IT'S UNDERSTOOD by all those who believe that race and criminality are directly related! It's like a code, which we folkies can easily understand if we're talking about songs of the underground railroad. We know slaves needed a code to communicate about escape attempts, the desire for freedom, etc. THIS code is saying that our problems with crime began with the Emancipation Proclamation, and have continued with court decisions granting Miranda and other rights to the accused. However, since it doesn't come right out and say so, people who don't believe that race and criminality are directly related can listen to this song without realizing that it is something more than just a complaint that we're too lax on criminals, and praise for "the good old days".

We have to learn to listen CRITICALLY, the same as we have to read critically, whether it's the Mudcat, or the newspaper, or the history books. Presenting things in a different light may give a reader a completely different take on them. We need to look beneath the obvious, to see what underlies the messages we absorb everyday, from ALL the media.

I thank the poster above who noted that we have been having a perfectly civil discussion about something we have a difference of opinion on. I hope the others who've been discussing this with me also feel the same. I've meant no disrespect to anyone, but I know I kinda get a little carried away with issues I feel passionatly about, and this is one.

My best wishes to all,

Mary McCaffrey