anotherlimey

Surely not...

I certainly hope North Africans don't take slaves anymore... because we really should do something about that... if it were still happening.

Rushman

NO!!!!!! I wish they taught the kids here more "history" instead of that one sided, blame every other f**ker but us, we beat all the odds kind of bullshit they brainwash kids with here. US elematary history IMHO is very inaccurate.

Just one example: The midnight ride of Paul Revere........never bloody happened at least not by Paul Revere anyway.

But then again, who are we mere Brits to argue with the country that found and broke the Nazi inigma machine and code

Rushman

Seems I'm not alone in my belief

neil

Absolutely, my wife (who is black incidentally) was clever enough to realise that much of what she was taught was very biased and sometimes not even close to the truth. She had a teacher once who actually refused to teach from the textbook because it was so factually incorrect and was technically racist in what it was trying to say.

Rushman

I cant comment too much on what schools here teach as far as black history is concerned, however if it's anywhere near as inaccurate as the bollocks they teach about the founding fathers and the Revolution then I suppose the slaves swam here from Africa and volunteered their services!!

What they fail to teach kids is the simple fact that the only country in the WORLD to have kept legal slavery longer than the US was Brazil, I believe. Never hear that bandied about too much. As for bashing the British over slavery they need to have a read up on William Wilberforce.

Ben

Then you need to go and talk to your school and/or school district. There have been times when my children have come home with information that was incorrect or misunderstood. But these times have been few and far between and more often than not has been because the schools will only give so much information depending on the age but work on the idea that giving a bit of information and then building on it year after year helps children remember the information better. For example: my eldest is now in 9th grade and is doing Global History again. He covered many of the basic facts in 4th grade and then again in 6th grade it was expanded on and now in 9th grade there is a lot more information.

I know to us it can seem so alien but we haven't been through or seen the racial problems that are part of US history on US soil. Our history just kept the majority of it away from our own shores! And while to us it may seem as though it keeps racism alive the fact that the generation coming up doesn't see racism the same as it was in the past, it is obviously doing some good.

My children have been learning about many different black people and have enjoyed what they have learnt.

neil

As with many of these sorts of thing some areas of the US are years behind others in the way they teach.

EDIT: I also bet a big deal was made of the fact that those "many different black people" were black and not white.

Ben

What has economic statue got to do with what I said That sounds as though you are stating that as a black or latino family are automatically unable to afford a house here therefore that is the reason why everyone wouldn't want them here?

Long Island, unfortunately, has a natural divide because of the way the island is set up. However, to state that one group of people moving into a neighbourhood would automatically affect the value of homes in that neighbourhood is rediculous.

Ben

That is true and a real shame because it gives the whole of america a bad name.

neil

Again, in certain parts of the US the fact that a coloured person can afford to live there would make some people feel that it is a less desirable area; if there are enough that think that way then it is feasible that the prices in the area could come down.

lolly

Oh dear better warn my neighbours to expect a drop in prices around here !!!!

Celsius

Their colonies I expect.

neil

I'm sure there are a lot more places that don't think that way than there are places that do. Our new neighbours have been extremely welcoming so we haven't noticed that sort of attitude at all.

lolly

I know what you mean was just being sarcastic

neil

I caught that but felt a need to clarify my post a bit more to make sure noone thought I was racist against Americans (although maybe I am a bit, those backwards, god-loving, NASCAR freaks!)