From: "Rodney Coates" To: "Racial-Religious-EthnoNationalist Violence Studies" , "eero@sofi.su.se" Date: Mon, 01 Apr 96 11:48:09 +0 Reply-To: "Rodney Coates" Subject: Re: collective guilt? On Sun, 31 Mar 1996 18:30:15 EST, eero@sofi.su.se wrote: >To Rodney et al, > I understand why you reacted the way you did to the Sudan >posting, but I actually think that the examples you took up confirm >that there's a core of truth to Stephan's argument. Irish-American >leadership should indeed in my opinion be playing a stronger role >than they have until now in getting the Northern Ireland peace talks >back on track. The fact that the IRA derives a considerable portion >of its funding from American sources would seem to indicate that >there's need for such leadership and that the Irish-American commu- >nity indeed bears part of the responsibility for the current situ- >ation. In the same way, leadership elites in the countries which >supported minority dictatorships have a special responsibility to >take distance from this policy legacy--as indeed, I believe, >African and African-American oppositional forces have a special >responsibility to take a stand on long-standing civil conflicts, >and violations of basic human rights in African countries. This >for a simple political reason--I think that policy criticism from >"within" the responsible leaders' own communities either in country >or in diaspora is more difficult for either them or an interested >public to dismiss. What do you all think? >Eero C. >P.S. Note that no notion of COLLECTIVE RACIAL guilt is being advo- >cated here, just a notion of community responsibility which is >in the last analysis binding on everybody who wants to advance >the cause of justice. Your comments are indeed valid, however-I must hasten to add --we are all charged with righting wrongs, we must all speak out. As I read the post, it appeared that the author (and Stephen was not the author, he merely forwarded it) conlcuded that because AA leadership has not (to their satisfaction -sic paternalism) responded and are therefore bankrupt --I found most offensive. umoja Only when lions have historians will hunters cease being heroes. African Proverb Without struggle there is no progress. Frederick Douglass The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed. Steven Biko yours in the struggle Rodney D. Coates Director of Black World Studies Associate Professor of Sociology Miami University Oxford, Ohio 45056 513 529-1235 email: coatesrd@casmail.muohio.edu