Snuffy said:Hello, very good discussion. I am not Dominican but have a few comments and questions.
First off, I would like to know why one would be proud of European heritage that shaped the Dominican history through the years? The Europeans were barbaric in their fight to steal the riches of the region, including the land. I think it is incredibly ignorant to construct monuments to Columbus. They butchered the people in more ways than one and the wealthy continue to do so. You should be proud of the Africans who rose up against this tyranny. You should be proud to be of African descent. You should be proud of that black blood coarsing through your veins. You should be proud of the Indian heritage also for they were peaceful and good people who were on the Island before anyone else.
My opinion is that a real dominican is born and raised in the DR...and supports his people...not only the wealthy people but all the people. A real dominicans feels the pain of a family who cannot afford to pay for healthcare for a dying mother. A real dominican feels the empty belly of his neighbors child. Most of you appear to be American...born and raised in USA. As much as you want to preserve your DR heritage, you are not Dominicans. You are Americans who parents were perhaps from the DR. And what is wrong with that? Nothing.
But what you are more than anything is simply a Human Being. Part of the Human Race. Where the color of your skin is not important. What matters is that we are respectful of one another. We value one another regardless of color of skin or country. Respect means that we don't abuse one another. We don't live our lives from a position of fear that forces us to cheat and corrupt one another. We live from a strength of believing in one another. And this value system does not have to be rooted in religion or gods. We don't have to create or accept idols out of a need to feel that since we cannot be in control...we have someone or something above us who is in control and watching out for our interest. We can depend on one another. We can believe in one another. The truth is simply this. We only have one another and our future will be determined based on how well we learn to live and work together. There is no entity that will do it for us. It is us and only us...that makes it all the more important that we appreciate one another, respect one another.
Snuffy,
Using your logic, why would one be proud of any type of heritage? Yes, the Europeans who colonized the Americas were responsible for many terrible acts, but at the same time so have Africans and even the powerful pre-Columbian empires of the Americas. You often hear Mexicans, Peruvians, and other South Americans speak of how proud they are of their Indian heritage. Yet, a simple read-through of Aztec, Maya, or Inca history gives many examples of how these empires enslaved, oppressed, and mercilessly killed other groups.
Your criteria for determining which heritage we should be proud of reflects American society's obsession with political correctness. Basically, it's ok to be proud of your race/heritage as long as it's not white.
I'm proud of both my European and African heritage, unashamedly.
As to the second part of your comments, you're simply implying that to be a "real" Dominican, you have to be of a certain political/social ideology.
The "ideas" in the last part of your comment, as nice as they may sound, can be taken out of any textbook for any random ethnic diversity course that students are forced to take here in the U.S. Not to sound mean-spirited, but we've all heard it a thousand times. What does it have to do with the topic of this thread?