Comments for Western Mass Civil War Sesquicentennial

Comment on Memorial Day by marcferguson

marcferguson — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 21:54:06 +0000

you are welcome, and i agree.

Comment on Memorial Day by Chuck

Chuck — Mon, 28 May 2012 21:37:03 +0000

Thanks, Marc. Nice read.

Comment on Levon Helm dead at 71 of Cancer by marcferguson

marcferguson — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:43:41 +0000

Absolutely!

Comment on Levon Helm dead at 71 of Cancer by Patrick Young

Patrick Young — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 01:00:04 +0000

Levon was great!

Comment on Erastus Hopkins House in 1904 – King Street, Northampton by marcferguson

marcferguson — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:09:35 +0000

Steve,
thanks, I have added the attribution.

Marc

Comment on Erastus Hopkins House in 1904 – King Street, Northampton by Steve Strimer

Steve Strimer — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:01:02 +0000

1904 “White House” picture, courtesy Forbes Library Special Collections. Just sayin.

Comment on The Persistence of Racism by thegrooveman

thegrooveman — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 20:04:07 +0000

So you are in a neighborhood that you consider mixed race and are worried about it? It is unfortunate for you to have to be so fearful, but it is a logical fallacy to equate behavior with race. Behavior is created by environmental influences. For instance, it is more likely that behavior is affected by the economic injustices that rot so many neighborhoods, giving rise to crime and despair, than by the folks that live here.

I doubt you are a scientist or genetic specialist from your writing, which is ok–no insult intended, These days, the claim that racial traits are fixed and distinct is specious, and the contemporary understanding is that the explanation of race is more likely due to the social isolation of human populations in the recent prehistorically past–20 to 30 thousand years ago. What is more likely to human racial reality is found in the beautiful American cultural where intermarriage has revealed the truer vision of humanity–soft features and beautiful tints.

Writer, I surmise that you believe the creators of this blog are white or live in a region that is wholly white by your comments and use of your funny neologism “Whitopia”–that is very cute. However to assume that critics of the cruelty of racism are liberal and white or that we even live in quiet, protected neighborhoods is faulty thinking. By far the opposite is the case for us, We live in a culturally diverse, rich area and though crime in our local cities are alarmingly high and the poverty, homelessness and unemployment are a challenge, we have a lively infusion of the arts and entrepreneurship that is very ameliorating and hopeful.

I think we hope that the minds that read here are not uniformly white or black–we hope many people read and discuss in this blog. It is kind of like a cultural intercourse that improves our social outlook. I am sure you have had many intelligent lookers check out you comment.

As others might despair, and there are certainly terrible, hateful and bloodthirsty incidents of violence of supremacists on blacks, I do have hope in our societies

Comment on Martin Luther King Assassination April 4, 1968 by marcferguson

marcferguson — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:05:48 +0000

Chuck,
I hope you are right about the diminishing of Confederate displays in the South. I think that would go a long way toward easing racial tensions in the country. Unfortunately, I see far too many pick up trucks, and other vehicles, displaying confederate flags, and bumper stickers, here in Massachusetts, and run into too many people who are certain that slavery had nothing, or little, to do with the Civil War.

Comment on Martin Luther King Assassination April 4, 1968 by Chuck

Chuck — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:00:55 +0000

I confess to seeing less and less public displays of Confederate symbols in South Carolina. I think that as a general rule, however, knowledge of the relationship between slavery, white supremacy, and secession is not widespread. Of course, as Blight has shown, that is not confined to the South.

Comment on “Dixie”: Disunion Blog – NY Times by Chuck

Chuck — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:04:09 +0000

That’s what I meant, Marc. I should have been clearer.