I don't think blame is the right word. The effects of history and culture influence us all and we are not diminished by recognizing that. We can either blame or credit our history for what we are, but it is an essential part of us. And if we are intelligent, we use that knowledge of our history in a postive and creative way. And I really need to proof. That sentence up there should have read "I rather thought we would be farther along the line of civilization than we've gotten but in many ways it seems as if intolerance and bigotry are more alive and well than ever (and not just in people who are of European descent)." Bleah.