Ok...At some point during childhood, a black person realizes that they arent white. (I dont even remember the exact moment it happened for me) Someone says something, be it cruel or unintentional, it slips. You get othered right then and there. So what? its not the worst thing is the world, right? But learning what that means is where it really starts to suck. Basically, you learn that you are the butt of a huge societal joke. Fetishizing the black body, criminalizing black people, demoralizing an entire race by viewing them as lesser in the realm of beauty, intelligence, work ethic, compassion, value, etc., this is that joke. Realizing this is no fun, but the moment you realize that your life doesnt have enough worth to send a cop to trial...thats terrifying. Especially since law enforcement is there to protect you right? to protect everybody? Thats the real joke. Eric Garners death is a tragedy for his family and those that knew him. But its also another example that the legal system sees black lives as disposable. Even though there was footage of the account that differed from Officer Pantaleos testimony. (This same officer has also had past trouble with racial profiling and has been sued for unlawful detainment and racially motivated arrests.) Will body cams really do anything? Does video evidence really help? How is it so easy to completely ignore evidence, so many voices, and so much backlash? The answer is: because you can. You want to know what you cant do? Ignore white culture, white voices, white faces. The faces of ad campaigns, all blockbuster films that dont call for blacktors for historical accuracy, commercials, so much television, even front of house servers at restaurants: white washed. America simply hasnt been coded to empathize with black people because they go unseen. Thats why Im not surprised about the outcome. And thats why people need to speak up. Thats why people need to keep the discussion going. Thats why things like this are important. Seeing the wrong and speaking about it. People are going on and on about how tired they are of black people getting so angry and talking about racial issues. And thats because they dont get it. They dont understand. If it were a crime to be white the way it is to be black, theyd be angry too. If youre tired of hearing it or talking about it, imagine if black people spoke up every time they got tired of hearing about white people.....please sit down. this is going to be a while.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 07:38:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015