A lot of what we say is so that we can sleep at night.
“God knows my heart.”
“I was just joking.”
“Your baby is so cute.”
It’s all bullshit. God knows your heart and still deals with your ass so do better, you weren’t joking you just didn’t think you’d get called out and EVERY baby is NOT cute. But what else you gon say when you see an unfortunate looking baby “Yikes.”? Nah. It’s human nature. I do it. You do it. Though if the baby ain’t cute I just say, ‘you look just like yo daddy!’
As long as your bullshit isn’t affecting my life and vice versa, we’re good. But there is some bullshit that IS affecting my life and the culture, and since I’m an expert on calling out, here I am.
White people have “both side-ed” 100 years too long and we have to address it. The Unite the Right Rally, or the “Cintronella Circle-Jerk” took place in Charlottesville, Virginia August 11th-12th, 2017. He-who-must-not-be-named, given yet another chance to be an actual leader failed miserably. After neo-nazi James Fields, Jr. drove his car into a crowd, killing Heather Heyer and injuring 35 others, the President of these United States said, “There’s blame on both sides…”; thus the “both sides” trend begun.
And my mind was (not really) blown.
If you punch me in the face, and I punch you back, there’s not blame on “both sides”. The marginalized (POC, women, LGBT, etc.) reacting to oppression cannot take as much custody of a conflict as an army of young white men chanting “Jews will not replace us.” The side that literally murdered someone cannot also have “fine people”.
These are the same people that ask a woman what she was wearing when she got raped, or that argue a child can seduce a grown ass man.
There were NO fine people on the ‘right’ in Charlottesville. Zero. None. Everyone who showed up for the Unite The Right Rally is a racist piece of shit. Period. Heather Heyer was not in the street because it was a nice day outside. She was protesting white supremacy, which is a LIE that is always worthy of protest.
They are extreme though, right? Absolutely. I would argue though that “respectable” white people who (appear to be) a teench more reasonable than neo-nazis are also a huge part of the problem.
Meghan McCain is a good example of the respectable conservative white who is ALSO a part of the problem. So we let them sit at the table, literally. You won’t find them at neo-nazi marches (because they can’t wear their hoods) but you won’t find them speaking out against racism either. They are republican, after all.
The Meghans of this country benefit from a system founded in white supremacy so while they aren’t white supremacists on paper, (because they have some Black and Jewish friends) they aren’t really mad about white supremacy either and will even try to defend it in a ’round about way. That’s
why they are so passionate about ‘boarder control‘. God forbid a brown immigrant who is more qualified than Meghan get to enter this country because lets face it, the only reason we know Meghan McCain exists is because she’s a white woman named McCain.
The third white is the quiet one. They voted for Trump but won’t admit it and are strangely quiet around covert racism. They even may extend thoughts and prayers to victims of white supremacist motivated terrorists attacks and express that they long for the days when everyone could just get along on both sides of the aisle. They are delusional at best complacent at their worst.
When all levels of whiteness work in concert to take the blame off themselves, victim blame and be be silent they leave a quite the burden on minorities and white social justice warriors, people who are actually doing the work. But they have taken it a step farther.
White people always manage out white themselves.
Last week, leaked FBI documents from fiscal year 2018 indicated that “Black Identity Extremists” or BIEs and animal rights/environmental activists are at the top of their counterterrorism efforts and did not directly mention white supremacy at all.
Now, I have no warm and fuzzy feelings about cops on any level. But I didn’t think that EVERYbody in the FBI was a moron, so yall know I put my Googles to work. Apparently, the current white house didn’t want the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to mention white supremacy in its report.
There is nothing new about white supremacy it is the foundation on which these United States are built. Don’t argue. What is new is a President (openly) in bed with white supremacy. White supremacy cannot be called out by a white supremacist.
This white house has cut the budget of the DHS’ domestic terrorism program from $21 million in 2017 to $2.6 million currently. Without a budget and with pressure from the President to not target his base, there is no way for federal law enforcement to even investigate domestic terrorism much less prevent it.
In the past 2 years, white supremacists have been responsible for all race-related incidents. All of them. Every single one. You know who hasn’t? Black Lives Matter (BLM) & People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), cause that’s who they mean when they say Black Identity Extremists and Animal Rights Activists.
PETA and BLM have never gone in Walmart, a church/temple/mosque, a movie theater, night club, music festival or ANYWHERE with an AR-15 and killed dozens of people. White men have. Animal rights activists and social justice warriors don’t have political power. White men do.
BLM was created as a response to the murder of Trayvon Martin. In the same way George Zimmerman is responsible for his murder, white supremacy is responsible for terrorist attacks in El Paso, Dayton, Gilroy, Pittsburg, Louisville, San Diego, & Tallahassee.
And in the same way, George Zimmerman got off, white supremacy is getting off. Since Donald Trump has become President, 62 people have been killed and 79 have been injured in the name of white supremacy.
As long as presidential candidates and political commentators “don’t know what’s in his heart” when the POTUS calls Black/Brown countries, shitholes, Mexican immigrants rapists, calls Black women dogs, claims Black men who disagree with him have low IQ, demand to see a Black person’s birth certificate, and insist that white supremacists are ‘fine people’… the white supremacy will continue to feel emboldened and the danger will only get worse.
The police have stopped 6 white supremacist attacks since El Paso 2 weeks ago.
It isn’t both sides, It is one side and one side only. It’s the white, cishet-male, Christian side.
It is the responsibility of that side to fix it. Until the we call a spade a spade, a duck a duck and white supremacy, terrorism, we remain in danger. Who is we? Black/Brown people, Brown/Spanish-speaking citizens and immigrants, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, Women, & LGBT people to name a few.
This is the part of the blog where I wrap it up and call for action but all I’ve got is: White men, this is your fault. Figure out how to fix it.
As Black/Queer woman I’m not taking any responsibility for this problem or using any energy to try to fix it. I’m not coming across the aisle, sitting at the table or being nice to anyone who supports Donald Trump period. I’ve already used too much energy explaining it.
I tell you what I AM gonna do while yall figure it out though. Get a gun.
-C
“He was polite, a deep thinker…”
On the other hand, Trayvon Martin a teenager murdered for no reason was called a ‘thug’ because he had on a hoodie on a cold rainy night.
Assault rifles are capable of firing off many rounds in a short period of time with high accuracy. These weapons were banned in 1994. The ban expired in 2004 and congress didn’t renew it. Statistically it is argued that the ban didn’t do much to help because we’re all more likely to be killed by handguns. I think that one incident and just one life behind a military style weapon in the hands of a civilian is worth a conversation. Much less dozens of incidents and hundreds of people.
Get you a gun legally
Keep Calm & CARRIE On 