Yet Another Blog On Racism · 2:59pm Jun 5th, 2020
You've probably seen a few blogs like this already, especially lately but I think I have a unique thing or two to say on it. The United States has been divided over race issues pretty much throughout our history, along with other political issues. Right now, I'd like to discuss the current ones that have been circulating for the past decade or so and why they're divisive.
First, I believe that Avenue Q got it right.
Everyone's a little bit racist. In horror movies, sometimes we root for the character that looks like us to survive over the others. That's a teensy little bit of racism, right there. And it's as trivial as seeing yourself as someone else because they have the same hair color as you. In that same situation, if you happen to be ginger(my condolences), you might want the kid with red hair to survive. It's the same level of triviality.
So, we shouldn't have to go around making these lengthy, ridiculous apologies about racism. Does white privilege exist? Sure, but it's the same thing as being privileged because you were born tall. That's technically a privilege, too. Being born with big or small feet, or average sized feet, or being born a male or gay, or being black or of latino or Asian origin, all these factors can convey subtle advantages or disadvantages. Some of these things, we can't control but a lot of them we can control.
There's a scene in the original Bad Santa movie, where a black midget played by Tony Cox uses both his skin color and his height to his advantage. He and Willy manipulate the mall manager so that they can rob the mall later on, a plan which backfires when Willy grows a heart. While that scene might be from a movie, things like that do happen in real life. People use their 'privileges' to manipulate others, to swing the odds in their favor. They do this because life is tough on everybody and we all like getting our way.
I live in Florida and we have a wonderful population of Haitians and Dominicans and many black Caribbean islanders. Many of them don't want to associate with African-Americans or be identified with them. They don't identify or want a part of 'black culture' in America. For many, it's because they care about their heritage as Haitians, Dominicans or Jamaicans and don't want to get lumped in with just everybody else. But some take this to different levels- I've encountered some black islanders that are racist towards African-Americans. They make fun of them for their skin color.
There are many black people that are racist towards other black people because of their skin color. Either being too dark or too light or any number of ridiculous things. Black on black racism is unfortunately a thing, and when it happens to young kids in schools, it is often unreported. Young black girls do it to each other, young black boys who make fun of one another calling them "midnight" or "charcoal" or other mean shit. This is racial bullying.
In an episode of Chapelle's Show, singer Rick James called Eddie and his late brother Charlie Murphy "darkness." He admits this in the interview on the show, even calling them that again because their skin is darker than his. No one cares about Eddie or Charlie's skin color. We care about all the laughter they've given us. The realness and creativity Charlie had, how he was always just himself, and what a horrible loss it was when we lost him. To go back to Bad Santa for a moment, the loss of actor and comedian legend Bernie Mac is a loss I feel personally. I looked up to him and grew up with the Bernie Mac show.
I miss you, Uncle Bernie. I've honestly thought about doing a blog just about Bernie Mac and I'm sorry for getting off-topic. When he addressed the audience as "America" on his show, I always thought he was talking to me. The man had such class.
Bernie and Charlie, the world is a funnier place because of you both. Rest in peace, Uncle Bernie and Charlie.
Police brutality and hate crimes, crimes motivated by race are NOT fucking okay. There's no excuse for violence and hate crimes are crimes that are just fucking stupid. Your skin color matters the same as your shoe size; it's not going to impact your life all that much unless you let it. You can overcome it, no matter what anybody says. And we all have a skin color, a shoe size and privileges and disadvantages that come with it. Underneath all that is a mind that is capable of incredible things. You have to apply it, but you always can, no matter what situation you're in.
I have always believed in the power of fans and their creativity. And that has always crossed the 'color barrier' and every other barrier there is. You have the power to create. That means you can do anything, you can change the world with a word. Make someone's day a little bit brighter, make the world a better place. Or you can make it a worse place. One person could even destroy it. That's power that deserves respect and we all have it.
Pt. 2
The organization Black Lives Matter fucked up by naming themselves Black Lives Matter. It was meant to emphasize the fact that many blacks do not feel that their own lives matter in the eyes of police, in the eyes of society as a whole. It's a sobering and disheartening fact when you see statistics and peoples' lives reduced to numbers on a page. And that happens with people of all colors. But when you name your organization Black Lives Matter, it gives off an impression you think that ONLY Black Lives Matter. The very name is divisive in many ears because it smacks of superiority.
There are some who feel black people are owed because of systemic racism in the past. Because black people have suffered enormous racial disparity in America, many feel that black people are owed reparations for hate crimes from decades and centuries ago, from slavery and segregation and similar things. They feel many white people today have profited or continue to profit from such racial disparity. Some even feel that it's ongoing. It's a complicated issue, but I personally feel the problem is that we're dwelling on the past.
Yes, the victims of crimes deserve justice. But justice cannot harm the innocent; if it does, it's not justice. There's a point where we have to realize that these things happen. We don't excuse it, we do whatever we can to prevent it, when it happens, we do our best to make up for it. That last part can be the most difficult of all. There's a point where we all have to move on. Getting to it can be the hardest part.
Slavery has been part of human culture for thousands of years. Ancient civilizations had slaves. There were white slaves, black slaves, Jewish slaves, slavery was part of our world. Segregation is a more recent race crime, along with discrimination against people who are differently-sexually oriented. As time goes on, it is likely discrimination will continue and enter different forms. The old will resist change and the new will argue for it. But the old saying remains the same: the more things change, the more they stay the same.
You are likely to face unfair discrimination, some form of prejudice for something you can't control in your life. I have. I don't dwell on the past, though, but I am reminded that there are people out there who will discriminate and prejudge you. Hate doesn't have a skin color either. It can come from anywhere.
Pt. 3
The current protests about the George Floyd tragedy are really not at a good time. The coronavirus pandemic is still ongoing. Despite this, many are protesting the death of George Floyd but I don't think it's going to change much. It's putting people in danger, spreading a deadly virus and causing much more harm than good. More people have died because one cop killed one black man and three other cops did nothing. There's no evidence that this crime was racially motivated, just another instance of police brutality. There's no excusing police brutality and the officers deserve to be in jail at the very least because of this unfortunate death.
The looting and violence committed by rioters since the protests began have been insane. There's also no excuse for damaging the property of innocent business owners, destroying cars or looting. This violence helps no one and Antifa is using it to cause destruction. Antifa is a racist, terrorist organization and they're using the protests to commit crimes. These assholes want a communist/socialist revolution. Socialism and communism inherently lead to more authority and tyranny, they should be avoided at all costs. They don't give power to the people, they give power to the authority over the people and they use the mob as a sword and shield, a hammer and a sickle. But they will fail.
I applaud the peaceful protesters. Those people have the greatest power to effect change through the greatest force man can leverage: tenacity. But even those people, if they're going outside, they're risking spread of the coronavirus.
The racial divide in this country is based on ignorance. That ignorance is being propagated and supported by mainstream media and social media. We need people to stop and think about their actions right now. George Floyd's death was a tragedy but it was a tragedy that has lead to more tragedy because people are not stopping to fucking think. We need to stop the blame and vilification because at its core, racism is based on hatred. You can't end hatred by creating more of it. We must remember that love conquers all. Be safe, one and all.
Honestly, it just seems like you're trivializing the effects of racism, and saying there's nothing that can be done about it. That everything is okay as it is now because "we're all a little racist" and since we're all a little racist there's no point in actually addressing the effects of racism. That we shouldn't try and address our biases and the harms that they can have on other people simply because there always will be biases. And sure, it's likely that there will always be a negative reason to judge other people, but that doesn't mean we should do nothing to solve current issues. Just because we might replace discrimination based on race with a different kind of discrimination, does not mean that we should do nothing about addressing race. Just because new problems may arise doesn't mean we can't address the problems we face now. Just because people are always going to face prejudice and discrimination in some form or another does not mean we can't address the prejudice and discrimination we face now.
Then you say that the only way the color of your skin will have a non-negligible impact on your life is if you let it. As if the only thing about racism is how one personally feels about it. As if the impacts it has on your life are in your control. When Emmett Till was murdered for the crime of "flirting with a white woman" (something that the woman later recanted on) was he just letting the color of his skin effect him. Was it his fault? Or was it something completely out of his control? When the Eisenhower had to call in the National Guard because the governor of Arkansas wouldn't let the Little Rock 9 attend school, was it because the Little Rock 9 let it affect them? Or was that out of their control? And you might make the argument that was the past and that this is now and that things have changed, but we're little over 50 years from the date of Dr. King's assassination. There are people still alive today that had to deal with segregation. It's completely disingenuous to say that the only way for the color of your skin to have an impact on your life is if you let it.
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Wall of text. Dude, you bring up three events most people on this website weren't even alive to witness. I never said we should do nothing about. You specifically ignored the part where I said there's no excuse for hate crimes. We shouldn't even be having to deal with them at this point. Crimes must be prosecuted, the victims do deserve justice but you're listing things from decades ago. There's a statute of limitations for a reason. We can't let sins punish the innocent. Our society firmly believes that it is better to let a guilty man go free than to condemn an innocent man and I firmly believe in it.
One person was killed out of the hundreds that die each day. It doesn't make sense to examine our entire way of life, to shut down the system for absolutely everyone when there's one mistake. This incident should've been confined to the city at the very least where this took place and begun and ended with the police department, with the precinct these officers served in. That's the only way to fix this problem and extending the scope beyond that is not going to help.
You're probably going to face discrimination and you will have to deal with it at a personal level. There's not going to be a society out there to help you. There's not going to be a phone number you can call. We are all alone at some point and our problems are our own at some point. It's going to come down to how you handle it and that is when your character, your true colors will emerge. Some people don't even get that chance.
I'm sorry dude but you missed the point entirely. These riots going on right now are a massive over-exaggeration. People are dying because of the propagation of ignorance, hatred and fear spread by the media and the SJW cancel culture being spread. They're not going to help a damn thing.