Six MORE Things White People Need To Stop Doing.
Well, the good news there is a dialogue that has been opened like the Grand Canyon in regards to race in America. Awesome! However, the internet proves that everything has a dark side.
So, once again, white folks, here we are, with me as your guide to how not to act like a fucking cracker. That first post was more the moderates who weren't sure. This one is more for my white friends who – while I love and respect them – are digging in like an Alabama Tick, the most tenacious of Ticks, to ensure that we all know that they think black people are wrong to demand equal treatment by law enforcement.
As with the previous post, if you are not a white person who enjoys the pleasures and buffers of white privilege, by all means, skip this article.
6. Stop Acting Like Guns Are Going to Fix Everything.
This could be the dumbest thing you can do. You assume that if only these black people could wield a deadly arsenal then they would surely be able to shoot these corrupt police before they made the fatal decision to end their life.
Who was talking about guns? "This child is dead!" and your knee jerk response is "what about guns, won't those help?" I can tell you, you don't mean guns, you mean your guns. Your first and possibly only concern - in light of the corpse of a child - is only your rights. "Your dead child doesn't trump my rights," has actually been said at one point. Which let's face it, is something people only say on the goddamned internet. If you said to an actual parent of a dead child in a public place, you may get punched until you die. Not saying that should happen, but you will look like a cold-blooded lunatic.
To say that wielding a firearm will void the bias against black people – not African Americans, black people it’s about hue, trust me – would suggest that all these unarmed black people were merely at disadvantage of hardware.
That isn’t so, and you know it. You know it because extremely well armed white people have been “taken alive” after killing multiple people, while unarmed black people have been killed for allegedly committing petty crimes.
5. Stop bringing up black on black crime
Now, I know you’re scrambling for some reason why black people are killed more often than whites for the same crime. In light of hashtag #CrimingWhileWhite, you surely must be foaming at the mouth to prove that this is some how ONLY the fault of black people.
So the first you do is bring up “black on black crime.” To put this in perspective, that’s like saying “Well, the Hatfields and McCoy’s shoot each other all the time, who cares if the cops shoot them, too?” Except the cops probably wouldn't shoot either of those families because they are white.
But you do see the fallacy here if you think about it for… say.. three minutes?
Are you going to stand there and tell me that the police are permitted to act like a street gang because… that’s how a street gang acts?
Further, you surely are the first to howl about how "not all cops" while pushing the hashtag #AllLivesMatter. Well, if all lives matter, full stop, then #BlackLivesMatter is just stating a factual component of that statement, isn't it? But that's not what you mean. What you mean is "I don't want to think that black people are devalued by the law or society, because that would make me feel bad."
They make you feel so bad that you will say anything, bring up any incident in a desperate scramble to win the argument.
4. Also? Stop bringing up Waco, TX.
This one sort of threw me for a loop because it’s one of those out of context problems. It's also why I referenced only being just so religious in the first point.
So yes, I will concede the Waco Siege was massive misstep that didn't need to happen the way it did. However, the MOVE movement involved black people and police department of Philadelphia, and no one is bringing that up. No one is saying that dead black children are not a massive misstep on behalf of a government body, but a bunch of white people? Oh, now you care about justice.
So once again, you bring up the white examples of epic government failure without considering how badly the government has failed black people. That's not justice.
Like some kind of hipster of government mistrust, you claim to have mistrusted the government first because of Waco, Tx. But MOVE happened in 1985. Women and children were also burned to death in a siege in an urban area in Philadelphia.
That’s the problem, you are acting like “the government is not to be trusted” is some sort of radical truth you came to before black people did and now that black people seemingly only just now figured it out, you get on a high horse and say "I told you so!" with bullhorn, because you'd rather be right than compassionate.
But black people have never been able to trust the government and have always had to demand equality. And when they do so you have the brass balls to act like it's somehow unfair that they want that equality.
3. Don't act like Justice for black Americans is "a double standard."
This one would be hilarious if it weren't so goddamned sad.
The idea that police shouldn't shoot first and ask questions later when it comes black children? That’s not a double standard. The fact that police DO shoot first and ask questions later when it comes to black children? THAT is a double standard. That’s the definition of double standard. And that's not equality. And that's what black people are demanding, equality.
As I said in point 5, white people with a goddamned arsenal are taken alive, and black children armed with Skittles ™ and iced tea are shot. That is a double standard.
Now my fellow fish-belly, I know what you’re thinking, “That’s because black on black crime!” You go back to that well again. Except that makes no sense. Because a white man recently waved a gun around children and was taken alive. While a black man selling cigarettes was choked to death. THAT is a double standard.
And if you found the above paragraphs to be redundant, I must tip my hat to you, because for the first time in your life, you might actually be paying attention.
2. Stop acting like you can only vote for one side.
I was going avoid quoting other people here, but Jon Stewart blew it out the water with "You can truly grieve for every officer who’s been lost in the line of duty in this country, and still be troubled by cases of police overreach. Those two ideas are not mutually exclusive. You can have great regard for law enforcement and still want them to be held to high standards."
In the divisive political discourse of America, where everything is needlessly politicized, people are getting the impression that they must choose a side in situations that are much more nuanced.
I'm not saying you have to believe everything from one side or the other and I'm certainly not saying all police are gun toting lunatics hell bent on murder (though, the ones that are protected to an absurd degree actually appear to be) or that all black people are saints or that all white people are evil. I'm saying a combination of many different factors leads to a disproportionate number of deaths of black Americans and that we can and should do something about it.
Every factor here can be examined, managed and fixed.
The biggest factor is still police bias, and you need to accept that before you decide to type "WHERE ARE THE PARENTS?!" on your Twitter or complain that #CrimingWhileWhite doesn't fairly represent all white people on Facebook.
1. Stop acting like freedom and justice are in finite supply.
This is key. Freedom and justice are no secreted away in some hidden reservoir of a gated white community to be gently pumped from the aquifers of liberty only to ensure you get to use the n-word with impunity and can own all the guns you want. They are literally created by the government at the behest of the people, specifically at the behest of the people who demanded it.
So you see, either you are demanding "justice for all" - a term you may have heard used from time to time in these United States - or you're supporting justice only for some, probably only the people that look like you.
You've probably noticed this last one is the shortest, because they're not much more to it. You're either supporting your fellow Americans or your sitting on your ass, cleaning your guns and hoping it all blows over before the next Super Bowl.
So, once again, white folks, here we are, with me as your guide to how not to act like a fucking cracker. That first post was more the moderates who weren't sure. This one is more for my white friends who – while I love and respect them – are digging in like an Alabama Tick, the most tenacious of Ticks, to ensure that we all know that they think black people are wrong to demand equal treatment by law enforcement.
As with the previous post, if you are not a white person who enjoys the pleasures and buffers of white privilege, by all means, skip this article.
6. Stop Acting Like Guns Are Going to Fix Everything.
This could be the dumbest thing you can do. You assume that if only these black people could wield a deadly arsenal then they would surely be able to shoot these corrupt police before they made the fatal decision to end their life.
Who was talking about guns? "This child is dead!" and your knee jerk response is "what about guns, won't those help?" I can tell you, you don't mean guns, you mean your guns. Your first and possibly only concern - in light of the corpse of a child - is only your rights. "Your dead child doesn't trump my rights," has actually been said at one point. Which let's face it, is something people only say on the goddamned internet. If you said to an actual parent of a dead child in a public place, you may get punched until you die. Not saying that should happen, but you will look like a cold-blooded lunatic.
To say that wielding a firearm will void the bias against black people – not African Americans, black people it’s about hue, trust me – would suggest that all these unarmed black people were merely at disadvantage of hardware.
That isn’t so, and you know it. You know it because extremely well armed white people have been “taken alive” after killing multiple people, while unarmed black people have been killed for allegedly committing petty crimes.
5. Stop bringing up black on black crime
Now, I know you’re scrambling for some reason why black people are killed more often than whites for the same crime. In light of hashtag #CrimingWhileWhite, you surely must be foaming at the mouth to prove that this is some how ONLY the fault of black people.
So the first you do is bring up “black on black crime.” To put this in perspective, that’s like saying “Well, the Hatfields and McCoy’s shoot each other all the time, who cares if the cops shoot them, too?” Except the cops probably wouldn't shoot either of those families because they are white.
But you do see the fallacy here if you think about it for… say.. three minutes?
Are you going to stand there and tell me that the police are permitted to act like a street gang because… that’s how a street gang acts?
Further, you surely are the first to howl about how "not all cops" while pushing the hashtag #AllLivesMatter. Well, if all lives matter, full stop, then #BlackLivesMatter is just stating a factual component of that statement, isn't it? But that's not what you mean. What you mean is "I don't want to think that black people are devalued by the law or society, because that would make me feel bad."
They make you feel so bad that you will say anything, bring up any incident in a desperate scramble to win the argument.
4. Also? Stop bringing up Waco, TX.
This one sort of threw me for a loop because it’s one of those out of context problems. It's also why I referenced only being just so religious in the first point.
So yes, I will concede the Waco Siege was massive misstep that didn't need to happen the way it did. However, the MOVE movement involved black people and police department of Philadelphia, and no one is bringing that up. No one is saying that dead black children are not a massive misstep on behalf of a government body, but a bunch of white people? Oh, now you care about justice.
So once again, you bring up the white examples of epic government failure without considering how badly the government has failed black people. That's not justice.
Like some kind of hipster of government mistrust, you claim to have mistrusted the government first because of Waco, Tx. But MOVE happened in 1985. Women and children were also burned to death in a siege in an urban area in Philadelphia.
That’s the problem, you are acting like “the government is not to be trusted” is some sort of radical truth you came to before black people did and now that black people seemingly only just now figured it out, you get on a high horse and say "I told you so!" with bullhorn, because you'd rather be right than compassionate.
But black people have never been able to trust the government and have always had to demand equality. And when they do so you have the brass balls to act like it's somehow unfair that they want that equality.
3. Don't act like Justice for black Americans is "a double standard."
This one would be hilarious if it weren't so goddamned sad.
The idea that police shouldn't shoot first and ask questions later when it comes black children? That’s not a double standard. The fact that police DO shoot first and ask questions later when it comes to black children? THAT is a double standard. That’s the definition of double standard. And that's not equality. And that's what black people are demanding, equality.
As I said in point 5, white people with a goddamned arsenal are taken alive, and black children armed with Skittles ™ and iced tea are shot. That is a double standard.
Now my fellow fish-belly, I know what you’re thinking, “That’s because black on black crime!” You go back to that well again. Except that makes no sense. Because a white man recently waved a gun around children and was taken alive. While a black man selling cigarettes was choked to death. THAT is a double standard.
And if you found the above paragraphs to be redundant, I must tip my hat to you, because for the first time in your life, you might actually be paying attention.
2. Stop acting like you can only vote for one side.
I was going avoid quoting other people here, but Jon Stewart blew it out the water with "You can truly grieve for every officer who’s been lost in the line of duty in this country, and still be troubled by cases of police overreach. Those two ideas are not mutually exclusive. You can have great regard for law enforcement and still want them to be held to high standards."
In the divisive political discourse of America, where everything is needlessly politicized, people are getting the impression that they must choose a side in situations that are much more nuanced.
I'm not saying you have to believe everything from one side or the other and I'm certainly not saying all police are gun toting lunatics hell bent on murder (though, the ones that are protected to an absurd degree actually appear to be) or that all black people are saints or that all white people are evil. I'm saying a combination of many different factors leads to a disproportionate number of deaths of black Americans and that we can and should do something about it.
Every factor here can be examined, managed and fixed.
The biggest factor is still police bias, and you need to accept that before you decide to type "WHERE ARE THE PARENTS?!" on your Twitter or complain that #CrimingWhileWhite doesn't fairly represent all white people on Facebook.
1. Stop acting like freedom and justice are in finite supply.
This is key. Freedom and justice are no secreted away in some hidden reservoir of a gated white community to be gently pumped from the aquifers of liberty only to ensure you get to use the n-word with impunity and can own all the guns you want. They are literally created by the government at the behest of the people, specifically at the behest of the people who demanded it.
So you see, either you are demanding "justice for all" - a term you may have heard used from time to time in these United States - or you're supporting justice only for some, probably only the people that look like you.
You've probably noticed this last one is the shortest, because they're not much more to it. You're either supporting your fellow Americans or your sitting on your ass, cleaning your guns and hoping it all blows over before the next Super Bowl.
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