So what do you guys think of this?
Is it possible for a group like this to ban all other races yet still be antiracist?
I have heard the argument a million times that black people can't be racist, but I think anybody can be racist, point and case this who fiasco.
I'm a middle-aged white guy from middle-class America and have been told time and time again that I can't have an opinion and that I'm too biased to be able to give input on the subject. The crazy thing, I agree a little. It's really hard to see stuff from another person perspective, however, I try really hard to do just that. See grew up being raised by one of the white people who stood on the lawn of Central Highschool that day they let the first black kids into a white school. I grew up being told not to play with black kids in a 99% black hood. I heard my father say things that even at a young age made me understand what hate and misunderstanding looks like. However I went on to learn that it comes from both angles.
Today I'm going to share the only times I have ever been treated with racism and how it made me feel.
When I was in like 1st or 2nd grade there was one black kid in my school and his name was Jasper. Jasper I noticed was different but it didn't bother me, in fact I thought he was cool because he wasn't like the other kids. We had a gym class together and would routinely change into gym clothes at certain times of the day. It was the early 90's and all the kids were wearing Doc Martens, and basically if you didn't own a pair you were broke. It took my parents because they were soo poor a year longer than every other parent to get me a pair. So here I am first day walking into school with my Doc Martens and I felt soo cool. I wore them through my first class and was on my way to my second class which was PE/Gym. When I got into the locker room I went to take them off and put them in my locker, jasper was next to me and he barely ever talked to me. On this day he noticed my new shoes and instead of saying something nice or complementing me he just flat out said "I'm going to steal your shoes"
Now when something like this happens I understand the part in that Dave Chappelle stand up where he asks "have you ever heard something so racist that you didn't even get mad, you were just shocked?". Well I was shocked, I didn't want to fight, I didn't want to be mean, and so I just said "Please don't steal my shoes" and I can still see everything happening in slow motion. He immediately said "What, cause im black you think I'm going to steal your shoes?" and then out of nowhere I received my first punch in the face. Keep in mind this is not a normal punch, it's not the first punch you're supposed to get when your little. You know, like a little black eye or fat lip, a scuffed elbow from a tussle to the grownd or something. Hell Nah, this kid hit me like an angry union worker who just found out Mitt Romney offloaded his pension to China (you have to say China like Donald Trump anytime you say china now btw). My teeth went through my lip and I had a gushing hole in my face pouring blood everywhere. I stopped and said to hell with the shoes and ran full force to the principals office. Guess who got suspended for 1 week? Both of us, that's right, in the south if you get in trouble in school it was both of your faults without question. Schools have a nack for having sound logic in situations like this.
So you would think that because of all of this and it being my first racial experience that I would be scarred. Nope!
I was afraid of that kid from that point forward but I never disliked him because of his skin. It wasn't until I was older that I understood that he had some issues going on at home and he was learning some really bad habits from his family that didn't give him a good start in life. Noted and moved on.
It made me feel like you can't just go around being friends and talking with everybody because some people are unpredictable.
So on to the 2nd time it happened.
I was in a gas station after having an argument with my now fiance, it was the wrong side of town and I shouldn't have been getting gas there but it's like a block from where I grew up and I figured it would be ok. So I walk into this gas station in the hood and I'm trying to fill up, I go inside to use my card because I don't have $60 to have tied up for 2 weeks everytime I pump gas, so I go inside first. So I go in and I'm waiting in line to pay, 2 people in front of me, both black, 3 behind me black, and the clerk is an old black lady. Pretty usual for the southwest part of town and to be honest I like being in those gas stations because it doesn't wreak of uptightness and people being quite and depressed. Usually theres a lot of chatter and stuff going on, people being happy it's the weekend and they are getting some cold beer or a slice of pizza. So the person at the register finally goes, and then the person in front of me goes, now it's my turn. Right as I step up to the counter a large black guy forcibly puts his hand on my shoulder and pushes me out of the way and say's "Move cracka". Now I'm an adult and I'm like WTF, I know this isn't right but I feel this sense of I'm not in my element, I should just chill and let it go. Don't want to be the next episode of when keeping it real goes wrong kinda thing. So he does his business and the whole time I'm looking at the clerk like come on, can you say something? Well he quickly get's his stuff and starts to leave, but because he did what he did the guy behind me walks up and throws his stuff on the counter and just says "move". Now I have had enough, I look at the clerk because I don't know how to look at people when I'm angry that pissed me off without looking like I'm gonna lose my shit. So I look at the clerk and I say realy?
Her response is why I will never go back to this street, she looks at me and says "what do you want me to do? you shouldn't be in our gas station anyways"
At that moment I wanted to walk out of that gas station so bad, I knew I couldn't make it to another gas station without running out though and my girlfriend was already mad. I couldn't let her think that I was prey in the hood. So I kept quite, waited my turn again and paid for my gas after without issue. It wasn't much of an experience, nothing really bad happened, but for one moment I believe I felt what it was like to be the outcast because of my skin. I didn't like it at all, it made me feel like I was less than a person, and I know where hear people say that, but it's truly a deep fucked up filling. Like you could walk into traffic and you would only piss people off if they hit you because you would dirty their car with your blood.
So even though these are probably good examples of why some people would say fuck them, I don't see it that way. Let's say for a second that every single person in that gas station had been what I had been through, but had been through it several times. How long would it take before my viewpoint would change and I started to get bitter and mean?
Probably not long, but let's say it was a constant experience, holy shit! I would be looking for a way to end it, or say exclude people who couldn't see what I was seeing.
So I'm not sitting here saying that what they are doing is ok, or accepting, but how long would you argue with people who couldn't understand your pain. They want support but don't want people involved that can't understand what they are going through. I believe this is a huge mistake, but only because if you are hurting and being knocked down, you need any help you can to get back up. White people were on the front lines in the 50's pushing for rights and freedoms and they will continue today. Just don't put to much focus on trying to make their cause look bad, they are going to make angry mistakes, people do that. Just help them by showing compassion and support.
I don't support black lives matter as an orginization because I believe their funding comes from a scary source, but I believe in their cause and will support bringing awareness to racial divide in our country. But I feel like it needs to include a positive discussion moving us into finding proper solutions and not just beating the facts to death.
