Rhetoric Race and Religion
This year, no one is safe when it comes to the ridiculous onslaught of ignorance about to people of color. Whether it was the media, celebrities, or members of our own community, the backwards advice and excuses for the degrading of our people was annoying. I write this top 5 list not to be funny, but actually as a public resource for those who might not know they are not helping race relations in an era where we should actually know better. If you are one of these individuals, fix it.
1) The Self-Respectability Preachers. For the last time, sagging pants and black-on-black crime is like bringing a butter knife to a gun fight (pun intended) when discussing the injustice faced by people of color in America. Seriously, stop it. Every black citizen who has been stopped and frisked, beaten and killed do not look like the skewed thug images that Fox News would like you to think. And at the end of the day, even if they did, that does not give them the right to be killed by law enforcement if they were unarmed. Furthermore, the idea that you can fit a better mode of humanity that will make you invisible from racial discrimination is beyond ignorant… it’s imaginary. Rather than trying to rationalize ways to avoid fitting stereotypes, find better ways of combating the excuses to take away black lives because of them.
2) White Feminists and Their Double Standards. It’s getting tired. You talk about equality and liberation for all women, but your messaging and advocacy only extends to those who are of your pale complexion. As many were reminded of how Jennifer Lawrence and her white peers were disregarded and disrespected during the iCloud photo hack, did you all forget that there were some notable black women like Jill Scott that could have used a shout out. Furthermore, for all those out there talking about leaning in, did you even take in consideration that women of color still have yet to actually get in the boardroom to actually lean anywhere? From constantly excluded various faces of color from the dialogue in general, white feminists act as if there is no intersectionality in the advocacy of all women. Do better.
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