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I Am Not Your Slave
The constant attacks on American citizens who are white are absurd and insulting. The commentary insisting that all whites must be racist is bizarre and on a closer look, based on no facts at all. I’ve decided that I’ve had enough of these intended insults. (I can only be insulted if I accept the observations.) I’m pushing back. I realize that some black Americans and people on the Left would be outraged at my ideas, and if they had the opportunity would vehemently chastise me.
I don’t care.
I only care about living a life of integrity, about being a good person to my fellow man (no matter what the person’s color is), and to make good choices. No person has the right to force me to think or behave in a particular way—a person can certainly try, but I will ignore their intimidation tactics and efforts to humiliate me.
Let me explain why the efforts to coerce me into thinking or acting in a particular way is not only a waste of time, but it defies everything this country stands for. My arguments appear below:
- My strongest argument is that you have no scientific data that says a person is born or will become inherently racist. Just because a person is a scientist or creates facts to support his or her position does not make this statement true. We are, of course, influenced by our culture and its norms; our families, teachers, and all relationships have an impact on our worldviews. But I have something called agency: nothing can force me to be racist. Anyone who purports to present data otherwise is providing opinion, not fact.
- You are totally incapable of knowing my mind, how I feel, or how I think. My mind is not open to your analysis, and at any given time you are not able to know my thoughts, unless I choose to share them with you. So, your stating whether or not I have racist thoughts or how I created them is impossible; therefore, stating that my racism is unconscious is illogical.
- Your assessment that we live in a racist society cannot be ascertained. At what point is any society racist? How many members of society need to be racist to justify labeling the entire society racist? Is a society racist if 1%, 5%, or 10% of its members are racist? Must every single person be purged of his or her racist ideas for a society to be free of racism? What tools or criteria will you use to measure the degree of racism in society? What makes your tools or criteria legitimate?
- You say that if I don’t speak out or act to support your claims about racism, I am complicit. If your claims are not legitimate, what am I complicit in? Who are you to decide how I should live my life? Who are you to demand that I act for a cause that I don’t think is legitimate? Even if there are racists in this country (and I’m sure there are), why do I have to take action against them? What makes your cause stand out against all the rest of the needs of society?
- I will reject any demands to tell me how to think about anything, including racism. You have no authority to tell me how to think. If I’m racist, you have no right to tell me to reject those ideas. You are free to say that if I have racist thoughts, I will act on them. The fact is, I may or may not act on them. I may simply keep them to myself. That is my right–I’m not racist, by the way—but of course, you will likely not believe me, and that is also your right. I accept that you have this choice.
- When I explain the reasons that I am not a racist, I am not defending myself, although you may claim that I am. I don’t need to defend myself; I’m simply sharing my opinions, my point of view. But if you choose to see those as defensive statements, fine.
- When I give an opinion on racism or current events, it is just that: an opinion. I am not required to be deeply informed on the history of racism or its current iteration. I will also decide the subjects on which I want to be educated; you have no say in that decision. So if you believe that I am not sufficiently educated on racism, that’s unfortunate.
- I refuse to live my life in the framework of racial stereotypes: white, black, Asian, Hispanic, or otherwise. Yes, some of the descriptions of races may or may not be true. But I will be the one to decide, person-by-person, which descriptions are legitimate. And those choices do not require your approval.
- This country guarantees me freedom of expression. Your efforts to silence me defy the Constitution and I will disregard them.
- I regret that some of you believe that your violence and disruption for your cause are legitimate acts. That the destruction of businesses and homes of citizens is acceptable. I reject your opinion.
The conclusions you draw about me based on the points listed above are your opinions. They have no more legitimacy than my own opinions. You are entitled to them, as I am to mine. You have no power to force me to do anything: change my mind, take a stand, support your causes, confess my beliefs, or legitimize your positions. Your intention to improve equality and justice in this country is admirable; your strategies are abominable. As long as I live in this free society, I will make my own choices, my own decisions, voice my own heartfelt opinions and share my ideas. You have no authority to dictate any of those.
I am not your slave.
Published in Culture
Yes. It set back that effort enormously that the most prominent of the good role models in entertainment was the Huxtable family, which starred Bill Cosby. It engendered a cynicism that is still hard to defeat about what successful behavior to model.
Yes that style of ignorance is indeed making a comeback.
Right now we are experiencing such a total disconnect between the reality that is, and the pseudo reality that the lamestream but powerful media is continually concocting.
After all, from May 31st to June 10th, the nation witnessed gangs of rioters looting, burning and terrorizing people in inner city neighborhoods and major parts of shopping districts in cities across the nation.
So what is the media focusing on right now? Are we seeing reporters asking the people who were forced to deal with the rioters how they are doing? Or asking them what help they may need as they attempt to re-build their shattered lives and neighborhoods?
Of course not, as apparently the far greater injury demanding the public’s attention is the “inherent pejorative way whites use language to diminish people of color,” by referring to them as “Aunt” and “Uncle,” when those people to whom they assign such titles to are not of their family.
I mean, who cares about the lasting damage done by poorer blacks in their recent actions causing billions of dollars of destruction, as well as the loss of life of at least 47 people, when we can all focus once again on the absolute destructiveness of the racism of white people, and others, who for generations have cheerfully been buying products with African American icons like Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima on the packaging?
Indeed, @goldwaterwoman! I am inspired by so many people around me, of all colors. Last night we had dinner in a favorite nearby restaurant for the first time in a while. The waitress was so delighted to see us. Although the restaurant was quiet, she said it was getting busier. Bless those who have hung in to keep the economy going, no matter what their jobs are!
Of course not, because most of them were “privileged.” We have a local PBS station with a “black” oriented stream of programs and last night one of the previews offered an upcoming interview with some spokeswoman who had a long enough moment on camera to answer a question by the host “where do we go from here?” And I know I won’t be watching since the answer was about how “Poverty is a Weapon used to keep black people down.”
Anybody with such impaired thinking can’t be taken seriously, whatever credentials she is supposed to have. A WEAPON? How would some weapon even be developed to be effective enough to attract dispersed adversarial involvement …even if the bigger question had an answer….WHAT FOR? The best thing for us all is greater success of each member, both as customers and providers within the economy. Nobody benefits from someone else’s poverty; life isn’t zero-sum. We are long past real estate red-lining, refusing people education loans, etc. It’s like these “leaders” prefer to fight imaginary ghosts than to really move on. We shouldn’t let them continue to poison minds, but the rest of us, far from having an interest in using weapons against them, don’t even have enough interest to respond….hardly what you’d expect from people whose evil plot was discovered.
Oh no, my dastardly deeds have been exposed! It was me. I have control of the orbital Destitutionator™ which I nightly train on the barrios and slums of America (I’d get shtetls too, but I can never find them). And sometimes a WASP gets hit too – friendly fire and all that. If they would just remember to wear the tinfoil hats, they wouldn’t get povertized, but I guess that’s life in the New World Order.
Do colanders work? I hope they work? They’re sold as orbital Destitutionator deflectors (as well as mind control rejectors). So they’re supposed to work. Oh, I hope they work.
Disparate Impact Solutions is proud to announce a New and Improved Destitutionator that can be blocked by either mesh or ‘hole-based’ colanders and sifting equipment for the 2020 quintilation season.