Changing My Stance on Racism

Just yesterday, I told somebody “I don’t deny individual instances of racism happen. I deny the problem is ‘systemic.'”

But–this morning–I realized I needed to walk that back. I’m changing my mind, very much the way I changed my mind about gay marriage back in 2013. I never want to become too stuck in my ways to accept a shift in perspective, when it’s necessary.

So, I must admit I was wrong yesterday, when I said, “Blacks feel oppressed–not because there’s a racist system in place…”

I’ve come to connect the dots and understand there IS a racist system causing harm to the Black Community.

And it’s known as “The Public Education System.”

What I should have said yesterday was, “Blacks feel oppressed because of the racist system which is in place.” That’s not to say I believe the KKK controls education and politics. Nor do I believe the “system” was built on hate.

Quite the opposite: I think the System is made of people who at least say they want to help. They’re the “good guys.”

(Although, I’m sure there are some hateful, conniving people who know full-well that the identity curriculum being pushed in public education has negative effects on minorities, and they do it anyway.)

Liberal blacks feel oppression because they’ve been systematically taught to internalize victimhood.

When your teachers, parents, and professors tell you, “Life is harder for you than for that white boy,” it’s not easy to overcome and be successful!

On the other hand, Conservative blacks feel oppressed because–though they escaped from the social brainwashing themselves and are relatively successful in business and family life–they suffer as victims of their mindless classmates who DID succumb to the lies and now react with hate toward free-thinking minorities.

Want an example? Check out this video from a Conservative black woman:

And then check out some of the comments!

“She is speaking against her own race like the ‘coon’ she is. But if she were to make any valid points speaking for black people she would still be that “nigger” in white people’s eyes…”

“[White people] are looking for someone to confirm their racism.”

“There are black people in here who are kissing her ass because [they’re] playing into coonery.”

And just one more person suggesting certain opinions are “white” and others “black” (even though someone tried to correct him)…

For the record, there were LOTS of positive comments from people who agreed with the way this woman called out the stupid extremism on BOTH sides of the culture war. (That includes many black men and women who thanked her for saying what she did.)

But there were many more comments like the ones I took pictures of as well.

I thought about editing the names and profile pictures of the racists, but then I decided not to. Evil prejudice must be exposed.

And what’s that? You don’t think black people can be “racist?”

Where did you learn that, I wonder?

State high school or State college?

---

The woman in the video above says, “As an African-American woman, I’m afraid of two things: the education system and the prison system.”

And, that’s when it clicked for me. YES, I’m afraid of the power of the education system, too.

Why?

Because it has contributed (rapidly) to a culture where it’s okay to divide people up by skin color, as long as you agree with the herd. (Otherwise you’re a “coon.”)

In our brave new world, a growing number of people are swallowing a “progressive” racism and thinking it’s good.

Just consider how far we’ve come from the message of the Civil Rights Era.

We’ve gone from, “I believe there is only one race–the human race.” (Rosa Parks)

…to “People who don’t see race are erasing black people.” (Rebecca Carroll, Guardian contributor)

Years ago, Martin Luther King Junior said:

“I have a dream that one day my four children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Today’s activists say:

“Progressive movements…have made some unfortunate errors when they push for unity [among races] at the expense of really understanding the concrete differences…” (Black Lives Matter Founder, Alicia Garcia)

In the 70’s, 80’s, and even early 90’s, society mainly agreed that people who were obsessed with race were “shallow” and needed to have their minds changed.

And now? The “intellectuals” are pushing this idea that “colorblindess” is a form of racism. They literally argue that you’re in need of a mind-change if you DON’T see color everywhere, the way they do.

How can that happen in such a short amount of time?

How can the racists actually believe they are the good guys?

Well…

…I have a theory…

We are a society completely awash in propaganda.

And, if we send our children to school to learn HOW to think, and they come home repeating WHAT the government decides they should think instead, what hope do they have?

If you’re a young, black American being told from Kindergarten that you’re probably going to get shot by a police officer soon, how will it shape you?

If you’re a young, white American, being told your duty as a good person is to think about your black friend’s blackness all the time, what happens over time?

If ALL of the students are being coached to believe that meditating on the various “differences” between them is healthy (and, indeed, focusing on what unites us is the same as “erasing black people”), what are we doing to our children?

If there’s systemic racism in this country–and I think there is–then THAT has to be it.

Why Black Lives Matter™ Isn’t Christian

There was a lively discussion on my Facebook page yesterday, about which of the two violent gangs who beat the crap out of each other over the weekend was “really” responsible for the brawling.

I wasn’t convinced that whoever is the first to use a car as a weapon should be held “more responsible” than those who brought their fists, urine-filled balloons, and mace to the fight before that.  Instead, I tend to agree with what the President has implied a few times: there’s no reason to choose sides between violent Fascists and violent Communists.

All of them are anti-American.

But, are they anti-Christian?

We seem to have no trouble calling out the KKK for being anti-Christian, despite the claims in its official platform:

“We have staked the future of all of our political institutions…upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves to control ourselves to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.“

Though the KKK manifesto and spokespeople regularly make reference to God and Christianity, pretty much everybody else in the country sees the truth. It’s a fringe group of racist psychos, founded by David Duke.

Repeatedly watching how they behave in public has helped we discerning Americans come to this conclusion.

But how many of us know (and are willing to state clearly) that #BlackLivesMatter also is a fringe group of racist psychos, founded by Alicia Garcia, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi?

If we’re going to compare two, grassroots, social clubs–then let’s compare them as apples and apples. Let’s compare what each club says about itself.

From (one of) the KKK websites:

• [We] recognize that America was founded as a White nation. America was born as an extension of White European heritage… All of the early laws of the United States, from its very inception, restricted citizenship to White people and all of the early charters, laws, compacts, etc were signed into effect by White people.

• [We] Actively promote love and appreciation of our unique European (White) culture. We must recognize it as the bedrock of American liberty and self government.

Now compare and contrast that with the #BlackLivesMatter “Herstory” page (that’s “history” in feminine language. Get it?):

“Progressive movements in the United States have made some unfortunate errors when they push for unity at the expense of really understanding the concrete differences [between identity groups] in context, experience and oppression… [They use the] worn out and sloppy practice of drawing lazy parallels of unity between peoples with vastly different experiences and histories.“

And from BLM’s “Guiding Principles” page:

“We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position. To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a necessary prerequisite for wanting the same for others.”

To describe this group as a generic collection of citizens who are “pro-equality” or “anti-hate” is to be overly-simplistic.  

In fact, anyone who reduces the BLM campaign to a push for “equality” goes explicitly against what the founders have asked from their allies.

That is, they see themselves as a movement for queer, black women. And anyone who tries to shape the organization into something else is guilty of stealing the work they’ve done.

Read for yourself, under the heading “The Theft of Black Women’s Work”:

“Straight men, unintentionally or intentionally, have taken the work of queer Black women and erased our contributions. Perhaps if we were the charismatic Black men many are rallying around these days, it would have been a different story, but being Black queer women in this society (and apparently within these movements) tends to equal invisibility and non-relevancy.”

Further down in the document, they say:

 

“…Black Lives Matter is a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes.  It goes beyond…keeping straight cis Black men in the front of the movement… It centers those that have been marginalized within Black liberation movements.  It is a tactic to (re)build the Black liberation movement.”

_________

When we let the organizations speak for themselves, we can see how they are different or alike.

The campaign known as Black Lives Matter can’t be compared consistently to a whole religion–like Christianity–because it’s not a religion. Intead, it must be compared to individual churches, businesses, and organizations, which claim to be founded on Christian principles.

Like Westboro Baptist.

(Westboro Baptist was founded in 1955 by Fred Phelps.)

Also, we can’t compare the #BlackLivesMatter organization with the Pro-Life movement as a whole–because it’s not the “Pro-Black” movement. Instead, we must compare the sub-group to other (supposedly Pro-Life) sub-groups.

Like the We Love Babies Pregnancy Center, that regularly throws pee-balloons at abortionists.

(I made that up, obviously, because I’m having trouble coming up with a real pregnancy center or other pro-life non-profit, known for its hatred and violence. But let me know if you have an example.)

The NAACP isn’t known for its violence.  The Black Youth Project isn’t known for its violence. (Although I disagree with much of the philosophy buried deep within both of those, as well.)  They make the same claim to be “against hate” as Black Lives Matter or Antifa, but they’re not directly linked to every riot in recent memory–like BLM and Antifa are.

The NAACP and BYP are wrong about a lot of things. But they’re not hate groups, like #BlackLivesMatter.

———

Groups and businesses that branch off a Mother Ideology begin to form reputations based on individual merits. 

Both the KKK and BLM use code words in their official platforms, which reveal their core socialist values…

Both groups will claim they are all about self-love, when it suits them.  But when they get specific, their racist assumptions are revealed…

Both groups believe their racism (and often violence) are justified, because of the lies they’ve swallowed.

The KKK believes America is being stolen from “White People.” And BLM believes they are being systematically hunted down by the racist “State.”

But BOTH believe it’s possible to divide humans by color in order to determine their histories, their shared values, and their current needs. BOTH believe there are huge differences among ethnicities.

They’re not Christian.

And they share equally the asinine violence that took place over the weekend, because neither is on the side of Truth.

Case Study: You Don’t Speak for Me

Found this handy little “Syllabus for White People to Educate Themselves”:

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE A STRONG STOMACH

I realize there are white people who will enjoy working their way down that list, brainwashing themselves, as instructed.  (It reminds me of Christians who really enjoy a good, convicting sermon from a toe-stomping preacher. Some white people just love the chance to shout “Ouch and amen!” whenever someone says, “You just don’t understand…let me tell you what to think.”)

But, some of us still have a sense of skepticism when a person we don’t know sets themselves up as an authority and claims they’re going to “educate” us…

If you read the introduction of the “syllabus,” there’s no need to go further. This is the most important part:

“We need to be thinking about how we are thinking about this election. This sense of comfort, of insulation from the horrors of America, is precisely what this syllabus is meant to disrupt. We, white people, clearly weren’t listening hard enough to people of color, to women, to queer people, to immigrants, to Muslims, to anyone who holds a marginalized identity…[when we voted for Trump]”

Hey, how about that?

I’m a woman, so I made the list!

I agree–people should listen to me more!

And, though I didn’t vote for Trump, I’m willing to bet the several million blacks, Hispanics, and queer people who DID pick him over Clinton feel the same way I do.

Anyone who’s interested can click here to read my post “You Don’t Speak For Me”

Then, perhaps, be inspired to tell whoever wrote this syllabus to step off their unearned soapbox and quit pushing the narrative that all members of groups he listed are as fear-wracked and victim-minded as liberals wish…

I’ll go first:

(*clears throat*)

Please take “women” off your list, because not all of us think the same way. To imply we do–and that you’re speaking for the group–is misguided at best. And when you claim it’s important for “white people” to listen to “women” (when we all know you mean only listen to CERTAIN women), it just annoys those of us who aren’t mesmerized by your pretty, Activist buzzwords.

Some of us get the sense we’re being used as tools, so you can feel like a great, compassionate and-totally-not-misogynist Defender of Our Feelings and get likes on Facebook…

But, regardless of your motives, the assumptions you make are harmful, and you don’t speak for me. 

Are there any Conservative People of Color or LGBT folks, who hate identity politics, and want to say the same?

Run! Hide! From Suicide!

I know lots of people using Sarahah–the new app which allows you to receive anonymous notes and comments from friends.

Personally, I receive enough anonymous (or semi-anonymous) comments while blogging. So, I haven’t jumped on this bandwagon, yet.

But I definitely don’t agree with this guy, who is against anyone using the app at all:

I don’t know whether Ryan Christopher is going to leave his post up for the rest of eternity. So, let me just pull out some of the most interesting quotes, for posterity, in case my link ends up being broken:

“I remember my highschool abusing a site called Formspring to tease a girl. I remember the anonymous messages escalating to pervasive harassment…”

“These sites are dangerous. Minds are vulnerable, especially for those who are already struggling with self-esteem.”

“Sarahah opens doors to cyberbullying, and from there, it’s undetermined…”

“Even if you are strong enough to withstand a possibly cruel message, know that others may not have your resilience…”

 

I’m sorry, but the more I read that, the more ludicrous it becomes to me.

We actually believe there are people out there who can’t learn to ignore mean comments?  And then they’ll HAVE to kill themselves?

I mean, if this is such a big problem, maybe we should stop buying pens and paper, too!

Someone could leave a mean, anonymous post-it on your car!

Readers…

Readers, please listen to this:

Running and hiding from bullies is NOT a solution for “vulnerable minds.”

I’m not just saying it’s difficult to protect our weak friends from mean lies; I’m saying it’s completely impossible.

Here it is again, in different words:

If you’re worried about people around you having “vulnerable minds,” you can’t waste time trying to make the world safer for them. 

Instead, you must prepare their minds for the world!

——-

Sarahah isn’t dangerous.

At least, not any more dangerous than a postcard, which could just as easily be used to injure someone who’s “struggling with self-esteem.” But, if we can’t exist with postcards around, doesn’t that point to a bigger problem?

I think the truly dangerous thing is a culture that keeps telling us certain people are unable to cope with mean lies, because of “undetermined” circumstances…

They’re just vulnerable, and they always will be.

They have no choice but to internalize the lies and probably kill themselves…

Make no mistake, Reader, THAT IS ACTUALLY THE DEADLY LIE, contributing to suicide culture.

Disguised as something compassionate and supportive, Ryan Christopher’s warning about Sarahah actually dis-empowers those who are being bullied and keeps them vulnerable, rather than teaching them the secret of dealing with negative comments in a healthy manner.

Am I making sense here???

Where’s the College Course on Jackass Discrimination?

Apparently, “The field of Fat Studies has undergone tremendous growth in recent years…” according to Patti Lou-Watkins, professor at Oregon State.  (*snort*)  (Yes, she completely missed her own pun.)

You can read some more quotes from her in this article, including these enlightened statements:

“…as the ‘War on Obesity’ has escalated, so has weight-based bias and discrimination.”

“…weight bias is particularly evident among healthcare professionals, compromising the well-being of their patients.”

…“My course now frames body image disturbances more as a function of oppressive societal structures than of individual pathology.”

That’s all fine and dandy.

But do you know which group deals with a lot of discrimination, which NOBODY is talking about???

Mean people.

Jerks.

Jackasses.

It’s really a shame the way we discriminate against people who treat us like crap.

 

Rude people should be able to treat others however they want, without being judged.

 

I mean, we already know that we discriminate against people whose brains don’t work properly. (#EndTheStigma)

And we’re aware that we discriminate against people who don’t take care of their health. (#FatAcceptance)

But we also discriminate against people who are mean and nasty! The difference is, we don’t have a hashtag for that!  

There’s no college course to help students understand the dangers of marginalizing someone just because they make our lives miserable.

 

I think we should call this “Attitudism.” (It’s just like racism or sexism or “weightism.”)

 

If you’ve ever called someone a jerk, you’re microagressing People of Attitude.

 

Just consider these haunting facts:

#1. Mean people are probably ten times as likely as nice people to have ZERO friends! That’s inequality.

#2.  There aren’t any official studies confirming Mean Bias and Attitudism, because nobody will do the research! (Talk about discrimination!)

#3. If you Google “Rude People,” every, single article will assume that being “rude” is negative, which reinforces the stereotype and further marginalizes People of Attitude.

This has got to stop!

————–

Let’s educate the rest of society and quit perpetuating the myth that having a bad attitude makes you a bad person… mmmmkay?

 

End Attitude Privilege Now!

Can’t Spoil a Baby?

I’ve heard from many Pop-Parenting Gurus that you can’t spoil a baby…

 

(I agree, for the record, that you can’t “love” a baby too much.)

But, if there’s no such thing as a spoiled baby, is there really such thing as a spoiled child, either?  Or a spoiled teenager?

And, if we can agree it IS possible for young humans to learn bad habits from their over-indulgent parents, then at what age do we magically change from Unspoilable Babies into Spoilable Kids?

 

Once again.  I agree.  The problem isn’t “too much love.”

But spoiled children exist, and I’ll tell you how they get that way…

We spoil children when we repeatedly do things for them which they should be learning to do for themselves. Over time, this teaches them not only that Mom and Dad can be trusted to meet their needs–but ALSO Mom and Dad will bend over backwards to grant their “wants” as well.

So, yes, spoiling can include picking up a baby every, single time it cries.

This is especially true if the parent can’t tell the difference between a baby with an immediate need and a baby who is fed/clean/uninjured and simply mildly inconvenienced by something, such as a big sibling who is injured and stealing some of baby’s 24-hour lap-sitting time…

That’s not to say all so-called “attachment parents” are spoiling their children by “loving them.”

It’s to say that SOME so-called attachment parents are spoiling their children by confusing “love” with “jumping when told.”

Somebody Rescue These Damsels!

Have you been victimized by a Multilevel Marketing company? (The author uses the abbreviation “MLM” in this article.”)

“Joining a MLM is appealing to women who find hope in their promise of a better life: freedom, economic independence, and an endless supply of cheery trinkets. [But] despite professing quick-income prospects…it’s difficult for MLM consultants to earn more than pocket change.”

That much is true.

You’re very, very unlikely to get rich, selling candles and leggings.

(Everybody knows that, right?)

But, apparently not…

“Fed the fantasy of achieving the all-elusive American dream, many women are being wooed by multilevel-marketing companies… [and they] can be plunged into debt and psychological crisis.”

Crisis!

Oh, no!

Tell us more, Melodramatic Narrator!

“Ashley (name changed), a mom and wife who lives in the suburbs of Indianapolis, signed up to sell LuLaRoe in August 2016 after her husband lost his job…

Ashley opened three credit cards to cover the initial set-up cost and generated $3,500 a month in revenue for the first two months. But on the advice of other retailers, she plowed it all back into buying more inventory instead of keeping any of it for herself, her family, or their mounting bills.

“There was a point in time where I had $8,000 worth of inventory sitting in my home while I was running up to food banks to feed my family.”

…okay, hold it.

I’m sorry.

But…

The author of the article wanted to make a point about how shady and evil LuLaRoe is.

So why did she pick the world’s worst money manager as an example?

Are we really going to blame the company for “Ashley’s” stupidity?

Yes.

Apparently, we are:

“The US government tried to help people understand the risks before joining these kinds of companies, but MLMs had their way. In 2012, federal legislation passed requiring all franchise companies to provide a disclosure document with information on weighing the benefits and risks of signing up. However…now MLMs aren’t required to disclose information on risks to interested consultants.
As a result, many women sign up unaware of just how hard the system makes it to earn a living selling for a MLM.”

Shame on the person who recruited Ashley for not “disclosing” that it’s a bad idea to buy things she can’t afford.

Clearly, whenever someone shows interest in possibly working for a Multilevel Marketing Company, it’s the company’s job to try and talk them out of it…

Perhaps Ashley’s consultant should have physically pulled out a calculator and figured her household budget for her.

“Ashley, sweetie, you have no business joining my team of sales reps, unless you’re going to feed your kids the leggings.”

And, Ashley, let me add that any other self-employment opportunity will also be a bad idea for you. Say no to “Scentsy” and “Pampered Chef” as well! The safest bet will always be a nice, hourly job.

In fact, have someone escort you to the bank with your paycheck each week, so you don’t fall prey to a tricky person, holding a cardboard sign that says “ATM.”   (Let me just disclose: those particular “ATMs” are risky!)

—–

In closing, if the U.S. Government wants to “help people understand the risks” of MLMs– it should stop handing out diplomas to students who can’t function in the real world.

Teach them how to do math! That would help!

Meanwhile, where are the feminists who are offended by the suggestion that these strong, adult women need Uncle Sam to ride up on his white horse and save them? Are we capable of making Big Girl Decisions, or aren’t we?

I don’t understand how anyone can expect the successful, female business owners to take responsibility for their unsuccessful, female colleagues…  It doesn’t seem fair to put an undue burden on women entrepreneurs–in the name of “protecting” the hopelessly incompetent wannabes.

Furthermore, isn’t it kind of insulting for the article to imply that “Ashley” is representative of your typical American woman–and that any of the rest of us could just as easily slip and (whoops!) max out three credit cards buying spandex, the way she did?

*shrugs*

Just let me know, reader.

Let me know if you think it’s time to call in the knights and have them slay the LuLaRoe dragon.