I
DO NOT hate white people and have some in my family whom I love dearly
as well as outside of my family because they don't treat me as "black" but as "family" with
real love and respect. However, in this current racial climate and
because of the deep denied thought processes it has exposed (but many Black people have been aware of) I
do not trust White people in general, and don't enjoy conversing with
them on race as it relates to injustice towards minorities by Whites, or
in regards to the internal issues among Blacks for which I feel they
should stay out of. We've achieved desegregation but never full
integration into the U.S. because whites won't allow it and many of us
no longer want it.
I struggle seeing White people as brothers or sisters in the human
family these days because I don't believe most are accepting of me
unless it is on their terms instead of as I am. I feel I have no reason
too at this time regardless of how friendly or religious they seem. The
religious ones have proven to be the greatest bigots. I listen carefully
to white folks to see if they are listening to me or truly care, and
from what I've seen most don't, won't, and never will. They don't have
the patience for it like they expect us to always have for things to
change rather than being more proactive to bring about those changes. We
are always told to pray or wait while suffering, but when White folks
want anything they aggressively demand it immediately. They have no
concept of institutional racial injustice as victims.
There would have to be a complete reversal of social positioning for White folks to see what it is like on the other side of their policies, wrong assumptions, and stereotyping of others. White folks enjoy our rich culture and contributions but don't strive to live like us or among us; while we've been conditioned to believe the "American Dream" to be more like White people and leave our own behind to be among you. You've never had to fight to be equal to me like we've had to fight to be equals with you. Your history even to this present day is full of taking whatever you want from whoever you want especially if they are not white, and in particular are Black. White folks deny this more times than not and act blind to the privileged advantage they have just by being White in Europe or in the U.S.A.
There would have to be a complete reversal of social positioning for White folks to see what it is like on the other side of their policies, wrong assumptions, and stereotyping of others. White folks enjoy our rich culture and contributions but don't strive to live like us or among us; while we've been conditioned to believe the "American Dream" to be more like White people and leave our own behind to be among you. You've never had to fight to be equal to me like we've had to fight to be equals with you. Your history even to this present day is full of taking whatever you want from whoever you want especially if they are not white, and in particular are Black. White folks deny this more times than not and act blind to the privileged advantage they have just by being White in Europe or in the U.S.A.
I use to be angry at the ignorance of white folks on race relations, racism, and "Black rage" until I understood that ignorance also means to be "deprived of knowledge by willfully ignoring".
I'm tired of talking to you about it or hearing your opinions on it
because I know you're not listening. I would rather just deal with my
people on strengthening and educating ourselves to make life better among
us, and be united with them first when dealing with external injustice
against us. White folks seem to be very afraid of that happening so they
continually infiltrate, filibuster, and bogart their way into anything
we do among us as if it won't work right without them or as if they
need to monitor and guide us. Have you ever considered, "Maybe Black folks are right and actually telling the truth so we need to shut the hell up?!"
Many people fought long and hard against hundreds of years of slavery
and then for desegregation against predominantly stubborn White refusal
and often violent backlash just to be able to sit on a public toilet
next to white people, and now when Black people talk about empowerment,
advancement, liberation, economic independence, equality, or "Black
Power" we can't even have a private conversation in our own restrooms
without you wanting to peek in and watch us wipe. There's no respect
from White people in their "White right" or "White might" towards
Black folks, nor a truly discernible desire for understanding between
us so I'm not interested in talking right now and don't know when I will
be if ever. ~ I.J. West
This makes me sad........... I'm trying to think of something to say. But the only thing that comes to mind is it seems you think less of me as a white Christian, then I think of Black people in general. I just don't know anymore. I only have 3 Black online friends. You, another guy, and a lady. I rarely talk to the other guy................. Shoot! There's no use of me going any farther with this. I'm just gonna give up on it.
ReplyDeleteBrother Bobby, understanding the first paragraph is key to understanding the reason for the entire writing: "This is a composite perspective from the minds of Black People on their relations with White People in the U.S. and abroad. It does not represent all Black People but holds a lot of truth for a great many on how they view White People."
DeleteIf you give up then it proves the points of the article. Rather than try to understand why some Black people feel the way they do it is easier to abandon any attempt at doing so, but Black folks don't have that luxury when it comes to dealing with White folks. It's not personal, but it is an expression of long time unexpressed and repressed personal feelings from a Black group perspective. If you don't know how a person or a people truly feels then you can't have an honest dialogue on how to change those feelings and began working towards making things better. We'll just repeat the same cycles.
I don't expect my White brethren to understand the deep wounds racism has bred over the years and generations among Black people. All white people aren't bad and all black people aren't good or vice versa is well understood, but that thinking is of no benefit to Black people in terms of race relations when a dominant few among white people who are bad control much of the power used against Black people. It's the same problem as bad cops being allowed to thrive and abuse others while good cops stand by and do nothing, but will defend or dismiss the bad behavior of their "brothers in blue" on that basis alone.
ReplyDeleteBlack people didn't form organizations like the KKK to help stop white people's advancement or to terrorize them after the end of slavery. Black people didn't create "Jim Crow" laws to hinder the economic development of white people or provide an unfair advantage for themselves and their future generations to dominate others socially, economically, and politically. Black people have never used the resources of the government to physically and violently oppress white people, or use legislative policy to adversely affect and disrupt their family dynamic within their communities. White people commit more crime but enjoy the benefit of less incarceration for the same crimes as Blacks who make up 51% of all inmates but only 13% of the population.
Black people have never used their superior political and economic advantage (because they've never had one) to systemically keep another ethnic group from achieving true equality and having to fight for it in a country that was built off their free labor as slaves or even on a continent in which they are the actual original inhabitants such as Africa. Black folks have never built a system that allows a "chosen few" to come through every now and then to give the false impression of equality while allowing the system of law to enforce racial brutality on others. These are just a few of the kinds of things that I don't believe White people ever consider when dealing with Black people and trying to understand their rage, pain, and complaints.
Racism is easy to solve by simply ending it and doing the right thing, but it is very complicated and complex in its effects on those who have suffered from it.
I appreciate this piece and your reply above.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I need to start a Facebook group for couples dealing with their significant other following these people that are miss teaching the Bible.
ReplyDeleteI am one of those significant others that is also dealing with my husband getting deep into this. He isn't in one of those "anger" "white hating" camps, but there are one in the same to me. I don't know how to get through to him because he just comes back with a bible verse.