This blog is my response to an article in the Metro newspaper posted by a friend on Facebook recently. I have given my response here more body and volume mostly because I am so over the blind that refuses to see and leaves us all open to comeuppance.
The article title…
“I will not stop talking about the racism I face even if it means I lose my job.”
By Eunice Olumide, 14 May 2019, 14:00
And she did lose her job…search for the article if interested.
My response:
“A good book for people who still find it difficult to talk about racism, is ‘White Fragility, why it’s difficult for white people to talk about racism,’ By Robin Di Angelo… And for those fragile egos- which frankly I no longer feel the need to pander to, being Pro-Black does not mean being anti-white!
I too will always be talking on subjects true, that are STILL difficult to face, and discuss, like racism, sexism/misogyny, domestic violence, child abuse, mental health, etc..
Over the years I have learnt that there will always be those who do not wish to know and recognise social injustice, which is, in effect, operating from the unconscious psychological defence mechanism of denial; so I no longer waste time and good energy trying to enlighten them any more, as it’s their lesson to learn, or not. But please note that your (unconscious) refusal to learn and see, leaves the back door, historcally, wide open for maggots the likes of Trump, Nigel Farage, white supremacists, Nigel and other racist politicians springing up by the dozens in 2019, with their main goal being to cast aspersions, create division, and disharmony. These are the ‘dark’ forces we are to be mindful of, not black folks.
So make up your minds deniers as we can’t solve a problem by not squarely and sincerely looking it; and you can bet your bottom dollar that if a problem is not being faced and adequately dealt with, the problem is only going to get worse. And sadly, us knuckle head human beings seems to prefer learning lessons the -who don’t hear must feel- hard way…And those of us who don’t operate like that, myself included, still will suffer “collective consequences,” seeing that we are all in this world together.
And a note to the wise, it is not black people’s responsibility to educate and prove to ignore-rance that racism is still very much alive and kicking; just like it is not battered women and/or abused children’s responsibility to educate ignorance about domestic violence and its far reaching consequences; nor to prove to you that they have indeed been abused. People we need to stop ‘victim blaming,’ as it is deeply psychologically wounding! Albeit, it may be a wound we do not physically see, but we all physically feel it when unprocessed hurt, and what seems like ‘senseless’ revenge, comes a knocking, sometimes indiscriminately. Read the paper; listen to the News, there are tens of thousands different examples.
As the human race we need to come out of kindergarten on these matters, as we still have things incredibly mixed up. So I bid you, take care of your own learning, face the social facts and release the need for Ignore- rance because it is far from bliss and comes with far reaching and receding consequence – for each and everyone of us…None of us stands outside of hatred’s intolerance of difference, and its unreckoned with, and deeply buried, feelings of self- disgust, that us black folks, somewhat like punching bags, end up bearing the brunt of…
Wake up!
Peace & love,
Light..