"Why you always talking shit, always be complaining? Why you always gotta be so mad?"
"I got a lot to be mad about."
Today multiple articles appeared in my newsfeed that send me into a blind rage. It started with a reluctant read of the Chip Gaines “new years
resolution.” I won’t link here because I don’t need to give those people any
more publicity than they already have.
All the articles were sharing how “classy” his words were
and how what he says is a message we all need to hear. And to that I say
BULLSHIT.
First of all, I don’t need to be told “If there is any hope
for all of us to move forward, to heal and to grow—we have to learn to engage
people who are different from us with dignity and with love” from someone who
is not actively battling oppression that could ultimately take his life. Second,
this whole stance on hate, oppression, discrimination and inequality is
something I’ve heard many times before, things I’ve been told by people who
have hurt me, ignored my identities and rights while claiming to love me. This
James Baldwin quote has been circulating the Internet:
“We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.”
Let me tell you something, love is not love when you only
take the parts of somebody you like and ignore or deny the other parts. Refer
to image below for more info on what I believe is not love.
Things like race, sexuality, & gender are not pizza
topic preferences. This is not a debate between liking pepperoni or cheese
pizza. And if it was it would be more like, I know you like pepperoni but
pepperoni is against my preferences so the fact that pepperoni is against the preferences
of all people in power and it’s not available to even buy shouldn’t be a big
deal to you. And I’m really sorry that you’re seen as a “pepperoni lover” and
that people look at you weird and police follow and kill other pepperoni lovers
but I like cheese pizza so that’s really none of my business, love you though! This
might seem like a ridiculous metaphor but that’s how I feel when people talk
about loving and respecting but not saying that oppression directed towards the
person that they “love” and “respect” is wrong.
Shortly after reading this article I came across a video clip of Rachel Maddow talking about Trump's blatant lies about the Russian hack report put out by the White House. It was just a preview of the impending state of affairs in this
country. I will start by saying that I’ve never been delusional enough to think
that the government has been entirely truthful to the general public. My dad
was in the Navy for 20 years, all military kids know there’s shit we’re not
allowed to know. But I will say that there is a whole new level of boldness and
ego when our President Elect makes statements that directly conflict with White
House published documents. Like what is even happening? This guy is not even in
office yet and he thinks the American people are a bunch of chumps that can’t
Google public reports?
Which brings me back to Chip and his words of “This past
year has been tough. In my lifetime, I can’t recall humanity being more
divided.” ARE YOU ACTUALLY KIDDING???? You’re in your 40’s and grew up in Texas
in the 70’s and THIS is seriously the first time you realized the country is
divided. I understand that inequality is now having an affect on your life you never
thought it could because—white, but guess what, even though YOU thought the
country wasn’t divided before this, make no mistake, this country has ALWAYS
been divided. It’s just that the people that have been left out of the
conversation are now in your face and have pushed their way in and acquired
enough power to keep you from being in a lie bubble where “good people” win and
“bad people are punished.”
Needless to say I was/am having a lot of feelings about
these two instances and the countless inequalities and systems of oppression that
always have been and continue to be at play in this country. I called on that
same community I mentioned in my post from earlier this week, cuddled my wife
and pup, blasted Formation and reminded myself of an important thing:
“We were made for these times…we are the leaders we have been waiting for, and that we have been raised since childhood for this time precisely.” –Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph. D.
The resistance of our ancestors is weaved into our DNA
(shout-out Kayla for this reminder) and we have been given tools for revolution
from countless others that fought before us who had much less power and much
more to lose.
“If you’ve come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine then let us work together.” –Lilla Watson
Resistance is about love, love for ourselves and love for
all of our humanity. Let’s love each other so fiercely and bravely that we
create a different world entirely.
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