Actual Black Person.: Just so we're all clear.

Jan 24, 2012
103 notes

Just so we’re all clear.

Let me break it down for the bunch of people who just do not get what I was saying.

It was not about the specific girl in the short video from Jane Elliott’s workshop.

Let me repeat that.

It was not about or towards that person on a personal level.

My anger and fuck you is directed to the responses I saw to her being upset, in a situation that she volunteered for. It is anger about when the racism and discussion about racism is magically erased when a White person gets their feelings hurt.

The term White Lady Tears is applied when White people, often women use their tears and hurt feelings to manipulate or bully people of color into silence because it’s uncomfortable and yes it hurts when you do or say something hurtful and are called on it.

My fuck you is directed at the people who participate in that behaviour, who perpetuate it with their silence and in doing so perpetuate the racist bullshit I deal with every fucking day.

In this context, that girl in the video was the catalyst for an outpouring of OH NOES that did not extend to the actual lessons Ms. Elliott has worked for a long goddamn time to teach. Nor did those specific reactions extend to those of us who simply because of the color of our skin experience those things every day of our lives.

Further let me put it this way with something that yes actually happened to me.

In most of my classes through high school, I was often the only student of color. Or sometimes there was maybe one more.

In a class I was sitting in a note was passed around all about how (this is verbatim) “we only have to do this because of the darkie” during Black history month.

Rather than any of the white children being reprimanded or anything the teacher read it aloud, glanced at me and threw it away.

When I went to the teacher in tears I was told to “just ignore it”.

A few weeks later, another note was found saying that someone in the class was a slut. One girl (yes a White girl) decided it was about her, burst into tears and the ENTIRE CLASS had to apologize.

What lesson do you think I learned from that experience and the many like it I’ve experienced in my life? The lesson is that I as a Black child/person do not matter as much as the White child/person.

I say fuck you to a system that does that to me and has been doing it to me since the day I was born.

If what’s important to you are the hurt feelings of someone when they are caught or called out for their bad behavior bye.

You don’t get it and likely will have the supreme privilege of never getting it.

Now how to tell if you are doing this to a person of color me in particular.

Complete refusal to understand or even acknowledge the context of what I said.
Using a tone argument.
Calling me names based on an out of context phrase.
Sending me messages telling me I’m being mean.
Not saying to people who may be doing these things to stop.
Only having empathy for the people in the position of power.

Also if you are using the tumblrs you can use the googles.

I won’t do it for you because it’s not my job to prove or give evidence of these things.

Furthermore understand if you understand nothing else that while the video was an experiment, the things I’m talking about are my actual life and real pain and real anger.

If you can do none of these things, do not talk to or about me. Keep it to yourself.